Abbott says CenterPoint must develop storm plans as more than 385,000 people without power Sunday – Houston Public Media

Celeste Schurman

As of Sunday afternoon, more than 385,000 CenterPoint Energy customers were without power, nearly a week after Hurricane Beryl knocked out lights to millions in Houston.

In a news release, CenterPoint said it was on track to restore power to 90% of the 2.26 million customers affected by the Category 1 hurricane by Monday evening, but the company’s power restoration map indicates that some city streets scattered across the metropolis may not be fully restored until July 19.

The company’s recovery efforts are “going above and beyond expectations” to restore 85% of those customers by the end of the weekend. Still, CenterPoint has come under fire as power outages continue for days after the storm.

RELATED: Houston power outages: CenterPoint releases outage map; 1.2 million still without power after Beryl

“Our crews are doing an extraordinary job in neighborhoods across Greater Houston and continued to ramp up restoration despite challenging conditions as thunderstorms hit Houston late yesterday,” company spokeswoman Lynnae Wilson said in a statement. “Looking ahead, we know that customers who have not yet had power restored are counting on us, and we are committed to working until we restore their power.”

Abbott in Houston

Tom Perumean

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is demanding answers from CenterPoint Energy after its slow response to Hurricane Beryl. Abbott was in Houston Sunday to get updates from local officials on rebuilding efforts.

He insisted that Texas lawmakers will hold the company accountable for what he called major missteps in preparing for and responding to last week’s storm.

“The failure of power companies to provide power to their customers is completely unacceptable,” Abbott said at a news conference at Gallery Furniture. “Power companies on the Gulf Coast need to be prepared for hurricanes, that’s a given.”

Abbott also issued several ultimatums to CenterPoint, demanding a plan to clear vegetation around power lines and an updated strategy on how to effectively prepare workers before the next storm. He wants those plans ready by July 31.

“CenterPoint needs to clarify what steps it will take in the coming months that it did not take in Beryl that will reduce or eliminate power outages if another tropical storm hits the Gulf Coast,” Abbott said.

The governor also said lawmakers would take a closer look at CenterPoint’s service territory to determine if the company has too large an area to manage. The company is responsible for the vast majority of electricity distribution in the Houston area.

“Perhaps their territory is too large to manage properly,” Abbott said. “It’s time to reevaluate whether or not CenterPoint should have such a large territory.”

In August, lawmakers will hold hearings on how CenterPoint handled the response to Hurricane Beryl. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said he is prepared to ask tough questions.

“One of my first questions will be: Does CenterPoint still see Houston as a priority for its business? It’s a different company than it was before,” Patrick said.

City leaders condemn threats against workers

In a social media post last week, the company said crews working to restore power had received several threats.

“Our employees are deeply rooted in the communities we serve and our relief teams are far from home helping our community recover from Hurricane Beryl,” the company said. “We ask that if our customers see our linemen, please keep their distance and let them do their jobs to ensure safe restoration.”

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Friday she heard reports that someone pointed a gun at a group of linemen.

On Saturday, Houston Mayor John Whitmire said he assured utility workers they would be safe as they worked to restore power to the city.

“I understand the anger and frustration of not having power, but we should not take matters into our own hands and harass or threaten the linemen,” he said. “They are there to help us. They are not doing anything wrong. They are helping us. They have families.”

“Paralyzed by a windstorm”

On Sunday afternoon, Ferry Irawan cleaned up debris from his front yard in Missouri City.

Irwan, an Indonesian immigrant, moved to the United States in the 1980s. He said relatives living abroad joke with him about Houston’s persistent lack of electricity.

“This is the country that can put people on the moon with all the energy and everything necessary,” he said. “And yet we are paralyzed by a simple storm.”

While his neighbor across the street has electricity, Irwan still doesn’t. Instead, he and his family rely on generators and portable air conditioners to stay cool.

He recalled losing power for two weeks after Hurricane Ike and expressed frustration with what he sees as a lack of progress since then.

“We can’t let this happen like this,” he said. “After Ike, we didn’t learn anything.”

Jack Williams and Natalie Weber contributed to this report.