AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued a stern warning to CenterPoint Energy, the utility company responsible for delivering electricity in the Houston area, following widespread and prolonged power outages. The governor has given the company until the end of the month to devise a plan to minimize future outages or face unspecified executive orders to address its failures.
CenterPoint Energy faced severe criticism after Hurricane Beryl hit the Houston area last week as a Category 1 hurricane. The storm resulted in power outages affecting 2.2 million customers. Although the company has restored power to 98% of those affected, nearly 300,000 residents remain without electricity, refrigeration, and air conditioning amid a deadly heat wave. The heat index in Houston reached 103 degrees on Monday, according to the National Weather Service, prompting many residents to seek refuge in vehicles, cooling centers, and hotels.
Governor Abbott, addressing the media in Houston alongside Mayor John Whitmire and Texas Public Utility Commission Chairman Thomas Gleeson, emphasized the urgency for CenterPoint to resolve the power issues. “The clock is ticking for CenterPoint to step up and get the job done,” Abbott stated. He highlighted the severe risks posed by the lack of power in extreme heat, which continues to endanger lives in the Greater Houston-Harris County area.
In response to the crisis, state and local agencies are providing ready-made meals and other necessities to those without power. Law enforcement presence has also increased with additional Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and officers from various parts of the state being deployed to the affected areas.
CenterPoint Energy announced in a news release that it is repositioning crews and equipment to repair damaged wires and poles in the most urgently affected areas. Despite restoring power to nearly 2 million customers, the company acknowledged that the wait for many others continues to be unacceptable.
This isn’t the first time CenterPoint Energy has faced scrutiny over power outages. In 2020, Texas grocery store chain H-E-B sued the company over a requested rate increase, arguing that repeated outages had forced it to install backup generators at its stores. H-E-B won the case, and CenterPoint subsequently replaced its CEO.
Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record, caused significant damage as it moved through the Caribbean earlier this month, affecting Jamaica, Grenada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The storm resulted in at least 11 deaths across the Caribbean.
In the United States, Texas bore the brunt of Beryl’s impact when it struck the Gulf Coast last Monday. Heavy rain and strong winds flooded streets, trapped people in their cars, and knocked out power to more than 2 million homes and businesses. The storm also generated numerous tornadoes in Texas and parts of the Ohio Valley.
The extended power outages have been linked to several fatalities.
At least one person is believed to have died from heat exposure, while two people in Harris County succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning from operating home generators.
