Calls are growing from officials, family members, and union representatives for the public to leave CenterPoint Energy's linemen alone while they continue to restore power across the Greater Houston area.
This comes after the Houston Police Department received multiple reports of threats, harassment, and violence against them in the past week during the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl.
Ed Allen, who is the business manager for IBEW Local 66 , spoke during a Sunday press conference about the hostile environments facing employees in the field, calling the treatment they've received unacceptable.
"We've had guys with guns pulled on them. We've had guys that had rocks picked up and slung at them. We've had people brandishing AK-47s at them. It needs to stop," Allen said. "I've had several companies already tell me if it doesn't stop, 'We're going to get in our trucks and drive off.'"
RELATED: Harris County leaders condemn violence against utility workers during post-Beryl restoration efforts
One week after Beryl's strong winds devastated the Greater Houston area, approximately 134,000 customers are still without power. Those who will be waiting the longest for restoration are expected to get back online by Friday.
CenterPoint Energy confirmed that this widespread outage is the largest in the company's history, affecting more than 2.2 million customers.
During the blackout, at least three people in the Houston area have died in the heat. Others died from carbon monoxide poisoning or their oxygen machines shutting down. Federal and state officials have called for an investigation of the utility company's preparation and response to the category one hurricane.
The prolonged wait times for customers and CenterPoint being under fire have created a tense environment for crews working in the field.
HPD said they've received five reports of incidents involving CenterPoint personnel in the last week:
- Wednesday, July 10: CenterPoint employee allegedly received angry phone calls and emails
- Thursday, July 11: Security guard reportedly received third-party info about the threat of a drive-by shooting at Barnett Stadium, used as a staging location for CenterPoint crews
- Friday, July 12: HPD found a series of posts on X of someone threatening to shoot up CenterPoint headquarters
- Saturday, July 13: A utility worker threatened with a gun and had rocks thrown at them near 1900 Wilcrest. Incident prompted CenterPoint to evacuate 100 linemen . Suspect arrested and charged for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon
- Saturday, July 13: Man allegedly told crew working near Jay and Homestead that he would shoot them if they didn't come work near his house.
Last Thursday, Fort Bend County officials said a man in Needville was arrested and accused of pulling a BB or airsoft gun at a CenterPoint employee who was talking to residents and assessing their area.
The suspect, Gilbert Becerra, has been charged with deadly conduct. He told ABC13 over the phone that he denies the allegations and believes his arrest was a case of mistaken identity.
READ MORE: Fort Bend Co. man accused of pointing gun at CenterPoint employee as tensions grow over power outage
A woman whose brother traveled from Florida to help restore power in Galveston spoke to ABC13 over the phone about concerns over his safety. She asked to have her identity concealed to protect his job.
"He's had cars run up on them, stopping in front of them, and making throat-cutting motions at them while driving down the road," she said. "It's extremely shocking. He has worked jobs all over the U.S., and he's never shared this kind of fear with me."
She said that contracted utility workers who travel from other states often leave their families for an unknown amount of time. She explained that crews typically don't have any decision-making power and have to wait for orders from their superiors before they can perform any type of work.
"I want everyone to know that these men and women are hard workers, and their jobs are already inherently dangerous, without the additional threats or violence," the woman said. "If things don't change, I can tell you that a lot of the line workers will be very reluctant to come back to Houston if there's another major outage."
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told ABC13 the legislature will propose legislation that increases the penalties for attacking line workers trying to restore power. If passed, legal punishments would be more severe.
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