HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — For those with chronic illnesses or elderly family members who rely on electricity for medical needs, the state of Texas offers a form that can be submitted to electricity providers. This form, signed and approved by a physician, is intended to prioritize households with critical medical conditions during power outages.
This is what 100-year-old Abe Schnitzer was counting on when Hurricane Beryl struck on Monday morning. Schnitzer, a World War II veteran, has lived with his 74-year-old daughter in Meyerland for over 30 years. Every year, Dinah Schnitzer ensures that the necessary forms are properly submitted with her father’s doctors.
Despite this, they have been without power for five days following Hurricane Beryl.
“Just turn the electricity on where I’m living, as much as they can do for the whole city,” Abe told from a neighbor’s home equipped with a generator. “I wouldn’t have made it two days without the neighbors.”
Rodney Hill, a nearby resident, captured the moment their transformer blew, recounting, “A limb from a pine tree fell on this wire, and it exploded. It did three explosions in a row.”
Dinah Schnitzer had hoped for a quicker restoration of their power due to her diligent annual submission of the forms. Her father, who has a pacemaker, cannot withstand prolonged heat at his age.
“They keep telling us they’re coming. Meanwhile, they haven’t come,” said Abe, who turns 101 next month. “Of course, I’m looking forward to going back to my home, where I’ve been for 30 years.”
The Public Utility Commission (PUC) of Texas clarifies that submitting the form does not guarantee faster electricity service and advises patients to secure reliable electricity before storms. However, with more than half the region’s power restored, the Schnitzers expected their street to have electricity by now.
