HOUSTON – Residents at a southwest Houston apartment complex are running out of patience, and running out of food after days without power in extreme heat.
Families at the Falls of Point West Apartments in Sharpstown say they have been living without electricity since Thursday, dealing with spoiled groceries, dangerous temperatures and difficulty caring for young children.
The Houston Office of Emergency Management says the outage involves underground electrical wiring on the property and the repairs are the property owner’s responsibility. The city says some power has been restored to portions of the complex, but management could not provide a timeline for the remaining units.
Sonya Ixtis lives at the complex with her husband and five young children. She opened her deep freezer to show the spoiled food.
“And then the milk in the fridge, is all gone,” Ixtis said.
The heat has taken a toll on her entire family.
“My kids have school and he’s failed some assignments because he can’t really do his assignments because there’s no power,” she said.
Her two-month-old baby has also been affected.
“My two-month-old is sick. He has a stuffy nose because it’s so hot,” Ixtis said.
By Monday, frustrated residents had reached a breaking point.
“That’s when everyone started protesting, saying they want their money back because all their food went bad. And that’s when I called the cops and I was done,” Ixtis said.
Houston Police say officers found some residents sleeping outside because of the extreme heat. Houston firefighters showed up and sprayed water on the complex to help keep residents cool. The Red Cross, the Houston Health Department and the Houston Food Bank were all on site providing assistance. Harris County Commissioner Lesley Briones’ office provided a cooling bus.
“The food bank came yesterday and they started giving out food,” Ixtis said.
When Corley contacted apartment management by phone, a manager identified as Bryan Calvillo said professionals were on site working on the remaining issues, but could not provide a firm timeline.
“Our professionals that we hired are on site working on the last of the issues. I don’t have an estimate. Last time they told me between four to ten hours, depending on how severe the damage is. That’s all I really know,” Calvillo said.
He confirmed that three buildings still remain without power, while the rest of the complex has been restored.
Ixtis says communication from management throughout the outage has been non-existent.
“Something needs to be done,” she said.
Residents who need transportation to a designated cooling center can call 311 for a free ride. A full list of cooling centers is available at https://houstonoem.org/extreme-heat/.
Full statement from Houston OEM:
“Houston OEM is aware of the situation at Falls of Point West Apartments in Sharpstown. Houston OEM has been working diligently with our local partners to provide relief and support while the power issue is being addressed.
On Monday 9/7, the Houston Fire Department (HFD) notified Houston OEM that residents of the apartments needed assistance with cooling. HFD remained on site throughout the evening providing support, and Houston OEM immediately began coordinating additional resources.
METRO deployed two buses to the complex to serve as temporary cooling spaces for residents. We also coordinated with the Houston Health Department (HHD), American Red Cross and Houston Police Department (HPD) to assess residents’ needs and provide Spanish-language assistance. OEM also worked with the Red Cross to establish an Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) at the complex.
Houston OEM also coordinated with the Houston Permitting Center and HHD to assess the situation and determine the cause of the power outage. We were informed that the issue involves underground electrical wiring serving the property and is the responsibility of the property owner to repair.
Houston OEM will continue working with our partners to provide additional cooling resources, including coordinating another cooling bus for residents.
Our priority is the health and safety of the residents, and we are working as quickly and diligently as possible to connect them with resources and support while the property owner works to resolve the underlying electrical issue.
Residents throughout Houston can also access designated cooling centers across the city. To find the nearest cooling center, visit: https://houstonoem.org/extreme-heat/. Residents from this complex who need transportation to a designated cooling center can call 3-1-1 to request a free ride.”
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