HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Sharan Gahunia, her sister Kiran, and their mother Resham have been without power for five days. Kiran has cerebral palsy, and Resham is battling cancer.
“God help us not get more storms,” Resham said.
Their restaurant, Raja Sweets in southwest Houston, has also been without power for five days, forcing Sharan to throw away all the food inside.
“You can handle a day of losing power,” Sharan said. “You can’t handle five days of losing power in this type of temperature.”
Just before their interview, the electricity came back on, but so did the rain.
“I’ve never had anxiety, but when it rains and you hear the thunder, I’m constantly worried, ‘What’s going to happen?’ How did we not learn from Ike? It’s like we went through Ike and just got worse,” Sharan said.
The family was without power for two weeks during Hurricane Ike, along with 2.2 million other Houstonians. They also lost power during severe weather in May, along with about 850,000 others. Hurricane Beryl has left 2.26 million without power, with about 800,000 CenterPoint customers still in the dark five days after the storm hit.
“A lot of people are feeling angry and confused. They’re feeling isolated and desperate, wondering when this will ever end,” said John Kelly, a psychotherapist with Therapy and Co. in Upper Kirby. “People have been without power for days, disrupting lives, livelihoods, and a sense of normalcy.”
Kelly emphasized the importance of relying on friends and family.
“When we feel out of control, the whole world can feel out of control,” he said. “I like to remind my clients about the importance of building a support network around us.”
He also suggested staying off social media for a while.
“If doomscrolling is not helpful, what might be? I call it turning down the noise a little,” Kelly said.
This advice is crucial not just for today but for the coming weeks and months. Recovery will not be quick or easy, and hurricane season isn’t even half over yet.
“We can’t keep asking Houstonians to be resilient and go through this all the time,” Sharan said. “The phrase ‘Houston Strong’ – we’re ‘Houston Tired.’ That’s how I feel right now. I’m fed up and I’m tired.”
