Gabriela Aoun Angueira.

Doris Brown, Hub home captain, poses for a portrait under her solar panels on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Antranik Tavitian)

Lacking community resilience centers, Houston neighbors opt for solar-powered ‘hub homes’

Doris Brown’s home in Northeast Houston becomes a refuge for neighbors during power outages thanks to her solar panel and battery system. Her house is part of a pilot program creating resilience “hub homes” as emergency safe havens. This grassroots initiative started after Winter Storm Uri in 2021, aiming to boost community resilience. The program was set to expand with EPA funding, but the Solar for All program was canceled, halting growth. Despite the setback, organizers plan to continue through community fundraising. They emphasize the importance of local connections and resilience in the face of increasing extreme weather events.

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Volunteers from Kerrville Bible Church saw and haul tree debris in front of a flood-damaged home on Guadalupe Street in Kerrville, Texas, on Saturday, July 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriela Aoun Angueira)

Armies of Texas volunteers dig out, clean up, after fatal floods

Armies of Texan volunteers are leading flood recovery and cleanup, supplementing official efforts even as more flooding hits and the search for the missing continues. One devastated property resembles a construction site as equipment operators clear debris. An Army unit from Fort Hood scraped mud out of the cabin while other people yanked away drywall. A Bible study group from San Antonio hand-washed tools from someone’s barn. A woman carefully wiped clean old photo negatives, hoping to preserve a couple’s memories. The hard labor in the sweltering Texas summer heat includes the debris removal and remediation often done by hired contractors but out of reach for households lacking insurance. Many survivors said it is simply too expensive.

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President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the Oval Office of the the White House, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Washington, as from left, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, listen. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump’s plan to begin ‘phasing out’ FEMA after hurricane season burdens states, experts warn

President Donald Trump’s plan to begin “phasing out” the federal agency that responds to disasters after the 2025 hurricane season is likely to put more responsibilities on states to provide services following increasingly frequent and expensive climate disasters, experts say. Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have repeatedly signaled their desire to overhaul, if not completely eliminate, the 46-year-old Federal Emergency Management Agency. While there has been bipartisan support for reforming the agency, experts say dismantling it completely would leave gaps in crucial services and funding.

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