The aftermath of Hurricane Beryl has brought more than just wind and rain to Houston. Dozens of senior living facilities are facing a dire situation – sweltering heat with no air conditioning due to senior living power outages. Residents, many with underlying health conditions, are struggling in these unsafe conditions.
At the Treemont Living Community in Southwest Houston, the hallways are lit by temporary lights, a stark contrast to the normal brightly lit environment. Deirdre McClain, a resident, described the situation as “awful.”
“This is the third day that we are without electricity,” she said. The lack of power isn’t just an inconvenience, it’s a health hazard. Liz Daher’s 92-year-old father, who suffers from congestive heart failure, had to be removed from the facility by firefighters due to the heat.
“It’s just made it worse,” Daher said of the heat’s impact on her father’s condition. “We can’t stand to be in there, so of course he can’t stand to be in there.”
Sadly, Daher’s father wasn’t the only resident who needed medical attention. Over the course of an hour, witnesses observed three ambulances arrive at the facility to treat residents suffering from the heat. Brandy Demeris, who made the decision to remove her mother from Treemont due to the lack of power, expressed her frustration.
“These people are all in here sweating to death,” she said. “It’s just like nothing I’ve ever seen. We live in Houston, Texas, I mean it’s like a third world country in there.”
The root of the problem lies in the inadequacy of regulations for backup power in senior living facilities. While nursing homes are required to have generators, they only need to power essential equipment like alarm systems and call lights.
Air conditioning, crucial for regulating temperature in sweltering Texas summers, is not mandated. Greg Shelley, from the Harris County Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, explained the limitations of the current system.
“The biggest issue…is the limitation on the requirement for facilities to have generators,” he said. “The majority of facilities don’t have the ability to run air conditioning off their generators and that puts the older population at risk of hyperthermia.”
The lack of transparency from the facility’s management only adds to the residents’ woes. Reporters were denied the opportunity to speak directly with a manager, forced to communicate through a receptionist. Deirdre McClain expressed her disappointment with the facility’s response. “Investment Property Services…and the management here…are not doing everything that they can to ensure that the residents are safe. This is a dangerous place to be in,” she said.
Hurricane Beryl has exposed a gap in senior care, highlighting the urgent need for stricter regulations regarding backup power in these facilities. The well-being of our most vulnerable population depends on it.
For those affected by Hurricane Beryl, help is available. The Red Cross is on the ground in Houston providing assistance to those in need. They can offer shelter, meals, and other resources to help residents cope during this difficult time. For more information on Red Cross relief efforts, please visit here.
