Lawmakers are calling the power outage in Houston after Hurricane Beryl a 'failure' by the electric company, and the frustration is spilling out on to the streets-- with a mural branding CenterPoint Energy as 'Centerpointless' going viral.
Despite no damage to the electrical grid from Hurricane Beryl, over a million people in Houston are facing a fourth day without power, and no air conditioning, in what feels like triple digit heat, and it's already led to deaths.
'It would be appear that they were not as prepared as they should have been and not ready to go as quickly as they could have been,' Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said of CenterPoint during a Thursday afternoon press conference.
'Get the power back on. We'll talk about what happened before the storm later,' Patrick added.
He promised the state would investigate the utility.
Anger over the power failure in Houston following Hurricane Beryl is spilling out into the streets, as graffiti mocking the utility springs up near a highway
At least two people died after from carbon monoxide poisoning from the generator they were using for power, state officials confirmed.
'Living without electricity isn’t just inconvenient—it’s dangerous,' tweeted local Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia.
'@CenterPoint, your failure during this crisis is unacceptable. Texans deserve reliable power, especially after natural disasters. This isn't just poor service; it's a risk to our lives.'
CenterPoint officials confirmed the on-going power failure is due to damaged and downed power lines-- it's not an electrical grid failure, the utility told local station KPRC.
As many as 2.7 million people were without power Monday, but now, at least a million of those have been brought online, CenterPoint pointed out.
However, that did little to lessen the misery for those without power, who had no way of cooling down, charging their phones or even cooking food.
'Right now, I would be remiss if I didn't ask our friends at CenterPoint and all the elected officials to let's solve this mess. People can't live without electricity,' pleaded local hero Mattress Mack online.
Day 3: Free Food, Charging and Cooling Station at GF 6006 N FRWY until 8PM CST. And @Centerpoint_Energy : Enough is enough! pic.twitter.com/qUohKYvMaz
— @MattressMack (@MattressMack) July 10, 2024CenterPoint's outage map showed over a million people in Houston without power Thursday
Utility trucks sit parked at a CenterPoint Energy staging center at a gas station instead of working to restore power
The businessman and philanthropist turned one of his furniture stores into a place where his follow citizens could come get food and charge their phones.
The crisis is impacting hospitals in Harris County, 12 of which are on 'internal disaster' status, Texas Department of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd stated during a Thursday press conference.
Field hospitals are set up at NRG Stadium, home of the NFL Houston Texans, where 911 patients are being cared for.
Joel Osteen's megachurch Lakewood Church is operating as a cooling station as about a million people are without power
Staff at Lakewood Church hand out water and operate a cooling station in Houston
Some residents have fled the area, seeking refuge in hotels in Austin and other nearby Texas cities.
Those who can't leave are seeking relief at cooling stations through the city, like one set up at Joel Osteen's mega church Lakewood Church, for a place to sit in the air conditioning and charge their electronics.
To make matters worse, people who are in the dark, don't even have an estimate on when the power will come back on.
CenterPoint's outrage map went down Monday, leaving Houstonians without the ability to even reach the power company or learn when they might be getting the lights turned back on.
Houston resident Tiffany Guerra charges her cell phone and spends time with her dog Finn at a cooling station in Houston
CenterPoint Energy crew members work to repair damaged lines as residents remained without power after a severe storm caused widespread damage in Houston, Texas
Traffic is directed around a downed power line in Houston Tuesday
The utility now has an online map that it threw together as a stop gap, but it is incorrect, many locals says, showing neighborhoods where the power had come back online, but not everyone on the street has power, reported KHOU.
While CenterPoint and state officials continue to insist they were prepared, brining in 11,500 electrical linemen before the storm who would be ready to get to work as soon as the storm had passed.
However, many locals are wondering why they're seeing the parking lots filled with lineman sitting in trucks while they sweat in their 90-degree home.
One lineman told KHOU he had been on the clock since 6 a.m. and until noon, he had been 'sitting and waiting' for his work orders.
Around 11:30 a.m., he was finally sent to a neighborhood to begin working.