Why We Started
September 2005. Hurricane Rita steadily marched toward Houston. She was a Category 5 storm, and she was looking fierce.
My parents had recently moved to Houston. They, and the other 4 million coastal Texas residents, prepared to head inland for the mandatory evacuation.
One terrifying problem: my dad had ALS. He used his bi-pap machine for breathing assistance around the clock.
The drive to Austin was normally 3 hours. It was now taking 12-18, and temperatures were around 100 degrees. To run out of gas or have car trouble would be a death sentence. (In fact, it was for many.)
I was living in Baton Rouge and was still scared raw from Hurricane Katrina, just 3 weeks prior.
You couldn’t believe it unless you lived through it, yet here we were again. I could not do a thing but pray they were ok.
Ultimately, my parents chose to face the hurricane. With a neighbor who stayed and his generator for backup, they made it through everything.
My mom is a very smart woman with faith the size of a mountain. She is someone you want on your side. My dad was the most capable, Jack-of-all-trades, competent man I have ever known. He always knew what to do.
They handled it perfectly, and from then on weather was not the problem our family faced.
I can’t take ALS away from you. I wish more than anything I could. But what we can do is make you more prepared so that weather is one less fear.
Please contact us if you need help or want to help. Wishing you health and peace.
Kathryn Alexander
Our Mission
Coastal Power Initiative helps Texans living with ALS stay safe and maintain continuity of care by providing backup power resources and practical emergency preparedness support.
Our Vision
Coastal Power Initiative currently serves Texans living with ALS. Our vision is to grow beyond Texas and make reliable backup power and emergency preparedness support available to families with ALS across the country.
Coastal Power Initiative envisions a future where every Texan living with ALS is equipped and supported to weather power outages and emergencies safely.
Our Organization
Coastal Power Initiative is a Texas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to helping individuals and families prepare for power outages with greater confidence and security.