As the sweltering heat continues unabated, Houstonians still without power are increasingly frustrated with CenterPoint Energy, which has come under scrutiny for its response to Hurricane Beryl's impact on the Texas Gulf Coast earlier this week. More than 800,000 customers remained without power as of Friday afternoon, more than four days after the hurricane flooded streets and left more than two million people without air conditioning in temperatures as high as 90 degrees.
Residents like Ruth González have been taking cold baths to cope with the heat, blaming both the electric company and the storm for their suffering. González and her fiancé had to pawn their diamond wedding rings to afford gas and food. At least 11 deaths in the United States and nine in the Caribbean are attributed to the storm, with three fatalities in the Houston metropolitan area.
Despite public outrage, Darin Carroll, CenterPoint's senior vice president of operations, assured that the utility was prepared for the storm and had brought in external teams to mobilize as soon as it passed. However, repairs have not happened quickly enough for many, leading to heightened tensions. The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office responded to a call about a man threatening to shoot CenterPoint employees, and graffiti criticizing the company appeared along Interstate 10.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has called for an investigation into CenterPoint's response to the storm. The consequences will be determined by the Commission on Public Services. Hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and water treatment plants are struggling for resources after outages weakened infrastructure across the region. This has led to growing frustration among residents that Houston's main utility provider was not more prepared for the storm.
The storm has also aggravated health conditions for vulnerable residents. For instance, Guy Vásquez, who has a pacemaker and breathing problems, found it difficult to breathe in his stiflingly hot room. Many residents had to queue for ice and food distributed by Tyson Foods, although the distribution was not without controversy. Cleveland Jackson, who is in a wheelchair, claimed he was denied food because he was not seated in a vehicle.
In some parts of Houston, life continued as usual, but the impact on local residents cannot be underestimated. Those with financial resources took refuge in hotels, while others had to sleep in cars or sweltering houses. The Federal Emergency Management Agency granted Harris County and 14 other Texas counties financial assistance for affected families facing major repairs to homes damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Beryl.
The crisis has brought back memories of past storms for many residents. Destinee Rideaux, displaced for the second time, found herself staying at friends' apartments and carrying her belongings in her car. The lack of power has also led to dangerous conditions, with several deaths attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning from generators and the failure of medical devices due to power outages.
The US Department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency in Texas, emphasizing the dangers posed by the combination of intense heat and limited access to electricity. The city of Galveston is using public transportation buses to give residents an 'air-conditioned respite,' while Fort Bend County EMS is providing oxygen and transportation to cooling centers.
- CenterPoint Energy expects to restore power to another 350,000 customers by Sunday, but half a million Houston-area homes and businesses may not have power again until next week. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick criticized the utility for its lack of preparedness and communication with customers. He emphasized that seniors living in assisted living and nursing homes should have been given higher priority in restoring power.
- The outages have weakened infrastructure across the region, including hospitals, assisted living facilities, and water treatment plants. This has led to growing frustration among residents that CenterPoint Energy was not more prepared for the storm. The company declared it had restored service to more than 1.3 million customers, but about 500,000 will remain in the dark until next week.
- Heat advisories have been issued every day for the Houston metropolitan area, with high temperatures of 90 degrees Celsius and high double-digit heat indices. Combined with the power outages, there were alarmingly dangerous consequences. In Fort Bend County, more than 41 people suffered carbon monoxide poisoning, and in Harris County, at least two people died from it.
- The Federal Emergency Management Agency granted financial assistance to Harris County and 14 other Texas counties for affected families facing major repairs to homes damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Beryl. The city of Galveston is using public transportation buses to give residents an 'air-conditioned respite,' while Fort Bend County EMS is providing oxygen and transportation to cooling centers.
- The crisis has brought back memories of past storms for many residents. Destinee Rideaux, displaced for the second time, found herself staying at friends' apartments and carrying her belongings in her car. The lack of power has also led to dangerous conditions, with several deaths attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning from generators and the failure of medical devices due to power outages.
- Texas Governor Greg Abbott requested an investigation into how CenterPoint and other power companies responded to Hurricane Beryl. Several members of the Texas Public Utilities Commission urged the company's management to improve its communication and 'rebuild trust' with customers in hurricane-damaged areas.
