U.S. Rep. Garcia to CenterPoint: ‘Why do we have to go through this every time we have an event?’

U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia is tired of feeling left in the dark by CenterPoint Energy – both literally and figuratively.

On Wednesday morning, the Congresswoman, whose district wraps around much of the eastern edge of Houston, sent a strongly worded letter to the energy company’s CEO, Jason P. Wells, demanding answers as to why more than a million Houstonians remained without power two days after Hurricane Beryl slammed into the city.

Logan Anderson, a spokesperson for CenterPoint, declined to comment on the letter Wednesday afternoon. “The company intends to respond to Congresswoman Garcia directly,” Anderson wrote in an email.

“I would consider a Congressional hearing about this at a later date, but I would like to hear a response first and sit and visit with them,” Garcia said Wednesday.

Her goal, she said, is to determine what obstacles are keeping the energy company from better serving her constituents .

“They should have fixed something to make it easier for people, and to bring up the power immediately,” she said. “We’re the fourth largest city and we can’t figure out how to get the electricity back up after a storm? I mean, seriously?”

And, she asked, what will happen next time in an even stronger storm, if the energy giant is not held accountable for putting citizens in the compromising condition of being without power during a heat advisory?

“If we can’t handle the winds and rain we got in that 10 hours, how are you going to prepare for the next one that could be a Category 3, 4 of – dare I say – 5, with real storms and rains for two or three days?” she asked.