Port Arthur Cry No More

Tiffany Anderson founded Port Arthur Cry No More in 2023 with the mission to help her Texas hometown’s most vulnerable in the aftermath of disasters. With Hurricane Harvey still fresh in her mind, the organization aims to fill a void and bring calm to the chaos she witnessed before, during and after Harvey, the strongest hurricane to hit the area since 1961. The 2017 storm left dozens of deaths and billions of dollars in physical damage in its wake statewide. In Port Arthur, low-income residents without TVs, cell phones or Internet access were left out of the loop for vital information in the days leading up to Harvey. Elderly residents without transportation were marooned in their darkened homes for days after the storm. And resources that were offered to weather the storm, such as hotel rooms, were haphazardly managed. Port Arthur Cry No More wants to be a lifeline of information and resources that can help alleviate suffering during disaster situations.

With 55,579 people, Port Arthur is 42.6% Black, 32.2% Hispanic and 17.6% White. Born and raised in Port Arthur, Anderson left to join the U.S. Army, later returning with two children. Feeling that not much had changed since she left, Anderson was especially dismayed by the city’s lack of preparedness during Hurricane Harvey and subsequent storm events. For example, residents without cell phones miss out on receiving emergency notifications electronically via STAN, the Southeast Texas Alerting Network, and the city seems to have no alternatives. With the help of her now adult son and daughter and armed with the motto “stay ready so you don’t have to get ready” –  Port Arthur Cry No More wants to be that alternative. The group is initially proposing a “door-to-door” campaign to share information with residents – before the next storm – on shelter locations, transportation options, food and water distribution points and a centralized number whereby out-of-town relatives can call to check on loved ones.