Investigation Launched into Power Outages Following Hurricane Beryl

In the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl hitting Texas, almost a week later, around 270,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area are still without power. The slow pace of recovery has put CenterPoint Energy, the utility serving the area, under scrutiny for its preparation and response to the storm.

Governor Greg Abbott has demanded an investigation into the utility’s response and preparations for upcoming storms. He emphasized the importance of power companies being prepared to deal with hurricanes along the Gulf Coast. CenterPoint Energy has restored power to about 2 million customers since the storm hit on July 8 but has faced criticism for the extended outages.

Governor Abbott is requiring the Public Utility Commission of Texas to investigate why the restoration has taken so long and what steps need to be taken to fix it. He has given CenterPoint Energy until the end of the month to outline their plans to reduce or eliminate power outages in the event of another storm, including removing vegetation that threatens power lines.

CenterPoint Energy stated that their top priority is restoring power to the remaining impacted customers as quickly and safely as possible, with the expectation of restoring power to 90% of customers by Monday. The utility has been working with state and local leaders and conducting a thorough review of their response to the storm.

Despite defending their preparation efforts, CenterPoint Energy has brought in additional workers from outside Houston to assist with restoring power. The extensive damage from the storm to trees and power poles has made restoration efforts challenging.

As the Houston area continues to face power outages, residents are enduring the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl’s destruction. It remains to be seen how CenterPoint Energy will address the issues raised and improve their response to future storms.