#Infrastructure Rebuild

[bigvolcano]

Tweed flood restoration continues two years on from disaster

A total of 3,742 road damage items were logged across the Tweed following the disaster, with additional damage to water and wastewater infrastructure, parks and sports fields, and some 90 Council-owned buildings impacted by the floodwaters.

Progress made but still a long way to go Residents survey the destruction of Blacks Drain along Tweed Valley Way at South Murwillumbah in the days following the February-March 2022 deluge. (Photo credit Toni Kelly Fleeton) Flood recovery remains a major focus of Tweed Shire Council, as the community marks two years since the worst natural disaster in the Tweed’s recorded history.Current…

[marginal-notes]

But one of the biggest things out of this whole mess is the weird sort of. Egalitarianism? What the fuck are words, I don’t know. Whatever, the weird places where people could just not give a shit about gender or sex in Naruto.

AKA, let’s talk a bit about ANBU, land of the “no one knows your face, no one knows your name, fuck your personal identity, no one’s allowed to even remember your body shape since that can give away secrets, just stab that target real good and do your job.” It’s the kind of place where all that matters is how good of a weapon you are, and we can turn it into the fucked up little deadly meritocracy we want to. Because I only have so much patience for dealing with chauvinism in my dumb little fiction project.

The general shinobi forces also broadly has this attitude, though it might not be to the extreme of ANBU and ROOT. At the end of the day, as long as you can carry out your missions well, based on your specializations, the distinctions between male and female shouldn’t be a massive impediment to your ability to serve the village.

It’s the extra politics and the civilian cultural expectations that start messing things up.

[theetwinkleboy]

typing out a 3000 word post on my phone with my thumbs fighting autocorrect the whole way (aka the WORST way to type) and then I was like. Why am I doing this to myself. Anyway all this to say! I have thoughts. They may be incoherent. But I’ll post them eventually.

[flameraven]

Yup. Is overhauling our whole energy system and infrastructure to adapt to the new conditions of climate change gonna be expensive? Sure! But constantly rebuilding cities because they got wrecked by climate-fuelled extreme disasters is a lot more so. Anyway, we've got quite a few billionaires with more money than they know what to do with. Relieve them of most of it and we can probably cover a good chunk of the cost.

Mood.

[reasonsforhope]

By the way, you can improve your executive function. You can literally build it like a muscle.

Yes, even if you're neurodivergent. I don't have ADHD, but it is allegedly a thing with ADHD as well. And I am autistic, and after a bunch of nerve damage (severe enough that I was basically housebound for 6 months), I had to completely rebuild my ability to get my brain to Do Things from what felt like nearly scratch.

This is specifically from ADDitude magazine, so written specifically for ADHD (and while focused in large part on kids, also definitely includes adults and adult activities):

Here's a link on this for autism (though as an editor wow did that title need an editor lol):

Resources on this aren't great because they're mainly aimed at neurotypical therapists or parents of neurdivergent children. There's worksheets you can do that help a lot too or thought work you can do to sort of build the neuro-infrastructure for tasks.

But a lot of the stuff is just like. fun. Pulling from both the first article and my own experience:

Play games or video games where you have to make a lot of decisions. Literally go make a ton of picrews or do online dress-up dolls if you like. It helped me.

Art, especially forms of art that require patience, planning ahead, or in contrast improvisation

Listening to longform storytelling without visuals, e.g. just listening regularly to audiobooks or narrative podcasts, etc.

Meditation

Martial arts

Sports in general

Board games like chess or Catan (I actually found a big list of what board games are good for building what executive functioning skills here)

Woodworking

Cooking

If you're bad at time management play games or video games with a bunch of timers

Things can be easier. You might always have a disability around this (I certainly always will), but it can be easier. You do not have to be this stuck forever.

