After Hurricane Beryl, Cooling Centers Were Few and Slow to Arrive for Houstonians of Color—Some Died of Heat Exposure

Residents of Houston 's Third Ward were left to fend for themselves for as long as 10 days in hot homes without water, air conditioning, or lights in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl .

Residents say city and county leaders also failed to coordinate and communicate about emergency responses, leaving fragile and elderly people exposed to intense heat and without information or access to cooling centers.

The Excessive Heat Plan calls for working with “volunteer and service organizations, food banks, faith-based groups, immigrant groups” to identify vulnerable populations and make sure they have access to cooling centers, transportation, communication, and in-home visits if needed.

But Third Ward community leaders, including those at the Houston Housing Authority’s largest public housing complex Cuney Homes , the tenants council at the Law Harrington Senior Living Center , and SHAPE Community Center said no one reached out to them.

Of 20 Beryl-related deaths reported by the Harris County medical examiner, 12 were of people over 60 , and eight were due to hyperthermia.

The Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office told the Observer they did not take body temperatures of those who had died in the wake of Hurricane Beryl .

The temperature in Houston reached 93 degrees Fahrenheit that day .