HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — CenterPoint Energy began Monday with approximately 240,000 outages, and by evening, about 132,000 customers were still without power. The company provided an update on the restoration timeline, stating that all impacted customers should have power back by Friday, July 19, 11 days after Hurricane Beryl made landfall.
As of 8:30 p.m. Monday, CenterPoint had restored power to 92% of affected customers. By the end of Wednesday, they expect to have restored 98%. The company also highlighted potential issues with customer-owned equipment, specifically weatherheads, which are crucial for safely restoring service. Damage to these components requires repairs by a licensed electrician before crews can restore power.
“A weeklong wait continues
Many families have been growing impatient as they endure a week without power and air conditioning. ABC13 viewers reported that Houston’s Third Ward is among the neighborhoods still experiencing outages.
CenterPoint’s outage tracker indicates the area is energized with potential localized or nested outages. This term was explained recently after May’s derecho, where CenterPoint faced outages three times smaller than those caused by Beryl.
CenterPoint explained the situation in a statement Monday, noting that several factors could cause continued outages for some customers while others nearby have power. These factors include nested outages, damage to secondary infrastructure, and differences in electric circuits. The restoration map reflects circuit-level outages, which may not account for localized issues affecting individual homes.
CenterPoint is directing 14,000 crew members working 16-hour shifts to restore power. These crews have covered over 8,500 miles of electric lines, removed nearly 19,000 weakened trees, repaired or replaced more than 2,100 poles, and deployed 28 mobile generation units to temporarily restore power to critical facilities.
Despite these efforts, some viewers reported being told that their power would remain off until Friday.
#Houston: If you receive a notification that your electric service was restored but you’re still without power, you may be included in a “nested outage.” This means our systems indicate power was restored to equipment serving your area but your home may be impacted by a more… pic.twitter.com/Nigivq6TJ5 — CenterPoint Energy (@CenterPoint) May 20, 2024”