[rebuiltzine]

Maryland’s Bridge to Nowhere? Why the Key Bridge Rebuild May Be a Test of Wes Moore’s Competence—Not Just Concrete

When the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in March 2024, it was more than just a tragedy—it was a wake-up call. A critical piece of Maryland’s infrastructure crumbled, and with it, public confidence in the state’s ability to manage risk, plan ahead, and prioritize safety. Now, over a year later, Maryland is charging ahead with a sleek new bridge design, fully funded by the federal government.…

[schoolhater]

answering a couple questions i got on this post since i realized ppl genuinely wanna know:

tl;dr:

israel lets very, very little aid get into gaza. even the UN can't get in as much as they want to. funding individual families, gazan led initiatives, and mutual aid collectives operating out of gaza ensures gazans can provide for themselves and pay for the extremely expensive aid that is available.

with all the civil infrastructure destroyed by israel, the situation on the ground has devolved into unrestricted capitalism, driving up the price of aid (that should be free!). this makes it more urgent for people to have funding for daily survival.

the post linked above has examples of how donating to individual families can help a lot. if you want to help more than one family at a time, there are many gazan-led initiatives focusing on rebuilding their infrastructure and distributing aid fairly that are worth donating to instead of large charities that already get the majority of donations.

as i mentioned in the last post: @/careforgaza on twitter is a nonprofit started by gazans, it's been endorsed by multiple palestinian journalists.

the sameer project is a collective organized by diaspora palestinians offering emergency shelter to gazans.

ele elna elak is a project aiming to bring water, food, shelter, etc. to gazans and has been promoted by bisan owda.

and the municipality of gaza itself is fundraising to rebuild water infrastructure.

all of these organizations are active inside gaza right now and are being run by gazans. if anyone knows of other gazan-led mutual aid projects, nonprofits or charities feel free to link them in the notes! hope this helped!

long answers under the cut!

if you wanna donate to a charity that's absolutely fine, but the thing is most charities (and even the UN!) are unable to make it into gaza in the first place, leaving aid rotting at the egyptian side of the border or subject to israeli settler attacks

not to mention, charities and nonprofits also maintain a paternalistic colonial relationship with the indigenous people they are trying to help, determining what aid they need for them instead of returning power to them and letting them make their own choices

i'm not here to say that one option is better than the other, just that they achieve different things and are equally legitimate. there's an attitude among people who question the legitimacy of these gofundme campaigns that somehow the people promoting them are telling them not to donate to charities. nobody is stopping you from donating to charities. we are just asking that you do not dehumanize the very real gazans in your inbox just because their method of asking for aid is more direct and risky.

unfortunately that's exactly what has happened. because israel destroyed all of gaza's more formalized infrastructure, it seems that organized crime and rampant inflation has taken its place. aid is supposed to be free, but in order to save for evacuation or the cost of living, people have started selling them at an inflated price. and aid that is truly free attracts intense, large crowds that are dangerous to navigate.

this was posted on abc a few days ago

it's pure, unrestrained capitalism. i've had multiple palestinians describe this situation to me confidence. that's why everything's so expensive now. why people have to rent out tiny plots of land for their tents to sit on, why my friend @siraj2024 still has to buy tarps to cover the broken windows of the overpriced bombed out apartment he rented, and why a bag of flour can cost a thousand bucks in the north.

even before israel closed and then bombed the rafah crossing, the egyptian hala travel agency was only allowing people to cross the border if they paid a hefty $5000 USD per adult / $2500 USD per child bribe. it denies doing this, but the hundreds of stories from palestinians say otherwise.

with regard to the economy, here in america we saw something similar happen in the wake of hurricane helene and milton. the podcaster margaret killjoy describes how she saw dual economies rise after asheville was fully cut off from the rest of the country - some people offered each other supplies for free in a sort of mutual aid honor system, and some people required payment when they lent supplies because they themselves needed to buy stuff for their families. these dual economies exist in gaza too. and this means they all still need money to survive.

[lordkingsmith]

the first time the Fable Force (Mystic Force Stand ins) and Rhapsodies meet as rangers, the Fable Force decide to poke some good natured fun at the singer-dancer themed group

hc is the Xander stand in is the best singer of them, and the Nick stand in is good at the guitar. But Xander can’t keep his shit together and keeps dissolving into laughter because it’s all in good fun.

