'This is a matter of life and death': Missouri City opens warming center as 51% of residents are without power

Missouri City officials announced the opening of a warming center at the Recreation and Tennis Center during a Feb. 17 press conference. Located at 2701 Cypress Point Drive, Mayor Robin Elackatt said the recreation center will open Feb. 17.

The opening of a local warming center—which is run in conjunction with Fort Bend County—comes as approximately 50,164 people, or 51% of Missouri City residents, remain without electricity as of 2:30 p.m. Feb. 17.

"Today we have reached an agreement with Fort Bend County and partnered with them to open the Missouri City Rec Center as a warming station," Elackatt said. "I cannot stress enough that this is a historic time for our great city. We are dealing with this weather emergency, the COVID-19 pandemic, a struggling economy and limited resources."

Other warming centers are available in Fort Bend County. Residents can view the status of some of the warming centers here.

State Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, said as a member of the Texas House Energy Resources Committee he will be involved in a public hearing into the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. He said he plans to hold accountable those responsible for the long-lasting power outages

"It's totally unacceptable that, as the mayor indicated, we're dealing with the pandemic of COVID-19, and now people have to worry about how they're going to get heat, how are they going to take care of their families, how are they going to basically stay alive," Reynolds said. "This is a matter of life and death."

Missouri City residents are also experiencing water issues, and several neighborhoods remain under a boil-water notice.

View the full press conference here.