300,000 CenterPoint customers battle heat during power outage

Juan Infante’s insulin should be kept at around 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

But three and a half days without electricity means the 67-year-old diabetic has no choice but to inject the essential medicine, slightly warm, into his body, since Thursday’s storm left nearly one million homes, businesses and other utility customers.

Infante and his wife, Laura, store their monthly supply of insulin in a cooler inside their home near Beltway 8, where the thermostat reads 80 degrees and the shades are drawn for protection from the sun.

“At least when you have a hurricane, you know it’s coming,” Infante said.

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Thursday’s derecho, an intense, widespread and fast-moving wind storm, took Harris County by surprise, knocking out power to about a million homes and businesses and demolishing infrastructure throughout the region.

As temperatures soared to 92 degrees on Sunday, more than 300,000 utility customers logged their 72nd hour without power, according to CenterPoint Energy estimates.

For residents with health problems, like the Infantes, the combination of sweltering heat and lack of air conditioning is anxiety-inducing.

“I have a little PTSD from (Hurricane) Harvey,” said Laura, who flooded the couple’s neighborhood with waist-deep water while Juan was recovering from a stroke in 2017 . “I know other people have worse problems than us.” but we are worried.

“And hot,” she added.

“There’s nothing you can do about it.”

Homes in Rick Parnell’s Cloverleaf neighborhood bore unmistakable bruises from Thursday’s storm: High winds stripped mobile homes of their siding, while toppled trees tore apart fences and roofs.

Cloverleaf is in Harris County Precinct 2, overseen by Commissioner Adrian Garcia.

“I have a number of elderly residents who don’t have a lot of resources,” Garcia said. “Most people depend on their medical devices, their devices. There’s a lot of isolation, so a lot of older people don’t have anyone else.

But you’d never guess Parnell was experiencing his third day without power.

The 68-year-old was upbeat as he waited patiently at a charging station inside the Grayson Community Center. Powered by a generator, the building serves as a cooling center while neighborhood homes and businesses remain in the dark.

Over the past three days, Parnell has been visiting the center regularly to charge his electric wheelchair, without which he can only travel short distances. A lifelong Houstonian, Parnell is no stranger to the city’s volatile climate. And the way he sees it, complaining won’t make things cooler.

“There’s nothing you can do about it,” he said with a southern drawl and a chuckle. “Smile and bear it.”

After assessing the damage from Thursday’s storm, Garcia told the Landing he anticipated it would take between one and three months to clean up his neighborhood, which covers the east side of Harris County.

“Our effort is to return to normal as quickly as possible,” the commissioner said.

“Nothing to do except sweat”

Lydia Mendoza, 77, spent most of Saturday night tossing and turning as the air in her dark, helpless home grew thicker. In the morning the heat was unbearable and all his food was spoiled.

Mendoza did not see any crews repairing damage to power lines near his Heights neighborhood, which was among the most destroyed areas. She tries to remain optimistic, but as she sees the town’s houses light up again, she can’t help but think, “Why not us again?”

Forced to shelter in a local cooling center in Houston’s Near Northside neighborhood, Mendoza spent her Sunday watching “Dirty Dancing” with other helpless Houstonians. She will escape the heat by camping at the facility every day, from dawn to dusk, until the power is restored, she said.

“Why should I stay home?” » said Mendoza. “There’s nothing to do but sweat.”

Neighbors Kathy Smith and Nowell Degree sat at a table in front of Mendoza inside the Leonel Castillo Community Center, cracking jokes and waiting for their phones to charge.

Smith, who runs her own daycare in her home, has already had to throw out a freezer’s worth of groceries, but hopes to be able to keep her three coolers full of produce.

“I know God will make it right,” Smith said, fanning himself with a pack of animal crackers, “but Lord, please, in the middle of the night, give me a little breeze! “

Degree laughed.

The two women live in Kashmir Gardens, where Thursday’s storm ravaged their neighborhood, tossing trees onto rooftops and blocking streets with debris.

“Until CenterPoint cuts down these trees, we will remain in the dark,” Degree said, referring to the utility company that supplies most Houstonians currently without power.

However, the two women remain in good spirits.

“Running water is different for me now,” Degree said. “Air conditioning is different for me now. I say, “Lord, thank you” when I can turn on a switch and there is light…the things we take for granted until you don’t have them anymore.

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