What the Texas Disaster taught us
What the Texas disaster taught us seems to be a lesson we never seem to learn or care to correct. Our most financially vulnerable always suffer the most. When you are living check to check or check to Tuesday any disruption large or small will further destroy that thin line of surviving and losing it all. It becomes sadder when a family was starting to make progress from the pandemic.
While many of us talk about record numbers in the stock market. Many families see a brokerage account as a luxury, and an emergency savings account as the equivalent of seeing a unicorn. However, that should not be the case in this great country.
At Budget Build Buy we have a passion for helping our clients create budgets, build income, build credit, build savings, buy homes and build wealth. I feel we have a moral obligation to help our fellow citizens escape poverty and truly live the American dream. As a country we have more than enough wealth to go around.
Who was hurt the most by the Texas disaster?
No surprise the poorest communities and communities of color were hurt the most by the Texas disaster. Families without funds to purchase groceries, or a vehicle to move around in were forced to stay in cold homes with little to no food.
On the news we see countless poor families and families of color living with multiple generations under one roof suffering and struggling to survive. Some families turned to burning toys or furniture to stay warm. Others created more danger by using ovens or grills indoors to stay warm. Desperate times truly called for desperate measures. However, those unorthodox heating devices created fires and death by releasing toxic gases. Adding insult to injury some Texas residents are now being forced to pay astronomical electric bills due to the shortage of electricity. Again the poorest and least prepared suffer the most in these situations.
How to stop the suffering?
You stop the suffering by helping families come out of poverty. At Budget Build Buy we help our clients build income by learning new and different skills. These skills help families not only survive financially but thrive financially.
Families with savings and high incomes were able to weather this disaster with little to no additional hardship. Furthermore, some took the time to schedule a last minute trip to the sunny, warm Caribbean places like Cancun. While so many more were left behind to suffer and die.
What the Texas Disaster taught us
What the Texas disaster taught us is we have to be better prepared. We learned the poorest among us will suffer through a disaster and have little to no chance of a fast recovery. We learned politicians do not care about anyone but themselves and are the first to jump ship when things go bad. Furthermore, we learned no help is coming and we must help ourselves by building wealth for ourselves, for our communities and for our families.
Seeing the images from Texas broke my heart. And I try to imagine what my life would look like if I was in Texas. I immediately checked my home for emergency supplies, food, canned goods, flashlights and batteries. I sat down and worked with my family on an emergency plan. We decided to pack an emergency bag if we were forced to immediately evacuate. We know in case of emergency we will be inconvenienced but we wont suffer or go backwards financially. What will it take for you to feel the same way?
