The flooding experienced in the Rio Grande Valley on March 27th took our region by surprise. Streets were flooded, stranded vehicles blocked our roads, community members were displaced from their homes, and with the lack of urgency and support from our elected officials, our community was left in an onslaught of uncertainty. In the wake of the devastation, La Union del Pueblo Entero mobilized to assist our community during this time of need. Our team offered support to those affected by the flash floods with information, resources, town halls, and our Dando la Mano Fund.

In moments of uncertainty, we always come back to one guiding principle: put the community first. As the date for our 22nd Annual César Chávez Marcha drew near, we took a step back to reassess. We gathered as a team, talked through our options, and reached out to our members to hear their thoughts. Their feedback was clear and heartfelt—and it helped us make the tough but necessary decision to postpone our biggest event of the year.

Instead of marching, we shifted our energy to where it was needed most: supporting our community’s most vulnerable members. As soon as we launched our rapid-response efforts, we saw just how many people were struggling to navigate the claims process and get the help they desperately needed.

In times like these, it’s easy to expect leadership and support from those in power. But the truth is that help often comes too late—if at all. So we did what we’ve always done: rolled up our sleeves and got to work. Because when our community needs us, we don’t wait—we act.

Our communities’ aging infrastructure has repeatedly proven inadequate to prevent millions of dollars in damages and even the loss of life. Historically, the Rio Grande Valley has struggled with severe precipitation and flooding, but we know that the extensive damage to our neighborhoods are entirely preventable. Projects such as ditches, the extension and expansion of canals, and sewage pipes improved the drainage and protected many colonias from rising water in the communities our organizing team assisted. But these basic necessities were a fight, many of them taking years to be realized when they should be a given.

In an effort to raise awareness on the subject, share information, and provide resources to the public, we scheduled five town halls in Las Milpas, San Benito, Edinburg, Weslaco, and Mission over the course of two weeks. Our team of canvassers walked the streets of the communities with the most flooding in the Rio Grande Valley to assess their needs and invite them to the closest Town Hall in their area. Close to 200 concerned residents participated to learn about the assistance programs from our partner organizations, how to properly file a flood claim through ISTAT, and about our Dando la Mano Fund.

As a membership-based organization, La Union del Pueblo Entero understands the power and the value of every individual in our community. Therefore, we wanted to provide direct financial assistance to those in need, particularly those with limited access to other resources. Ultimately, we decided to repurpose our Dando la Mano Fund, which was originally created as a pandemic relief initiative to provide direct assistance to individuals impacted by COVID-19, and made it an essential part of our emergency disaster relief efforts. We are happy to share that were able to provide relief to 195 families in the Rio Grande Valley through our fund.

Our community has endured the consequences of outdated infrastructure for too long. Although our resilience has undoubtedly helped us withstand plenty of natural disasters, a solution to our government's shortcomings in protecting, informing, and assisting its constituents when disaster hits is long overdue. Not only have the weather events making landfall in our region been getting more destructive over the years, but our government's preparedness for these disasters has also been worsening. Nevertheless, La Unión del Pueblo Entero will continue to stand ready to take action for our Pueblo, as we urge our communities to support each other as well.

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