Joe Martinez, Ed.D., is a Doctor of Curriculum & Technology, a U.S. Military Veteran, and a native of San Benito.
Let’s face it, extreme cold weather affects us all.
Right now, our nation has been plagued by extreme weather, and 16 states, including Texas, have been designated disaster areas in advance by the White House.
This couldn’t be further from the truth for the people living in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV), especially residents of our small city, where poverty levels are rampant at 28 percent, and most of our residents live below the poverty level.
I stress this because extreme cold weather affects us all in some way, especially the poor.
According to July 2024 US Census data, almost a third of our city’s population, or 32 percent, lack health insurance. The median household income is $41,445, far below the national median of $78,538. What does this all mean?
It means that emergency rooms that would otherwise be operating at normal capacity are being inundated by uninsured individuals due to cold-weather illnesses.
Extreme cold weather also has a domino effect in many other areas, even those that are unrelated. First and foremost, it affects how a student studies at home and prepares for the next day at school, especially among those living in substandard housing.
Old electrical circuitry might not be able to accommodate today’s heaters, which could otherwise provide healthy, warm environments conducive to students doing their homework.
I covered this during my doctoral studies here in San Benito, as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs holds that a person cannot attain higher levels of needs unless the lower, basic needs, such as safety needs, are fulfilled.
It means families, especially those living at or below the poverty level, might not have the resources they need to stay warm during this severe inclement weather. It also means more missed work due to illnesses such as colds, the flu, congestion, upper respiratory illnesses, and other ailments.
It further means more sick children out of school, which snowballs into fewer tax dollars being allocated to schools due to absenteeism.
This is one of the reasons I stress the importance of keeping our wealth within our city to improve the standard of living for our residents. Please don’t export our wealth to Harlingen, Brownsville, or Amazon.
If you can buy locally, even if it means shopping in numerous stores to find an item, please do so to increase tax dollars for our city, which in turn can provide much-needed services for all citizens, especially those living at or below the poverty level.
Recommendations include students and residents wearing warmer garments when attending school and going outdoors. Other recommendations to reduce or prevent cold-weather impacts on health include vaccinations and keeping current with vaccine immunity.
It takes all of us to pull ourselves out of this inequality in access to a higher quality of life for all residents of our great little city.
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