Following Hurricane Beryl’s devastation in southeastern Texas, hundreds of thousands of people were left without power, with around 288,000 energy customers still in the dark a week later. The lack of electricity left many without air conditioning as temperatures soared up to 93 degrees, and more than 119 million people were under extreme heat warnings. CenterPoint Energy, the main electricity supplier in the Greater Houston area, had reconnected almost 2 million people since the storm, but Governor Greg Abbott demanded improvements in hurricane preparation plans from the company.
Abbott expressed his frustration at the failure of power companies to restore electricity in a timely manner, calling it completely unacceptable and emphasizing that it was a critical issue affecting people’s lives. He gave CenterPoint until July 31 to provide specific actions to address power outages and reduce the likelihood of future outages during severe weather events. The governor also directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas to investigate the delay in reconnecting households and determine why some utilities were unable to restore power for days after the hurricane.
In response to the governor’s demands, CenterPoint stated that their top priority was to restore power to the remaining affected customers safely and quickly. The company’s crews were working tirelessly to reconnect homes and businesses in areas with significant structural damage, aiming to address customer frustrations and ensure that power was restored efficiently. CenterPoint noted that initial forecasts had indicated Hurricane Beryl would miss Houston, but when this changed, they deployed additional staff to respond to the damage.
In an effort to assist those affected by Hurricane Beryl, Governor Abbott added 17 counties to a FEMA individual assistance program, allowing individuals with damaged homes or businesses to apply for financial help. This program aimed to provide support to those struggling in the aftermath of the storm and help them recover from the destruction caused by Beryl’s path through the region. Abbott’s actions highlighted the government’s commitment to helping communities rebuild and recover from the impact of severe weather events like hurricanes.
