‘It’s outrageous’: Mayor Whitmire says seniors at Houston assisted living facility were abandoned by management after storm

HOUSTON — During an update on recovery from Thursday’s deadly storm in Houston, Mayor John Whitmire spoke about an issue that has been brought to his attention.

Whitmire said the city was made aware of an assisted living center, Independence Hall, on Burress Street, whose management allegedly abandoned people living in that facility after Thursday’s storm.

“They didn’t have any energy, they didn’t have any food, their insulin was destroyed,” Whitmire said. “We have been notified and I can’t begin to tell you that the response has been so overwhelming from the Houston Fire Department, the Houston Police Department, the Department of Health, the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, all the stakeholders ran to Independence Hall and that’s where I’m heading towards the conclusion of this press conference.

Whitmire said they were going to hold management accountable.

“We are going to hold management accountable. If they want to do business and get licensed in the state of Texas, in the city of Houston, they’re going to have to take care of their customers,” he said.

Calling the situation deplorable, Whitmire said they haven’t been able to contact everyone living there.

“Independence Hall is deplorable, we have been unable to contact some residents behind their closed doors and HPD and the Houston Fire Department will do whatever it takes to get into these units,” he said.

Whitmire said there are about 260 units in the assisted living facility.

“What managers are doing to the residents they are supposed to care for is outrageous,” he said. “They haven’t had food since Thursday, they haven’t had power since Thursday, they were alone, scared and in life-threatening situations, so we found out, Houston Fire is immediately got there, CenterPoint got power was restored this afternoon, HPD was there to protect the residents, we’re all heading that direction.