climate protection
In Alabama, people in rural communities are often those most impacted by severe climate events like heat waves, tornadoes, and hail storms. Government and corporations consistently demonstrate that they are either unable or unwilling to respond to these events in ways that actually help local communities.
We’re working to fill that gap by developing climate protection teams across the state as part of a multi-year project in partnership with Political Healers Project.
What We’ve Done
In Fall 2023, we completed a deep canvass across more than 10 rural communities in five counties recently impacted by severe storms. We talked to 1,033 rural Alabamians at their door and on the phone, hearing their stories about how severe weather has impacted their lives, what storms look like in these communities, what people’s needs are, and what sorts of changes they want to see in their communities.
We’ve built relationships with over 400 storm survivors and rural residents whose communities have been impacted by tornadoes, hail storms, and other severe weather.
Our monthly community gatherings bring impacted people together to see that they are not alone, learn from one another, and strategize around collective actions to make their communities more resilient in the future.
We’re organizing rural residents to establish climate protection teams that will develop long-term solutions for their communities. Through community gatherings, we are continuing to share stories, build relationships, and engage in healing practice together. By working together and centering the leadership of local communities, we are creating the space for these groups to define and implement solutions that work for their communities.