Pedaling Through Crisis: How Bike Kitchens Can Support In Disaster Relief

Perspectives | Bike Kitchens | World

At the beginning of November 2024, one day saw a year's worth of rainfall in Valencia, Spain (Kent & Benjamin, 2024). This disaster left thousands displaced and resulted in 200 deaths (Kent & Benjamin, 2024). Only two weeks later, disaster struck in Andalusia. In one hour, a month’s worth of rainfall deluged Malaga (Chinchar et al, 2024). The country’s meteorological agency, AEMet, reported approximately 100 millimeters of rain on Wednesday, November 13 - 100 liters of water over every square meter - with 78 millimeters falling within just one hour (Chinchar et al., 2024).

Piled-up cars in Valencia, Spain, after a year’s worth of rainfall fell in a single day in November 2024 (Moreno, 2024).

Michael Tahmoressi explores how bike kitchens could double as emergency aid hubs during natural disasters, drawing inspiration from recent events in Spain and the U.S. He’s pinpointed five unique ways these community spaces can make a difference in crisis situations, thanks to their one-of-a-kind setup. Dive into his insights and let us know in the comments - how else could bike kitchens or similar spaces step up during challenging times?

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Rethinking mobility in disaster response

Particularly striking in the immediate aftermath of the Spanish floods were the images of cars piled up, clogging streets and hindering disaster response efforts. In an Instagram post, Carlos Moreno, the renowned Colombian-born urban planner at the origin of the 15-minute city model, highlighted the link between disaster challenges and the dominance of cars in urban areas. “We need to change the shape of our cities so that we can provide local access to essential services and reduce our carbon footprint by getting around on foot or by bike”, the professor indicated” (Moreno, 2024).

A crisis like a natural disaster is terrible, but the resulting chaos and need for reconstruction create a liminal space to alter transportation behaviors at the individual and societal levels (Glaser & Krizek, 2021). In the wake of the flood, a group of concerned Valencian cyclists gathered to organize the delivery of goods to people in the disaster zone. A LinkedIn post by Rafa Vidiella Bellon, CEO of nonprofit Cycloferias, pleaded for supplies and aid to be sent to cyclists aiding the relief efforts and included a short video of the cyclists making aid runs biking through dirty water to deliver their cargo.

Upon witnessing resilient cyclists operating in 10 centimeters of water on expensive gravel and mountain bikes, it became clear to me that bike kitchens could play a crucial role in disaster relief efforts. My personal experience in bike kitchens has made me deeply aware of bicycle wear and tear, particularly in challenging conditions like the year-round wet weather in the Netherlands.

Five ways Bike Kitchens can support disaster relief