Joel Osteen, a Texas televangelist, has converted his megachurch into a cooling station after Beryl left millions of Houston residents without electricity, including air conditioning and the ability to make food.
Beryl made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane, pouring inches of rain over America’s fourth-largest city and hammering it with +90 mph winds.
On Monday, 2.7 million Houston-area consumers lost power due to fierce winds.
“Lakewood will serve as a cooling and water distribution center, as well as a safe haven for anyone in need,” the church tweeted.
‘We are also moving our relief workers throughout the city to distribute supplies, emergency response kits, and clean up in regions most affected by the storm.’
Osteen, a frequent target of online internet trolls, was roasted by Houstonians as Beryl swept through the city, despite the pastor’s vow to assist anyone affected.
Many people recall the church’s heavily criticized reaction to Hurricane Harvey in 2017, when some churches opened their doors seven years ago to people in need of shelter after major portions of the city were submerged.
Lakewood, a well-funded, 17,000-seat congregation located in a former basketball arena, appeared to respond only after criticism poured in.
By Tuesday, Houstonians were angry at Centerpoint, the local power utility, as well as state officials.
Houston is supposed to be the “Energy Capital of the World,” so why does a Category 1 storm like #Beryl leave us without electricity for half a week? It has been 24 hours. ‘Fix it,’ stated X user @FOWLKON_39.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is serving as acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott is on a pre-planned economic tour to Asia, attempted to reassure the public that the state was working as rapidly as possible to restore power.
During a Tuesday afternoon press conference, Patrick revealed that 11,500 extra linemen would be added to the 1,675-strong brigade to restore electricity as soon as possible.
‘We expect around a million consumers to have power by tomorrow, and more each day, but it will be a multi-day recovery,’ Patrick said.
According to officials, power has been restored to at least 836,000 homes who lost it on Monday.
However, the absence of power left many residents unable to cook food.
The power outage affected both residents and businesses, so many locals who stepped out of their homes in search of food discovered shuttered restaurants as well.
Even US Senator Ted Cruz, nicknamed “Cancun Cruz” after fleeing the Lone Star State during a 2021 ice storm that left the state without power and killed at least 700 people, complained about sleeping on a friend’s couch since he, too, was without power.
‘I know there are a lot of individuals who are confronting the heat and having difficulty feeding their families, and we need to make sure that happens as soon as possible,’ Cruz added.
