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Coming from a difficult past that involves poverty, poor living conditions, and complicated family problems, one El Cenizo mother has added climate change worries as yet another day-to-day stressor.
El Cenizo, a former colonia, sits along the banks of the Rio Grande in southern Webb County. Nearly 2,300 people live in this small city and roughly 30% live in poverty, more than twice the state average.
Despite living conditions that many in the United States would describe as deplorable, this El Cenizo mother seemed grateful throughout the interview as she recounted her previous trailer home that was in worse condition, highlighting the reality of many individuals like her who live on the border and have not experienced adequate living conditions.
Wishing to remain anonymous due to a strenuous separation from her partner, she fears the repercussions of domestic violence by speaking up about the conditions of her home. She purchased her house directly from the owner to avoid dealing with real estate and banking issues but other issues soon arose.
The material used to build the foundation of the house began to crumble under intense heat, including the roof. “The heat was so strong that the chemical that I should have had did not do the job, therefore, it was a useless expense that I made and this causes the same leaks and also because of the rain the walls are penetrated, which is where the foundations that are next to the sidewalks are and my basement floods.” Eventually the material could no longer hold, and her roof collapsed.
Despite living on the property for six years now, the future of the house still seems uncertain as increasing temperatures and sudden rain events ruin any progress made. This is a perfect storm for those who struggle financially and are unable to finance or invest in heat-resilient roofing (Vellingiri et al., 2020). It is normal for buildings and houses to degrade over time; however, if left unchecked the rate of wear and tear rapidly increases (Phillipson et al., 2016).
Building materials and construction continue to evolve and improve with new technology, but unpredictable weather changes have created new challenges for engineers and architects who must adapt to make buildings more resilient and comfortable for indoor living. Meanwhile, newer technology and innovative materials are costly. Lower quality materials to build lower cost homes create less resilient homes with shorter life spans.
The El Cenizo mother remains determined to seek a better future by moving away from her hometown and providing her children with a better life. She hopes that her struggles will be worth it in the end.
Her constant smiling throughout the interview and her warm personality is proof that people are resilient and will continue to work for a better future. “Always have that desire that you will improve, and that you will achieve it, that it will not always be so easy, that we always have difficult situations, but that if you want it, sooner or later you will achieve it,” she said, despite her family’s unstable living conditions.
