Houston, Texas – Nearly a week after Hurricane Beryl struck Texas, around 270,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area remain without power. Governor Greg Abbott has expressed frustration, demanding an investigation into the utility’s response and its readiness for future storms.
CenterPoint Energy, responsible for electricity in Houston, has restored power to approximately 2 million customers since the storm hit on July 8. However, the slow recovery process has drawn criticism, particularly concerning the lack of air conditioning in the summer heat.
Governor Abbott, returning from an economic trip to Asia, emphasized the necessity for Gulf Coast power companies to better prepare for hurricanes. He announced plans to compel the Public Utility Commission of Texas to scrutinize why restoration efforts have been delayed and to outline necessary improvements.
Hurricane Beryl caused significant damage, toppling transmission lines and obstructing power restoration with fallen trees and branches. Abbott has set a deadline for CenterPoint to submit detailed plans by the end of the month on preventing future outages, including clearing vegetation near power lines.
CenterPoint, responding to the criticism, prioritizes restoring power safely and swiftly, aiming to reach 90% restoration by Monday. The utility has defended its preparation, citing the deployment of 12,000 additional workers from outside Houston. It claims that prepositioning workers before the storm was deemed unsafe.
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Despite challenges, CenterPoint continues to invest in strengthening the region’s infrastructure against such storms. Jason Wells, the utility’s CEO, highlighted extensive damage to utility poles and trees, affecting over three-quarters of distribution circuits.
