When winter storm Uri knocked out the power in Rodney's Texas home, his ventilator stopped working. For four days, he sat in the dark, wondering if he would survive. Rodney had no heat, no food, no water, and no way to get out of his cold apartment. There was no coordinated outreach, and no meaningful way to ask for help in real time. Like many Texans with disabilities, Rodney was left navigating this disaster alone.

The systems meant to protect him had failed.