Threats mount for Texas power generation crews as 1 million people remain in the dark after Beryl

HOUSTON – Menifee Lucy sits on her porch to breathe in her Kashmere Gardens neighborhood in Houston, enduring the stifling heat that seems to reach triple digits.

Her home was left without power after Hurricane Beryl hit Texas on Monday. She can’t cook and is hungry.

“I lost all my food except these noodles. All my meat is spoiled,” she laments. “I haven’t had electricity for four days, I don’t know what to do… I can’t cook, all I have are these noodles.”

Lucy is one of 875,000 residents of the Houston metro area who are still without power after Beryl’s destruction and now face the imminent dangers of intense heat and humidity.

“I threw everything out, there’s nothing here… everything is ruined,” neighbor Lily Reeds repeated, pointing to her empty refrigerator in her apartment.

As frustration mounts, Texas power company crews now face threats as they work to restore power to nearly 1 million people in the state who have been without air conditioning for nearly a week.

Despite improving energy numbers, heat and humidity remain high Friday as a heat advisory is in effect in Houston.

“Safety is our number one priority,” said CenterPoint Energy, which says it has successfully restored power to more than 1.2 million customers. “We have received numerous reports of threats against our employees and crews. We understand how difficult and frustrating it is for our customers to be without power, especially during this hot summer.”

HOUSTON EXPERIENCES FOURTH DAY OF HARD RUNNING FOR MORE THAN 1 MILLION WITHOUT POWER AS ELDERLY EXPERIENCE DANGEROUS HEAT EXHAUST

The utility said its 12,000 employees are working around the clock, in 16-hour shifts, to restore power quickly and safely. It expects to have power restored to 80% of affected customers by the end of the day Sunday.

As concerns grow, crews are working to rebuild the power grid in the hardest-hit areas, including Brazoria County, Fort Bend County and along the I-45 corridor that extends to The Woodlands. Those locations have sustained significant structural damage.

According to CoreLogic, estimated losses are between $2.5 billion and $3.5 billion in Texas due to wind damage to properties, including damage to contents and business interruption.

CenterPoint Energy said customers could experience extended outages and that it is providing estimated restoration dates for anyone still without power, which should be done by Friday. However, criticism from local and state officials is still evident.

TEXAS SHELTERS ASK FOR HELP FOR HUNDREDS OF INJURED, ORPHAN ANIMALS DISPLACED AFTER BERYL

“Everybody wants to get problems fixed as quickly as possible. We’re holding CenterPoint accountable,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire said. “I get a report every four hours. We’re telling them to do better, to keep us updated and to tell us what they’re doing to redouble their efforts and get additional resources through our community.”

Whitmire is asking everyone to limit their driving at night due to safety concerns in the dark.

CenterPoint Energy is asking customers to keep their distance if they see their linemen and allow them to do their jobs to ensure safe restoration.