HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Eight days after Hurricane Beryl struck, the struggle continues. Houston City Council members are raising questions about the region’s preparedness for severe weather, and many residents are reaching their breaking point.
Eyewitness News visited Northwood Manor in northeast Houston on Tuesday, where the impacts of the storm are still deeply felt.
“It is hot. My house stinks from the air being off,” said Vada Roberts, who is still without power. “My oxygen is running out. I can’t use my big unit in the house because there’s no electricity. I thought when they said you’re on the critical list, you had priority.”
Wilbert Cooper expressed his frustration, saying, “I’m so tired. Every time I come home and see that tree on top of my house, those trees, I don’t know what to think.”
Cleveland Mitchell shared his coping mechanism, “When I wake up in the morning, I just pretend like everything is OK.”
Army veteran William Lemons has always trusted his country to provide but admits his faith is being tested. “I’m not going to lose my faith. It can be questioned sometimes, believe me, especially when you believe in our fellow man and our representation sometimes. It can be alarming,” he said.
On Tuesday, a sweltering day, it was cooler outside Lemons’ home than inside as he watched utility trucks pass by. “Definitely anxiety, but I try not to show it, but it isn’t easy to do sometimes,” he said. “My wife is really stronger than I am in that respect.”
These neighbors rely on each other for support, having faced similar challenges before. “We have neighbors who have not recovered since before Hurricane Harvey,” said Fred Woods, president of the Northwood Manor Civic Club. “We’re not able to see recovery as a luxury. We can’t even get to relief.”
Woods noted that it has been his group, rather than government officials or utility workers, checking on neighbors. “I have no faith, and what hope some of us have is waning, but what else do we have? We pay our tax dollars into a system that we want returns out of. Where is our return on investment? We had the freeze, we had the derecho, and now we have Hurricane Beryl, and we’re only halfway through the year and just at the start of hurricane season,” he said.
Despite these challenges, Woods remains committed to his community. His family has lived in the same house for five generations, and Northwood Manor remains home, with or without external help. “History matters. I know who I am. I want my child to know who she is. I have a sense of belonging here, and that’s why I’m fighting so hard for my neighbors and my community,” he said.