Rhapsodies are offended up until the first laughter break and realize that yeah no this is a friendly rival jab not actually maliciously intended

[gaza-giving-tree]

@bashar-qazaz

@haneqazaz2

@hane-qazaz

@hanon-qazaz

Hello! 👋🏻 My name is Bethany-Grace. I'm the founder of Gaza Giving Tree, and I am sponsoring a Chuffed campaign specifically to help Hossam Al-Qazzaz and his family either rebuild their home or safely relocate out of Gaza.

Due to lack of infrastructure and income, the family has been forced to use the funds from their GoFundMe for essentials in order to survive.

Not wanting this precious family to be forced to make the decision between saving to eat and putting a roof over their heads, I made this separate Chuffed campaign to help Hossam, Hanan, and their family save for their future. 🌱🌳🏠

Hossam's campaign has been vetted by @gazavetters and is (#287) on their list of verified campaigns.

[riding-with-the-wild-hunt]

compiling some mutual aid projects and nonprofits working in sudan. though depending on where you get your news you may not see very much coverage of the unfolding crisis, millions of people are in danger every day as the situation continues to deteriorate. i've been really astounded by the scale of your response to the earlier list of gazan initiatives, and i hope you extend the same support to these organizations too!

khartoum aid kitchen - currently running 12 community kitchen sites and supporting five others that collectively provide food for over 10,000 people

fill a heart - provides financial support to sudanese hospitals and families displaced in egypt. updates are available on their instagram.

sudan solidarity collective - supporting civil society organizations and providing psychological and educational programs for displaced people. can also donate through their paypal

darfur women action - runs programs for displaced women and girls

sudanese american physicians association - provides medical treatment and supports healthcare infrastructure

amal for women - currently focused on providing water, food, hygiene products, and shelter for displaced people. general projects include education programs for children, support and professional training for single mothers, and providing trauma care. also has a gofundme

hadhreen - provides food, water, solar panels for hospitals, children's educational programming, and a variety of other support services

hometax - provides necessities for displaced people, including food, shelter, and medical assistance. updates can be found on their instagram.

barana hanabneiho - originally focused on rebuilding and equipping schools, currently providing food, water, tents, mosquito nets, and weather-appropriate necessities to displaced people. they have an instagram and also accept donations through zeffy

saving algeneina initiative - provides a variety of necessities, including food, rain covers for tents, and medical care. works with displaced people in both sudan and chad.

sudanese red crescent society - runs health programs across all 18 states as well as delivering essential supplies

sadagaat - various initiatives including water stations and community kitchens

hope relief and rehabilitation for disabilities support (hrrds) - originally focused on disability justice programs. currently providing food, water, hygiene products, mobility aids, and other necessities with a focus on supporting disabled people and other vulnerable groups

medglobal's sudan emergency appeal - provides medical supplies, equipment for doctors, and fuel for hospitals

sudanese american medical association - provides food, water, and medical equipment, as well as training clinicians and sending extra doctors to hospitals

siha network - provides menstrual products and obstetric/gynecological care

as before, this is not an exhaustive list, so please feel free to add any similar initiatives or organizations you know of. and as always please donate whatever amount you can and share! every small action makes a difference, even if it feels inconsequential to you.

[houseofthelabyrinth]

In light of the ceasefire agreement, Gaza needs resources now more than ever, and you absolutely should continue donating. Here are some important campaigns:

1. Gaza Funds - provide direct support

2. Life for Gaza - rebuild vital infrastructure

3. Crips for eSims for Gaza - keep Gaza connected

4. The Ghassan Abu Sittah Children's Fund - provide medical support for children

[turtletoria]

Hi everyone, today I'm making a post for Ola @ola987! She is a mathematics teacher in Gaza who has had her life upheaved by the genocide, and simultaneous scholasticide, in which schools, universities, teachers and other educational and cultural infrastructure in Gaza has been destroyed. She is in need of your critical support so that she and her family may be able to rebuild and recover. She has currently raised $77,547 out of her $85k goal, so we're 91% of the way there!

Please continue to support; the ceasefire is not the end and eyes and hearts should still be on Gaza and Palestine!!

If you can, please match my $5 donation! Anything helps, especially now as she needs the funds to care for her family and to continue her education! Let's get her to her funding goal!

💌DONATE

[Art is not mine! Permission given by Ola to post.]

