Nearly a million Texas homes and businesses lose power due to Hurricane Beryl

CenterPoint Energy, Texas' largest electricity provider, said about 860,000 of its customers remain affected. It has restored power to more than 1.4 million customers.

Floodwaters surround houses after Hurricane Beryl in Surfside Beach, Texas, US. Photo: REUTERS

CenterPoint Energy said its Texas crews had restored power to about 183,000 of the 252,460 customers affected by Beryl as of Friday afternoon. They expect to restore power to all affected customers by Monday.

Residents expressed frustration over the power outages as temperatures in Houston soared past 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Many businesses were forced to close due to the lack of power, and residents were forced to throw away food spoiled by the heat.

The owner of Houston's Soonkack Kook cafe posted on Instagram: "The recent storm was only a Category 1. We could be facing more powerful storms. Will the repair company be ready for that?"

Meteorologists at Colorado State University have raised their forecast for the severity of the 2024 hurricane season, calling Beryl a sign of an active season. They are predicting six major storms, with winds above 111 mph, up from five previously forecast.

Beryl was the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record, but made landfall on the Texas coast as a Category 1, with winds of around 80 mph (130 km/h).

CenterPoint Energy said it will continue working around the clock and expects to restore 80% of affected customers by the end of the day Sunday. Since Monday, crews have replaced more than 2,000 poles and repaired damage from more than 6,000 trees that fell on power lines and equipment.

Cao Phong (according to Reuters, BBC)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/gan-mot-trieu-ho-gia-dinh-va-doanh-nghiep-o-texas-van-khong-co-dien-sau-con-bao-beryl-post303328.html