Abbott Blasts Texas Power Utility Following Deadly Heatwave and Blackouts

Not only are Texans trying to recover in the dark, but they also have scorching temperatures to battle. What does the power utility have to say? 

One Hell of a Monday Morning 

Last Monday morning, Hurricane Beryl smashed into Texas as a Category 1 storm. According to the Houston Chronicle, not only did the storm uproot trees and topple power lines, but it also prompted some residents to sleep in their cars to stay cool amid the searing summer heat. 

It is estimated that at least 13 people lost their lives in this region alone.   

One Week Later… 

Hundreds of thousands of Texans in the south-eastern area are now entering the sixth day of suffering scorching heat without air conditioning. 

In addition, many are struggling to find cool shelters, food, safe drinking water, and healthcare resources. 

Please Explain

With almost 270,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area still without power, Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated on Sunday that he’s demanding an investigation not only into the response of the utility serving the region, but also for answers regarding preparations for future storms.  

Do Your Job 

In his first news conference since returning from an economic development trip in Asia, Abbott addressed the Beryl issue by saying: “Power companies along the Gulf Coast must be prepared to deal with hurricanes, to state the obvious”. 

Some Lights Are On 

CenterPoint Energy, the Houston-based company responsible for providing power to the region, has managed to restore power to about 2 million customers since the hurricane hit a week ago. 

Ready or Not? 

But that wasn’t enough, as the utility’s slow pace of recovery has come under mounting scrutiny over whether it was properly prepared for the storm.  

The Dark Is Dangerous 

According to Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at the Columbia University Climate School, prolonged power outages can have deadly consequences in the wake of such a major disaster. 

Those Most at Risk 

Schlegelmilch mentioned that the very young, the elderly, and anyone with underlying health problems are particularly vulnerable. 

More Heat Coming Up! 

Not making matters any better for Texans, the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued heat advisories for the Houston area starting from Tuesday until Friday, with heat expected to reach 106 F.  

Already So Hot 

Although Saturday’s temperatures cooled down with some rain and peaked in the 90s, the NWS forecast on the same day predicted high temperatures on a “generally increasing trend” into this week, expected to reach the mid- to upper 90s. 

Pay Up… 

Schlegelmilch said it’s important for state leaders and power companies to assess their priorities for funding and invest in modernizing the power grid. This comes as global warming and variations in weather patterns place higher demand on power infrastructure, plus a future of progressively dangerous storms. 

…and Catch Up 

“We’re really behind in terms of being able to meet the need for day-to-day (power usage), as well as resiliency for storms like Beryl,” Schlegelmilch said.  

Not All Affected Equally 

He continued by emphasizing that low-income and communities of color take the brunt of those impacts. 

“We see this along racial lines. We see it along socioeconomic lines. Even though climate change is affecting all of us, it’s affecting the most vulnerable among us, and these are the echoes of housing policy from a century ago drawn along racial lines, socioeconomic lines, that still haunt us to this day,” Schlegelmilch claimed. 

What’s the Holdup? 

Gov. Abbott pointed a finger at CenterPoint, claiming they didn’t have “an adequate number of workers pre-staged” before the storm hit. 

He added that he will be sending a letter to the Public Utility Commission of Texas to ask them to investigate why restoration is taking so long and what can be done to speed things up. 

We Need Answers 

As the end of hurricane season is still months away, Abbott said CenterPoint has a deadline until the end of this month to specify its next steps regarding reducing or eliminating power outages in the event of more storms.  

Tree Felling, Anyone? 

Part of what this will include, according to Abbott, will be detailed plans on removing vegetation still threatening power lines. 

On It! 

In the aftermath of Abbott’s news conference, CenterPoint replied that its number-one priority was to provide “power to the remaining impacted customers as safely and quickly as possible”.

The company also added that it expects to have restored power to 90% of its customers by Monday. 

We’ll Do Better 

On Sunday, CenterPoint said that it’s been “investing for years” to reinforce the region’s resilience to such storms.  

The utility also stated that it was committed to working with state- and local leaders in a “thorough review of our response”.

More Staff 

The company has also defended its preparation for Beryl and said that it has introduced about 12,000 extra workers from outside Houston. 

In addition, CenterPoint also stated that it would have been unsafe to send those workers to the predicted storm impact area before the hurricane hit.  

Major Damage 

Last week, Vice President for Regulatory Policy for CenterPoint Energy Brad Tutunjian said the widespread damage to trees and power poles hindered their ability to restore power to the area quickly. 

Work to Be Done 

On Sunday, CEO and President of CenterPoint Jason Wells posted on the company website that more than 2,100 utility poles were damaged during the hurricane. 

Additionally, over 18,600 trees had to be removed from power lines, which affected over 75% of the company’s distribution circuits.   

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