Gloria Ramirez lit a gas-powered heater as some of the country’s top politicians visited her pre-final home to see the damage caused by last week’s Arctic weather.
Family photos – years of history that will be lost if the pipe is torn – line every inch of its walls. U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, de-Houston, advises Ramirez not to compensate FEMA for damages by taking pictures, keeping receipts and making sure his voice is heard.
“The quality of life of Houstonians is much better,” said Jessica Hulse, a longtime Second Ward advocate and second ward advocate Jessica Hullse, who has led home trips. Residents want to enjoy their homes, but also keep them in good condition to give to their children when the time comes. The freeze was another reminder that older, un-insulated homes are not built to withstand extreme weather, he said.
On the steps of the Houston Food Bank on Saturday morning, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, delivered a clear message: Disasters do not strike everyone equally.
“You have so many families in the state and across the country that they can’t start a crisis,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “It can keep people behind for years, not just years.”
Jessica Hulsi of Houston is a U.S. citizen. Rep. Alexandria spoke to Ocasio-Cortez after visiting her neighborhood, where some of Houston’s homes were damaged by a winter storm on Saturday, February 20, 2021.
Elizabeth Conley / Staff PhotographerBefore traveling to Houston at Garcia’s invitation, Oxio-Cortez raised more than million 30 million to distribute to Texas organizations focused on food insecurity, care for the elderly, and homelessness. He said all the funds raised would go to these local for-profit organizations.
He said the country was moving around the state of Texas to avoid the tragedy, but that policy decisions had to be made so that “this kind of rescue disaster would never happen again.”
He said the Houston Food Bank, which stocks small food pantries in the city, will receive a large chunk of the funds, he said. At the food bank, no one has to prove they need help.
“Documented, undocumented, no matter your income or state of residence, you can get help here,” Oxio-Cortez said.
Jackson-Lee said he has seen decades of neglect by the state when it comes to sensitive and marginalized population concerns. They said most of the districts of Garcia and Jackson-Lee went without electricity or potable water this week.
“A lot of vulnerable people, essential workers, marginalized people, a lot of documented or uninvited, they are our residents, they are our brothers and sisters,” Jackson-Lee said. “We know that many of them faced more difficulties than I could have imagined.”
Ocasio-Cortez stayed in Houston on Saturday, knocking on doors in the district of Garcia, which stretches from Pierland to Aldin, so that one can see the extent of storm damage in winter. He said his privilege as a public servant vaccinated with COVID encouraged him to move to Texas.
In southeastern Houston, near Hobby Airport, delegates met with Corey Haywood, 26, and his wife, Dolores Lozano, 29. The couple moved to the neighborhood at the start of the epidemic and said they have already gone through two disasters in their first year as homeowners.
During the week, the couple filled the meat cooler in the refrigerator and freezer in the cooler and moved from one friend’s house to another depending on who has the power and the room.
Boiling water on the stove and dishes in the sink, the delayed effects of the storm were evident. A pipe burst in the laundry room, but Lozano’s father fixed it quickly, he said. However, Headwood is not sure his problems are over.
“I hope there’s not a lot of water in the walls that we don’t know about,” Haywood said.
Both Congressmen Al Green and Garcia called for a fully independent investigation by the Texas Electric Reliability Council and the Texas Legislature should consider joining the national grid.
Twitter.com/reporterjulie
