Family of girl with cerebral palsy concerned about power outages due to medical equipment

Miya Shay Image
Monday, February 15, 2021
Family of girl with cerebral palsy concerned about power outage
"Our primary concern really is her machines," her dad said. While the family still has power, they said they will have to find a place to recharge her machines if it goes out.

KATY, Texas (KTRK) -- In Katy, a family's primary concern during the winter storm is making sure their teenage daughter's breathing machines are charged and powered.

Their daughter has cerebral palsy and uses breathing machines throughout the day.

"We got through last night, but we'll need to find a place to recharge them today," said the father.

They said as of early Monday afternoon they still had power, but if at any point they lose it, they will have to go next door to a neighbor's house to use a generator.

"It's comforting to know we have those devices ready to go," the father said.

SEE RELATED STORY: Customers without power now may not get it back until tomorrow or longer

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner urged people Monday to wait out the outage by bundling up and staying off the roads. If immediate assistance is needed urgently, he urged residents to dial 211 or 311, advising that 911 should be reserved for extreme emergencies.