By Laura Onyeneho
In the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, the storm’s lingering effects left many in the community struggling to cope. As the city slowly rebuilds, these residents struggle to recover, feeling isolated and forgotten in their community. Among those hit were the elderly residents of Gala at Texas Parkway Senior Home Care Facility in Missouri City.
“We’ve been through storms before, but this one felt different,” said resident Dennis Jackson. “This feels like life or death right now, and honestly, this experience makes me feel like we are the abandoned demographic.”
Jackson lives on the second floor of the facility. He lives with a physical disability and several health-related ailments. When the power outage occurred, he could not transport himself out of the building. The elevator no longer functions and the stairs weren’t an option. He remained seated on his porch for days, grasping for cool air during the heat advisory, hoping to get the proper care he needed.
“I’m in a wheelchair. I got one leg. I can’t stand or walk. I’m diabetic. I take insulin five times a day. I can’t take it because it has to be cold and it’s no good after it gets hot. I also got a tumor on my brain. It caused me to go blind or have a stroke,” he said. “We are senior citizens, and it’s almost like we’ve been thrown to the side.”
People of color in the United States face heightened risks from climate-induced disasters. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Atmospheric Programs reported that Black people are 40% more likely than non-African-Americans to live in areas with the highest projected increases in mortality rates due to extreme weather and temperature changes.
The lack of timely and adequate aid has exacerbated the suffering. While relief efforts have been ongoing, many Black elderly residents report facing significant delays in receiving assistance. Bureaucratic hurdles, limited transportation options, and digital literacy challenges have created a barrier to accessing much-needed resources.
The storm has also exposed underlying issues of social isolation and limited access to healthcare. Many elderly residents, already facing challenges with mobility and chronic illnesses, now find themselves cut off from support networks and essential medical care.
“I don’t want sympathy. I just want to be treated fairly,” said Gloria Alexander, another resident across from Jackson.” “I’m afraid to stay here at night, but I have nowhere else to go, and there is no one here to take care of us right now.”
Alexander told the Defender that she is also diabetic and usually has a nurse assisting her. She hasn’t taken proper medication in days, and with the extremely hot temperatures, it’s almost unbearable to breathe. She uses a breathing machine, but with no electricity, she’s discontinued her use.
“We’ve thrown out all of our food. We barely have enough clean water to drink. We’ve reported this, but nobody’s doing anything. Our families are doing what they can but are also impacted. Never in my 80 years of life have I ever experienced this.”
Houston artist William North IV often visits his grandmother, who also lives at Gala. When he eventually stopped by to check in on her, he was alarmed at the conditions of the other residents. Houston’s power utility, CenterPoint Energy, has been under fire from city leaders who wanted to know why it took so long to regain the lights. At least seven U.S. fatalities have been linked to Beryl, with one occurring in Louisiana and six in Texas, despite the storm’s Category 1 status when it made landfall. In the Caribbean, eleven people had died earlier.
“Maybe they didn’t think it would be that bad, but they underestimated the aftermath. I’m sure this is a conversation our local officials are having,” North said. “Backup generators should be required for all senior facilities in the future. After all, my grandma has been in this place for four years. It’s a great place, but the storm has opened up a deeper conversation that we should be having about our elderly communities.”
**Update
On July 13, after 6 days without power, the facility finally received power.