Annoyance rises in Texas heat after Hurricane Beryl, leaving millions powerless.
The soaring heat returned to Houston on Tuesday, worsening conditions for millions still without electricity after Hurricane Beryl struck Texas. Residents were scrambling to find places to cool off and get fuel as the extended power outages strained Houston, one of the nation’s largest cities. Frustration grew as some questioned whether Houston’s power utility had adequately prepared for the storm. Hospitals began feeling the strain, and plans were made to use a sports complex to temporarily house up to 250 patients awaiting discharge but unable to return home due to power outages.
People did their best to cope with the situation. Adam P, 49, expressed concern about his family’s well-being, particularly his young children, after they sought refuge at Joel Osteen’s megachurch, which was serving as a cooling center and distributing water.
Temperatures in Houston climbed back into the 90s on Tuesday, exacerbated by high humidity. The National Weather Service warned that the conditions could be dangerous without air conditioning and power. Hurricane Beryl, which made landfall as a Category 1 storm, has been blamed for several deaths in the U.S. and the Caribbean.
Nearly 2 million homes and businesses around Houston remained without power on Tuesday, down from a peak of over 2.7 million. This repeated a similar scenario in May, when storms left nearly 1 million without power and claimed lives. The lack of electricity meant spoiled food and long lines at any place with power, such as fast food restaurants and gas stations.
Michael Greg, 54, took his neighbor to Denny’s for food as a gesture of goodwill. He criticized city and state officials for not providing adequate warning about the storm’s severity.
Joseph Yell, who was forced to live in a hotel since her home was damaged in May, expressed frustration that Houston was ill-prepared for Hurricane Beryl despite having weathered stronger storms in the past.
Nim Kidd, head of the state’s division of emergency management, emphasized that restoring power was the top priority. CenterPoint Energy aimed to restore power to 1 million customers by the end of Wednesday, but some may face longer waits.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott was overseas, prioritized nursing homes and assisted living centers for power restoration. He promised to evaluate utility responses after the storm.
CenterPoint Energy defended its preparation and response, highlighting the efforts of thousands of crews mobilized shortly after the storm passed.
In Louisiana, Gov. Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency after Beryl knocked down trees, damaged homes, and caused power outages.
Despite being less powerful than previous storms, Hurricane Beryl left significant damage in its wake, impacting both the U.S. and Caribbean.