On July 8, Texas was struck by the tropical storm dubbed Hurricane Beryl, with heavy rain and winds tearing through homes and claiming the lives of six in the state.
Less than a week later, millions in the city of Houston are left without power as they endure the rising heat hitting Texas and frustration is growing over officials’ efforts to solve the crisis.
People have shared their experiences fighting against the lack of power in their homes, forced to move around or withstand the deploring conditions. Statements across multiple sites showcase the frustration suffered by the population.
Food is being spoiled in refrigerators across neighborhoods, forcing people to queue up at fast food restaurants, food trucks and gas stations for supplies and also air conditioning.
One resident, Dwight Yell, despite having power, took a disabled neighbor, who did not, to Denny’s for food, complaining that the city and state officials did not warn citizens enough about the storm, AP News reported.
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“They didn’t give us enough warning, where maybe we could go get gas or prepare to go out of town if the lights go out,” Yell said.
Another resident, Robin Taylor had to live in a hotel since her home was damaged by the storms that hit in May. After Beryl, her hotel room was flooded.
“No WiFi, no power, and it’s hot outside. That’s dangerous for people. That’s really the big issue,” Taylor said. “People will die in this heat in their homes.”
Kyuta Allen and her family had to go to a Houston community center for air conditioning and Internet access for work and her online night classes.
“During the day you can have the doors open but at night you’ve got to board up and lock up — lock yourself like into a sauna,” Allen said.
Pregnant resident Jordyn Rush, who has gestational diabetes, is unable to sleep or maintain her strict diet.
“I have to go in [this week] to do a pre-anesthesia lab draw and I’m hoping that my labs aren’t crazy from like a lack of nutrition and water,” Rush said. “My heartburn is out of control. I feel like I’m getting dehydrated.”
Hospitals are scrambling to house all affected patients.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sixteen hospitals were using generators for power on July 9.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — acting governor of Texas as Gov. Greg Abbott was overseas at the time — said a sports and event complex would even be used to temporarily house around 250 patients for them, though those people would not be able to return home with sufficient power.
CNN wrote that there were even cases of carbon monoxide poisoning in Fort Bend County, close to Houston, which took the lives of two people.
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Beryl’s wrath
Before hitting Texas, Hurricane Beryl struck Jamaica, Grenada, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, becoming a Category 5 storm at the highest level. The storm claimed the lives of 11 in the Caribbean.
Though it slowed after that, it resurfaced as a Category 1 hurricane as it hit the United States.
When it first blew into the town of Matagorda, it spiraled with winds of 80 miles per hour, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
Seven people in the U.S. — one in Louisiana and six in Texas — were killed in the storm.
“People are suffering through terribly oppressive heat, a lack of food and gasoline availability, debris everywhere, and much more,” Patrick said.
Electricity had been cut off from around two million homes and businesses around Houston, according to PowerOutage.us.
Centerpoint Energy, Houston’s main utility provider, said it will work to restore power to more than 350,000 of its customers by July 14, but also stated that half a million homes and businesses would not have power until this week.
In an online post on July 12, Lt. Gov. Patrick called out utilities for not doing enough for the people, requesting they restore power as soon as possible.
Upon returning home, Gov. Greg Abbott called for an investigation into CenterPoint Energy and other electric companies. However, the governor himself came under fire for his own response towards the disaster.
The energy infrastructure of Texas itself has garnered a low reputation, since its power grid is “largely isolated from its neighbors” so it cannot gain energy from other states when disrupted, Vox wrote.
