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Houston residents ‘in hell’ after Beryl cuts power to millions

Gillberg
Houston residents ‘in hell’ after Beryl cuts power to millions

Houston (AFP) – Josh Vance stands in the air-conditioned lobby of the Sunnyside Community Center in Houston, Texas, one of the designated “cooling centers” open to the public after Hurricane Beryl knocked out power during a powerful heat wave.

Published on: Amended:

3 minutes

“Dealing with the heat at home is terrible. Honestly, we’re suffering,” he said.

Vance is one of a million customers still without power, four days after the storm swept through the city.

Although the state’s oil and gas industry weathered the storm, Beryl still flooded neighborhoods and roads, uprooted trees and damaged power poles and transmission lines.

By the time the hurricane cleared, seven people had died in Texas and two million customers — most of them in Houston — were without power, with half of them still waiting for power to be restored by Friday, according to poweroutage.us.

As grid operators work to restore power, hundreds of people are gathering at cooling centers or waiting in their cars to collect ice, water and fresh food.

A technician repairs a power line after millions of people in Texas lost power due to Hurricane Beryl on July 11, 2024
A technician repairs a power line after millions of people in Texas lost power due to Hurricane Beryl on July 11, 2024 © Mark Felix / AFP

Vance, 43, lives in Houston with his two children and cat, but has spent much of the past week sheltering in the cooling center to escape temperatures that have exceeded 91 degrees Fahrenheit.

“You’d be surprised how used to electricity we are, and without electricity it’s hell,” he said.

– “Not as prepared” –

The United States has two major electrical grids: one for the eastern part of the country and one for the western part.

Cars line up to receive food and water from a distribution center in Houston, Texas, on July 11, 2024.
Cars line up to receive food and water from a distribution center in Houston, Texas, on July 11, 2024. © Mark Felix / AFP

Each grid is connected to different energy sources, so if one state has difficulty producing electricity, it can be redirected from other regions.

However, Texas is the only state with its own autonomous power grid, which leads to regular problems.

In February 2021, a prolonged cold storm caused the power grid to collapse due to demand for heating. Natural gas lines also had problems. Dozens of residents froze to death.

In Houston, the power grid is administered by the utility company CenterPoint.

Officials and residents are wondering why the company was so slow to restore power when Beryl was only a Category 1 hurricane, the lowest designation on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.

“They underestimated the impact of the storm … it appears they were not as prepared as they should have been,” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said at a news conference Thursday, where he announced an investigation into the power company’s response.

“I understand how frustrating it is to be without power, especially in this heat,” CenterPoint CEO Jason Wells told the Houston Chronicle.

Wells noted that the company was able to restore power to 1.1 million customers within 48 hours of the storm’s end.

The progress, however, offers little consolation to those without electricity, like Maria Dionisio, who was also at the cooling center.

Bags containing food and water are placed outside a distribution center in Houston, Texas, on July 11, 2024.
Bags containing food and water are placed outside a distribution center in Houston, Texas, on July 11, 2024. © Mark Felix / AFP

“There is nothing left to eat, everything that was in the fridge is spoiled,” Dionisio said.

As Houston residents continue to recover, some fear an even more powerful storm this season.

“I pray to God there’s not (a hurricane) right behind this one, because if there is, we’d be in trouble,” Vance said.

© 2024 AFP

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