- At the height of the storm, more than 2.7 million power outages were reported.
- Most of the outages affected CenterPoint Energy customers in Houston and surrounding areas.
- Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Texas on July 8.
Hundreds of thousands of Texans were still without power Monday morning, a week after Beryl made landfall in the state.
As of Monday morning, more than 200,000 Texas homes, businesses and other utility customers were still without power, according to PowerOutage.us. Each outage may represent multiple people on an account.
Most of the outages were caused by CenterPoint Energy customers. CenterPoint said in an update on Sunday that it expects 90% of its customers to be back online by the end of Monday.
“We know we have a lot of work to do,” CenterPoint Executive Vice President Jason Ryan said Thursday at a meeting of the Texas Public Utilities Commission. “We won't stop working until it's done.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday he is calling for an investigation into the utility companies' response and their preparations for future storms.
“It's clear that Gulf Coast power companies have to prepare for hurricanes,” Abbott said at a news conference on Sunday, his first address to Berrier since returning from an economic development trip in Asia.
(More:Hot weather and power outages are a deadly combination)
The Houston area remained under a heat warning Monday as thousands sweltered without power.
At the height of the storm on Monday, more than 2.7 million power outages were reported in Texas.
“Maybe they thought it wouldn't be that bad, but it's had a huge impact. They need to be better prepared,” construction worker Carlos Rodriguez told The Associated Press at a food distribution center. He said his family, including his two young daughters, were struggling in the hot weather.
“We had no power, we were going to bed very late, and I used a fan made of cardboard to keep my kids relaxed,” Rodriguez told The Associated Press.
Traffic is directed around a downed power line on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in Houston.
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Many Houstonians are taking shelter in public spaces or cooling centers. There are also concerns about seniors, including those living in assisted living facilities and similar facilities.
“I try to understand because I know there are a million other people who feel the same way,” Ian Wu, who owns an assisted living facility in suburban Spring, Texas, told KTRK-TV.
“Right now, we're trying to keep generators running to power essentials like cooking and oxygen tanks.”
Houston schools were severely affected by Beryl. In an update Friday, the Houston Independent School District said 70 campuses were without power, 50 campuses had downed trees and 60 campuses had roof or structural damage.
Early Monday, Beryl made landfall on the Gulf Coast about 80 miles southwest of Houston as a Category 1 hurricane. The storm then moved northeastward, passing through coastal communities and through the Houston metropolitan area.
(More: Damage to beryl in photo)
Houston resident Ashley Doyle and her children Kaysen and Jayce work at Gallery Furniture, which serves as a temporary shelter, on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. ) to cool off and eat. The impact of Cyclone Beryl left much of the region without power.
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)
At least seven people have died in Texas and at least one in Louisiana, which has been blamed on Beryl. These all happen during storms.
But what happens after a storm can be even more dangerous.
(more: How to protect your family from carbon monoxide poisoning during a power outage)
Post-storm power outages have killed dozens of people in recent years. Causes include overheating, medical conditions that rely on electricity, and carbon monoxide poisoning that occurs when running a portable generator.
Older people are especially at risk. At least a dozen nursing home and senior apartment residents died in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in 2021.
Meteorological network reporter Jane Childs Covering breaking news and features related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.