[13thpythagoras]

free my boy, the atchafalaya river

[missempanada]

How to help the people in Spain

As you may have seen online, Spain is going through a flash flood since October 29. It's mainly affected the Community of Valencia but also some parts of the south-west and the cold drop is now moving to the north-east.

95 bodies have been found at the time I'm writing this (edit: 205 now), there's still people missing and entire towns are isolated as they don't have electricity and their roads have been destroyed. A lot of people don't have tap water or any means to cook. If you're wondering why people didn't evacuate beforehand, it's because authorities didn't care enough to warn people so technically everyone had to go to work and school. Though politicians should be held accountable, the most important thing at the moment is to help those in need. So here's some ways you can help both people and animals that have been affected.

NGOs and fundraisers

MOST NEEDED AT THE MOMENT: You can donate to Valencia's food bank by making a transfer to this bank account: ES86 2100 2806 6402 0009 8998.

Horta Sud is a county in Valencia that has been the most affected by the floodings. People are leaving their houses because they're scared of the infrastructure getting damaged and even walking by foot to Valencia capital to get food. You can help those families via this gofundme.

Hambre Cero is a Spanish non-profit that was founded after the earthquakes in Indonesia. They will be giving food to those who need it. Here's different ways you can donate.

This gofundme is joining efforts with the town hall of Valencia to help people who have lost their homes.

Una copa por Valencia ("a drink to Valencia") is a campaign organized by Spanish influencer David Aliagas. The idea behind it is to donate the amount of money you would spend on drinks on a night out. He'll be joining effort with local non-profits. You can help here.

Here's a thread of artists that are accepting commissions in exchange for donations for Valencia.

Spanish Kpop fans are organizing a collective fundraiser.

EDIT: took Cáritas and Spanish Red Cross out of this post after this tiktok made by a volunteer went viral and a lot of people posted their experiences working for these NGOs. Apparently they're not distributing food. Instead they're telling people not to send more food and send money instead so they can keep part of it.

Help people directly

Help Sara, Steven and Bruno rebuild their home in Valencia.

Help this high school teacher buy a new car to get back to work.

Raúl was about to open his barbershop on October 31 but it was destroyed by the flood. Please help him get his dream back.

Help the neighbours of Aldaia (Valencia) rebuild their homes.

This artist has been affected by the floods and lost their car. They've opened emergency commissions.

You can help rebuild the town of Letur (Albacete) by donating to this gofundme that's directly coordinated with the town hall.

Rebeca is a seamstress. Her studio was both her workplace and a place were came together for a sewing club in the afternoons. It was destroyed by the flood. You can help her rebuild it here

Animal shelters

Refugio Minipow was home to 50 rabbits and guinea pigs. Thankfully, the owners were able to move all the animals to their homes and those of their neighbors, though the shelter itself has been destroyed right after recent renovations. There's different ways to donate here.

El Refugio de María a dog shelter in Sueca (Valencia), is completely flooded, leaving the dogs visibly distressed, as shown here. You can donate to PayPal maria.g.may@gmail.com

Modepran is a dog shelter in Campanar (Valencia) where infrastructure damage has left some dogs without a proper sleeping area. You can donate through PayPal here.

Gatos Campo de Gibraltar is a cat shelter in Los Barrios (Cádiz). need of assistance for relocating cats to new homes and rebuilding damaged facilities. You can donate to their PayPal gatoscampodegibraltar@gmail.com

Protectora San Antón is an animal shelter for cats and dogs in Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz). The entire place is flooded and the animals don't have a comfortable place to sleep in. Cats can't even walk on the ground. You can donate to their PayPal protectorasananton@hotmail.com

I'll be adding more as I find them. Thank you everyone for your help.

Edit: adding this because I keep seeing people on Twitter and Tiktok say it makes no sense to give money to people in a "first world" country. I need you people to understand that living in a western country doesn't equal politicians caring about you.

This whole thing started because politicians weren't doing their job and they're still not doing it. People (literal civilians, not firefighters or policemen) are literally pulling bodies from under cars and putting them inside the trunks so children in the affected areas don't see them. There's underground parkings still flooded by water and we don't know how many people may be inside them.

