Houston, Texas (KTRK) – CenterPoint Energy has made progress in restoring power to more than 640,000 customers in the greater Houston area following Hurricane Beryl’s impact early Monday morning. However, over 1.5 million households remain without electricity.
CenterPoint Energy, the primary power provider for Houston, has deployed 12,000 workers across the region to expedite the restoration process, which they estimate will take several days.
Among those affected are seniors at residential facilities operated by the Rose of Sharon Missionary Baptist Church, who are awaiting generators and window air conditioners to combat the heat.
“I anticipated the challenges seniors would face,” said Pastor Elmo Johnson. “I reached out to Council Member Abbie Kamin, and she responded promptly.”
In response, Kamin’s office arranged for the Houston Tool Bank to deliver generators, fans, and portable air conditioners. Kamin herself was seen assisting with installations on Tuesday, acknowledging the frustration of Houston residents.
“People are understandably frustrated,” Kamin expressed. “We’re all in this together, but a Category 1 storm should not cause this level of power outage.”
As efforts continue, CenterPoint Energy has aimed to restore power to 1 million customers by the end of Wednesday. Meanwhile, a heat advisory remains in effect for Tuesday.
Acting Governor Dan Patrick expressed concerns over CenterPoint’s preparedness for Beryl and hinted at potential investigations by the Public Utility Commission.
CenterPoint, in response, emphasized their ongoing efforts with 12,000 personnel already deployed and highlighted their progress compared to previous storms.
Paul Locke, CenterPoint’s local government affairs director, cautioned that restoration will take time despite the significant workforce deployed.
Kamin emphasized the need for stronger infrastructure investments, advocating for more generators at multi-service centers and greater use of underground power lines to mitigate future outages.
Meanwhile, Entergy reported approximately 201,000 outages primarily in Montgomery, Jefferson, Walker, and Liberty counties, with ongoing restoration efforts.
