From a tropical wave, hurricane Beryl formed and rapidly intensified to a Category 5 as it moved west through the central tropical Atlantic. Beryl weakened as it hit land and reorganized itself as a Category 1 going over Texas where there was widespread damage that even weeks later has not been fixed. Texas experienced heavy wind damage and flooding with severe casualties. As Beryl tracked into the state, the city of Houston was directly impacted by its eyewall. More than 2.7 million households and businesses lost power, primarily in the metropolitan area, and have suffered power outages for weeks after the disaster. In high temperatures and humidity, Texans continue to suffer during the aftermath of Beryl, partly due to the responses of energy provider CenterPoint Energy which governor Greg Abbott responded to by accusing them of "putting lives at risk and potentially cutting corners in storm preparation."

Fort Bend County in Houston suffered damages exceeding 20 million. Hundreds of thousands don’t have power and proper access to necessities. However, in less than 24 hours, Fort Bend County Commissioner Candidate Taral Patel and his team organized a water, ice, and food distribution drive. Through calling sponsors, donors, Homeland Security, and recruiting volunteers, Patel and his team helped nearly a thousand people by giving back to their community during a time of desperate need of help.

I volunteered as part of Taral Patel’s campaign and a member of the Asian Americans Leadership Council (AALC) to help at the Meal & Water Distribution Drive which ran for nearly three hours. I felt the dedication and commitment of Patel, his team, and everyone who organized and contributed to the event. It gave a sense of purpose and an unparalleled feeling of helping others. 

Adrian Herrera: “As a campaign, we pride ourselves on being able to coordinate events at a moment’s notice…coordinating this event was not only difficult but worth every second that we spent trying to gather the necessary resources to host.”