France offered to send us 200 firemen and the Ministry of Interior literally REFUSED. Some of these French firemen came on their own anyway. But that's what our politicians are doing. Negating help and pointing fingers at each other so they don't seem guilty.

[gaza-giving-tree]

Video: Hossam Al-Qazzaz has recently given us a glimpse of a day in the life of his family through a video he sent to us, featuring his infant daughter Habiba, son Bashar, and other daughter Diana. Despite their living conditions, Hossam does his best to keep his children's spirits high.

@hanon-qazaz

Story written by @rumiandroses

Imagine being born into a world where the first sounds you hear are explosions, the hum of drones, and the cries of your family fleeing for their lives. This is the reality for Habiba Al-Qazzaz, a precious baby girl who has known nothing but war, displacement, and hunger in her short life. Born in Gaza amidst the ongoing conflict that began on October 7, 2023, Habiba has spent much of her existence so far in uncertainty, hunger, and fear.

This precious little girl is not even a year old, and already, she has suffered through unimaginable hardship.

Her parents, Hossam and Hanan Al-Qazzaz, are doing everything they can to care for Habiba and her three siblings—Bashar (9), Hani (8), and Diana (4). But the relentless devastation of Gaza’s infrastructure has made survival nearly impossible. With no stable income and essential supplies priced beyond reach, the Al-Qazzaz family is fighting a daily battle just to keep their children warm, fed, and safe.

Their GoFundMe campaign has been their only lifeline, allowing them to afford the most basic necessities—food, water, milk for Habiba. Yet despite the thousands of people who have seen and shared their plea, donations have been coming in at a painfully slow pace. Since last year, they have managed to raise only €2,000, an amount tragically short of their €55,000 goal—the sum they had hoped would allow them to evacuate to Egypt with Hossam’s elderly parents and start anew.

Forced to Live on Top of Rubble

Images: (Top) Bashar, Hani, and Diana, still able to smile in spite of the devastation they've been forced to endure. (Bottom) Hossam Al-Qazzaz, as he does his best to clear their destroyed home of debris to make it slightly more suitable for habitation.

As time passed and donations fell short, the family was forced to abandon their dreams of escape. Instead, they now live atop the ruins of their destroyed home, sheltered only by a fragile tent that does little to protect them from the cold, roaming animals, or the ever-present danger of violence. Their reality is bleak, and their options are running out.

On February 8, 2025, Hanan reached out to us with an update on her family's condition:

Image: Hanan's update message to us, informing us of her family's current condition.

The freezing temperatures persist. Her children are crying for warmth in a shelter that provides no protection from the elements.

This is Not a Call for Comfort—It’s a Plea for Survival!

The Al-Qazzaz family is NOT asking for luxuries. They are asking for the bare minimum:

🧤🧣Warmth for their children.

🍞💧 Food and clean water.

🏠🚪A secure shelter.

With further violence looming, the time to act is NOW.

How You Can Help

🔹 Donate to the Al-Qazzaz Family’s GoFundMe to help provide food, warmth, and shelter for Habiba and her family. Every contribution—no matter how small—makes an impact. [DONATE HERE] 🍞💧🍼🧦🧣🧤🏥

🔹 Support the Chuffed Campaign created by our founder, Bethany-Grace, as an additional fundraiser to help the family rebuild their lives. This ensures they don’t have to choose between saving money for the future and feeding their children today. [DONATE HERE] 🌱🏠🛫🕊️

🔹 If you cannot donate, PLEASE share this post. The more people see their story, the greater the chance of reaching someone who can help. EVERY like, share, and repost helps.

The Al-Qazzaz family’s campaign has been vetted by @gazavetters and is #287 on their list of verified campaigns.

A Family of Resilience and Kindness

Hossam Al-Qazzaz is also the cousin of Falestine Asad, another courageous individual struggling to keep her infant child safe in war-torn Gaza. Both Hossam and Falestine are some of the kindest and humblest people you will ever meet. If you can, we encourage you to view and share both of their campaigns, and to donate if possible.

Together, we can help the Al-Qazzaz family find the security, warmth, and stability they so desperately need.

No child should have to suffer like these poor babies have.

Let’s all be part of the reason they make it through another day, and into a brighter, more peaceful future. 🙏🏻🕊️💗