There could be ‘weeks’ without power as ’90s heat returns, some Houston residents say

HOUSTON — Some Houston residents who lost power during Thursday’s strong winds now face the daunting possibility of being without power or air conditioning for days or even weeks as temperatures rise.

Houston metro shaken by violent storms that left 4 dead and more than a million without power

The severe weather raked the Houston area with recorded wind gusts of 70 to 80 mph, with some radar estimates of wind gusts of 80 to 100 mph. More than a million electric customers were without power in Texas at the height of the storms, including some 900,000 in Harris County, home to much of the Houston metro area.

While CenterPoint Energy says it restored power to 180,000 customers as of Friday morning, more than 750,000 remain in the dark around Houston, according to PowerOutage.US.

For some, it could take weeks before power is restored.

According to Harris County Judge Executive Lina Hidalgo, 10 power lines are down.

“If you’re connected to transmission lines that are down … just like during (Hurricane) Ike, you’re probably going to have to go a few weeks without power,” Hidalgo said.

Paul Lock of Centerpoint Energy said it would take another day to fully assess the damage. They have 4,000 additional assistants from other regions to help them. “But we’re looking at a multi-day event,” Lock said. “If you rely on lifesaving equipment, you need to plan now to find somewhere else to stay.”

Another danger is increasing heat, as tens or even hundreds of thousands of people no longer have access to air conditioning.

SEE: DEADLY STORM BURSTS HOUSTON AS FEROCIOUS WINDS LEAVE DESTRUCTIVE PATH ACROSS SOUTH

Highs Saturday and Sunday are expected to climb back into the 90s around Houston. With the Gulf’s typical humid air, heat index readings are expected to reach the mid-90s this weekend, climbing to around 100 or just above early next week.

Hidalgo said 15 Harris County libraries would be open during the day for air conditioning and electricity.

“The next few days are going to be difficult. The next few weeks are going to be difficult for some people in our community,” Hidalgo said. “They’re going to be uncomfortable. But we got through this.”