by Daniel Johnson
July 17, 2024
On July 11, the rapper and co-founder of Trill Burgers gave out over 1,500 burgers after setting up a pop-up-shop.
Hurricane Beryl hit Houston on July 8, knocking out power for 2.26 million customers. Now, as many Houstonians continue to wait on Centerpoint Energy and other electricity providers to supply electricity to homes and businesses, one of the Houston-area’s most famous residents, Bun B, is stepping up.
Although his Trill Burgers restaurant has been without power due to the storm, he has been busy trying to meet the needs of his neighbors.
According to Hot 97, on July 11, the rapper gave out over 1,500 burgers after setting up a pop-up-shop near a Lakewood Church campus. He also gave out food and set up cooling stations and distributed water at a few other locations, including a Kroger’s.
Bun B called for empathy and concern for others in a video he posted to his Instagram account as the storm’s landfall and impact zone swept across much of southeast Texas. According to ABC 13, the power outages, coupled with sweltering heat in Houston and other areas, combined to deadly effect, killing 13 people in the Houston area so far.
“With a high temperature of 93 degrees but heat index will go up to 103. Pray for our cities as we fight through this like we’ve done before. Cooling station and water pick up today at Lakewood Church and I’ll post more locations in my stories as I get more info. Check on your friends and family in the greater Houston area, especially the elderly and invalid today.” Bun B said in the video.
At present, nearly 98,000 electricity customers remain without power as emergency crews work to restore power. According to the Texas Tribune, of those 98,000; at least 88,000 are Centerpoint Energy customers. Centerpoint has received the brunt of the criticism for its reaction to Hurricane Beryl, from both customers and politicians on both sides of the aisle. Gov. Greg Abbott, who was thousands of miles away on a foreign relations trip when the storm made landfall, has been demanding an investigation of Centerpoint’s response to the storm, as has Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who has called for a federal investigation into the energy company.
According to The New York Times, the latest natural disaster to strike Houston has some residents contemplating whether staying is worth it after two major power outages in two months. Stephanie Fuqua, 52, who moved to Houston in 2015, told the outlet that if it wasn’t for the hurricanes and the electric company, she would stay instead of planning to leave in the fall. “I’m just done. I’m tired of the trauma. I love Houston. If it weren’t for the hurricanes and CenterPoint, I would stay here.”
Others, like 60-year-old Perry Murry, a Houston native, told The Times that despite the challenges of climate change related weather events for the city, Houston is his home and his heart, and he would never leave the city he calls home. “I’ve got Texans on my hat, Texans on my shirt, Texans on my feet,” before pointing to his apparel, which were all emblazoned with the Houston Texans football logo. “This is my city.”
RELATED CONTENT: Judge Rules Against Bun B’s Trill Burgers Amid Recipe Theft And Financial Misconduct Lawsuit
