Houston community groups strain to keep feeding and cooling a city battered by repeat storms WHIO TV 7 and WHIO Radio [Video]

HOUSTON — (AP) — The deafening hum of a generator was a welcome noise Thursday evening at a Houston independent living center where several dozen seniors had lost power in the wake of Hurricane Beryl.

Joe and Terri Hackl, who had pulled up with the backup electricity source after delivering hundreds of meals all day, estimate they’ve spent at least 18 hours daily this week filling service gaps around the wind-torn city.

The couple is part of a volunteer network called CrowdSource Rescue, designed during 2017’s Hurricane Harvey to connect first responders to people in need.

Likeminded community efforts have brought relief in the form of fresh food and cool air for some of the millions who sweltered this week without electricity. Beryl knocked power out across one of the nation’s largest cities, pressuring electric utility CenterPoint Energy as outages endured days after the Category 1 storm had passed.

While nonprofit and mutual aid organizations have …