Carol Samuel, 76, was born, raised, and educated in Third Ward, a sprawling and storied community of color in Houston. She now lives on the third floor of the Law Harrington Senior Living Center, where she and roughly half of the residents have disabilities or severe health problems. Even before Hurricane Beryl hit the city on July 8, spawning a blackout, the elevators were broken.
“When the hurricane came through, many people in this building, along with myself, were more or less restrained to their suite or to their apartment,” Samuel told the Texas Observer in an interview.
There was no security because the management said they could not afford it, according to Samuel. For three days, no one came to offer help. The senior center had only enough backup generators to power hallway lights, but when the electricity failed, air-conditioning and even the water went along with it. Although some residents had saved up water in pots, there wasn’t nearly enough. Residents could not access the internet or make calls. They had no information about cooling centers.
