Why We Know First-Hand: The Failure of Disaster Assistance Management

When the F4 tornado tore through our farm on November 4, 2022, we didn’t just lose our home and our livelihood—we lost our faith in the systems designed to protect us. Our story isn't just about a storm; it is about the "second disaster" that happens when the wind stops: the systemic failure of disaster assistance.

We speak from experience because we are the survivors who were told "no."

The "Paperwork Disaster"

For most survivors, the struggle begins with a letter. Despite losing everything—our farm, our equipment, and nearly our lives—we were met with denials from FEMA and minimal support from other major aid programs. We learned the hard way that the system is built for the "insured and the documented," not the families in the margins.

The Inequity of Denial: In Texas, families earning less than $30,000 are nearly twice as likely to be denied aid as wealthier households.


The "One-Size-Fits-All" Trap: Major programs often fail to recognize the unique needs of rural farmers or multi-generational households, leaving those with unconventional living situations or property titles in total darkness.


The Vulnerability Gap

Major assistance programs are designed to be a safety net, but for the most destitute and overlooked, that net is full of holes. Survivors are often spoken to unkindly and treated like a claim number rather than a human being in trauma.

The Overlooked Survivor: If you don't fit into a specific bureaucratic box, you are often "denied and overlooked."


The Safety Necessity: We sheltered in a steel shipping container because it was the best we had—and it nearly became our tomb. Major aid programs rarely fund proactive safety measures like storm shelters for low-income families, viewing them as "luxuries" rather than the life-saving necessities they are.


Our Testimony is Our Proof

We know there is a vulnerability in disaster management because we lived through the gaps. We know that when the major agencies turn their backs, God’s Grace and Light is the only thing left.

Grace & Light Foundation Co. was birthed from this testimony. We aren’t just administrators; we are survivors who refused to stay buried in the wreckage. We exist to be the "last-resort lifeline" for families who have been told "no" by everyone else. We provide the safe places we didn't have and the essential assistance we were denied.