When communities face the aftermath of catastrophes, what does it take to ensure that the next time will be different? And how can we make the necessary systemic changes so that everyone is able to make it to higher ground?
Well, in Houston, TX, it takes a city council member who bicycles in her neighborhood so she can hear directly from constituents about what they need most. It takes 12 moms organizing together to sue the landlords that have kept their families in moldy, substandard apartments. And it takes a city official blowing the whistle on corrupt and dangerous practices related to housing policy.
In this episode of The Response podcast, we travel to Houston to meet these changemakers in the final episode of our collaboration with BUT NEXT TIME, a limited-run podcast that spotlights powerful stories of community-led disaster prevention and recovery.
You can listen to “Higher Ground” on The Response right here (or where ever you get your podcasts).
To learn more about the people and organizations featured in this episode, visit www.butnexttime.com where you’ll also find resources for disaster preparation and recovery, housing justice organizing, climate justice work, and more. Listen to part four of But Next Time: Rising Waters.
Episode credits:
- Host and executive producer: Tom Llewellyn
- Series producer: Robert Raymond
- Theme Music: “Meet you on the other side” by Cultivate Beats
New to The Response? Here are a few past episodes to get you started:
- No Name Kitchen: Solidarity with asylum seekers in the Western Balkans
- Reimagining Onagawa: How one village in Japan found a new path forward after the triple disaster of 2011
- “Permanently Organized Communities” with Michelle Mascarenhas-Swan
Support for The Response has been provided by the Shift and Guerrilla foundations, PlatformOS, Collabofide, and tax-deductible donations from listeners like you.
The Response is an award-winning documentary and podcast series exploring how communities are building collective resilience in the wake of disasters with host Tom Llewellyn.
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Download our free ebook: “The Response: Building Collective Resilience in the Wake of Disasters” |