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By It’s Going Down discussion-Dorian .. ..In the past week, Hurricane Dorian has devastated the Bahamas, leaving close to 20% of the population homeless and lashed the Eastern Seaboard. Compounding the disaster is Trump’s racist attacks on refugees combined with the fact that many in the Southeast and in Puerto Rico are still recovering from previous hurricanes.
In the face of Dorian, Mutual Aid Disaster Relief and wider anarchist and autonomist networks have mobilized a web of autonomous hubs and supply chains, which are funneling medical supplies, food, and toiletries into impacted regions, including the Bahamas.
Wanting to know more, we recently spoke with several people participating in autonomous disaster relief efforts (note, this interview is edited, and includes the voices of multiple individuals) about how the network of autonomous hubs and supply chains are functioning and how they might be utilized in other struggles and situations.
IGD: What was the idea behind building a network of hubs and supply chains?
We reflected on past experiences responding to disasters and realized that we helped foster community and contributed to people’s survival and self determination in impacted areas. And this, for good reason, has been our focus.
“The level of coordination is the best I’ve seen yet.”
Meanwhile, supply drives in other communities took place, but were sometimes haphazard or invisible and not cultivated as much as they could have been. This is an effort to be more intentional about strengthening bonds across the regional networks and encouraging people to self-organize around collecting needed supplies in their own locales, even if their community is removed from the zone of impact.
“This is an effort to be more intentional about strengthening bonds across the regional networks, and encouraging people to self-organize…”
The Free 