Hurricane Beryl’s devastating aftermath and lack of electricity make access to health care difficult

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Houston area hospitals are overwhelmed in the wake of Hurricane Beryl.

The Texas Division of Emergency Management said 12 Harris County hospitals remained in internal disaster mode Thursday, but did not name any of the hospitals.

Although a Harris Health spokesperson said neither Ben Taub Hospital nor LBJ Hospital were among those hospitals, he said the situation at both facilities was dire.

Ben Taub saw 320 patients in the emergency room on Wednesday, 34 percent more than his usual busy day.

Harris Health said many patients need dialysis because their usual providers still don’t have power.

“We had a police officer who had been shot in the leg, and when the mayor went to see him the next day, he still didn’t have a room,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said at a news conference Wednesday.

Many hospitals were unable to evacuate patients to warmer conditions, creating a backlog of ambulances waiting to drop off new patients.

SEE ALSO: 13 Investigation into why some nursing homes still don’t have electricity

State officials said they have heard of delays exceeding three hours. To relieve pressure on hospitals, NRG Park is taking in some of the discharged patients and will eventually be able to accommodate up to 250. The state has also sent 25 ambulances from other parts of Texas.

But none of that will help Gunter Grigo, who suffers from diabetes and whose Greenspoint apartment still has no electricity, even though the other half of his complex does.

He has stored his three-month supply of insulin in a cooler filled with ice in the trunk of his car and said he will likely have to sleep at his desk.

“I couldn’t sleep here,” Grigo said, pointing to his apartment. “No way. I’d probably die. I think so. This heat is just unbearable.”

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