Pressure on CenterPoint for a Better Plan for Future Storms

Source: Governor Greg Abbott is joined by Mayor John Whitmire, PUC Texas Chairman Thomas Gleeson and Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd for a press conference on Texas ongoing response and recovery efforts for Hurricane Beryl on Monday, July 15, 2024 in Houston. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Houston — Amid frustration from residents across the Houston area after Hurricane Beryl, energy provider CenterPoint Energy is now positioned squarely in Governor Greg Abbott ‘s crosshairs. The governor called for CenterPoint to come up with a plan to minimize future power outages by the end of July, according to USA Today .

At the outage’s peak as Beryl slammed the Texas coast as a category one hurricane on July 8 , 2.2 million were left without power. Some of those left powerless remained without power for several days, as the Houston area sweltered due to high temperatures from a heat wave. Nine days later, just under 40,000 customers remain without power across the Houston area.

Abbott stipulated that the energy company will face “unspecified executive orders” if no progress is made on fixing areas of concern in the company’s response.

Related: How You Can Prepare for Hurricane Season

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Related: The Aftermath of Hurricane Beryl in the Houston Area

“Just suffice it to say that the clock is ticking for CenterPoint to step up and get the job done,” Abbott said in a press conference in Houston on Monday. “The lack of power [from] CenterPoint continues to compromise lives here in the Greater Houston-Harris County area. If you are without power in the extreme heat that we are facing, that alone can cause challenges.”

Under Abbott’s orders, CenterPoint will have to provide his office with detailed plans for proactively removing potential hazards to power lines, a plan of action for future storms preparation and how it will position its crews to respond to these future incidents in a timely fashion.

This tropical storm season has the potential to be one of, if not, the worst ever , according to the NOAA. In the wake of Beryl, where power coming back on in a timely matter isn’t guaranteed, it’s important to have a plan of your own in place and supplies at your disposal for when the next storm comes.

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