Brickaveli urges disaster unity and prison preparedness in Houston

Brickaveli used a Houston disaster-preparedness meeting to call for neighborhood mutual aid, household planning and better protection for incarcerated people during hurricanes, floods and freezes. The message: families, elders and prisoners all need supplies, communication and a real plan before the storm hits.

Why it matters: - Brickaveli framed disaster readiness as a community safety issue, not just an individual chore. - The message extended beyond typical household preparedness to include neighbors, elders, people with disabilities and incarcerated people. - The pitch landed in Houston, where hurricanes, floods and freezes can cut power, block roads and delay emergency response.

What happened: - Brickaveli attended a disaster-preparedness meeting in Houston with Loke G. - Brian Murray of the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and Brooke Campbell of United Way of Greater Houston and the Greater Houston Disaster Alliance spoke about preparing for hurricanes, floods and freezes. - The speakers told families not to wait until lights go out, streets flood or stores empty. - Brickaveli, a first-generation Chicano who spent 10 years in prison, said he came to represent the barrio, the incarcerated and people rarely heard in emergency-planning conversations.

The details: - Preparedness basics discussed at the meeting included water, canned food, medicine, flashlights, radios, emergency numbers, insurance information and family plans. - Households were urged to know where to go, who to call and how to reconnect if separated. - Neighbors were told to check on viejitos, children, disabled people and families without transportation. - Emergency crews may be stretched thin, roads may close and help may not reach every barrio right away. - A disaster kit should include drinking water, canned or dry food, a manual can opener, flashlights, batteries, a radio, first-aid supplies, prescription medicine, phone chargers, power banks, blankets, hygiene products, extra clothes, masks, gloves, cash and pet supplies. - Families should keep identification cards, birth certificates, medical information, property records and insurance policies in a waterproof bag or container. - Households should write down emergency numbers and know what each one is for. - Call 911 for immediate danger, serious injury, entrapment, drowning or another life-threatening emergency. - Call 211 for shelter information, food, transportation, utility help, disaster assistance and nonprofit resources. - Call 311 for non-emergency city services, fallen trees, debris, street damage and other local problems. - Families should have a battery-powered or hand-crank radio because internet and cell service may fail. - Parents should practice family plans with children and plan how to help neighbors who cannot evacuate alone. - Cars should be fueled before a storm, but drivers should not assume a truck or SUV can beat floodwater. - Brickaveli said a car cannot replace a life and insurance cannot pull a family from rising water. - Homeowners and renters should know what their insurance covers before a disaster. - Residents should photograph homes, vehicles, tools, furniture and valuable property before a storm. - After a disaster, damaged property should be documented before cleanup, and receipts should be saved for hotels, food, repairs and emergency supplies.

Between the lines: - Brickaveli treated disaster preparedness as a form of neighborhood self-defense. - His comments on prisons pushed the conversation into an overlooked area of emergency planning. - He said prisoners can be left locked inside cells during hurricanes, thunderstorms and freezes, with no real ability to flee, call family or buy supplies. - Brickaveli argued that people behind bars still need clean water, food, medication, working toilets, safe temperatures, emergency communication and evacuation plans. - He also said families deserve to know whether incarcerated loved ones are alive and safe. - The core argument was that storms expose how much survival depends on coordination, not status or wealth.

What's next: - Brickaveli’s call to action is for neighborhoods to identify who needs help, share resources and prepare before a storm arrives. - Families are being urged to build plans, gather supplies and check on vulnerable neighbors now rather than after warnings begin. - The broader challenge is whether prisons and other institutions will adopt more serious disaster planning for people in custody.

The bottom line: - Brickaveli’s message is that survival in a disaster depends on unity, preparation and looking out for the people most likely to be forgotten.