Berliner Boersenzeitung - Houston residents 'in hell' after Beryl cuts power for millions

EUR -
AED 3.826681
AFN 70.961758
ALL 98.138602
AMD 405.652886
ANG 1.877182
AOA 951.190259
ARS 1045.720247
AUD 1.602814
AWG 1.877897
AZN 1.775245
BAM 1.955573
BBD 2.102956
BDT 124.465544
BGN 1.955294
BHD 0.392554
BIF 3076.642669
BMD 1.041829
BND 1.403837
BOB 7.197164
BRL 6.043693
BSD 1.041579
BTN 87.914489
BWP 14.229347
BYN 3.408604
BYR 20419.848375
BZD 2.099456
CAD 1.456529
CDF 2991.091432
CHF 0.930957
CLF 0.036923
CLP 1018.83097
CNY 7.54601
CNH 7.562783
COP 4573.368835
CRC 530.538382
CUC 1.041829
CUP 27.608468
CVE 110.252195
CZK 25.343745
DJF 185.478458
DKK 7.457729
DOP 62.772709
DZD 139.835759
EGP 51.726992
ERN 15.627435
ETB 127.508391
FJD 2.371151
FKP 0.822333
GBP 0.831435
GEL 2.855018
GGP 0.822333
GHS 16.456089
GIP 0.822333
GMD 73.970229
GNF 8977.957272
GTQ 8.040066
GYD 217.904692
HKD 8.110066
HNL 26.320943
HRK 7.431636
HTG 136.72412
HUF 411.522823
IDR 16610.452733
ILS 3.856892
IMP 0.822333
INR 87.968134
IQD 1364.44153
IRR 43834.955489
ISK 145.523076
JEP 0.822333
JMD 165.930728
JOD 0.738765
JPY 161.244275
KES 134.884334
KGS 90.122166
KHR 4193.512952
KMF 492.268155
KPW 937.645704
KRW 1463.259646
KWD 0.320727
KYD 0.867999
KZT 520.059599
LAK 22878.342838
LBP 93271.167197
LKR 303.144792
LRD 187.998165
LSL 18.795317
LTL 3.076251
LVL 0.630192
LYD 5.086409
MAD 10.478083
MDL 18.997794
MGA 4861.435378
MKD 61.522855
MMK 3383.819949
MNT 3540.134882
MOP 8.35093
MRU 41.443187
MUR 48.810083
MVR 16.10707
MWK 1806.090235
MXN 21.283008
MYR 4.654932
MZN 66.583684
NAD 18.795317
NGN 1767.675143
NIO 38.325549
NOK 11.53576
NPR 140.663663
NZD 1.785942
OMR 0.400943
PAB 1.041579
PEN 3.949541
PGK 4.193513
PHP 61.404399
PKR 289.239507
PLN 4.337676
PYG 8131.055634
QAR 3.798559
RON 4.978071
RSD 116.991412
RUB 108.671879
RWF 1421.834864
SAR 3.911473
SBD 8.734231
SCR 14.272055
SDG 626.663972
SEK 11.497837
SGD 1.402931
SHP 0.822333
SLE 23.68116
SLL 21846.638123
SOS 595.230868
SRD 36.978718
STD 21563.75683
SVC 9.113941
SYP 2617.626467
SZL 18.788818
THB 35.922648
TJS 11.092512
TMT 3.646401
TND 3.309016
TOP 2.440072
TRY 35.9978
TTD 7.074178
TWD 33.946439
TZS 2770.578216
UAH 43.089995
UGX 3848.553017
USD 1.041829
UYU 44.294855
UZS 13362.448044
VES 48.506662
VND 26482.251319
VUV 123.688032
WST 2.90836
XAF 655.880824
XAG 0.033274
XAU 0.000384
XCD 2.815595
XDR 0.792308
XOF 655.880824
XPF 119.331742
YER 260.379151
ZAR 18.915093
ZMK 9377.71492
ZMW 28.772658
ZWL 335.468513
  • RELX

    0.9900

    46.75

    +2.12%

  • RBGPF

    59.2400

    59.24

    +100%

  • GSK

    0.2600

    33.96

    +0.77%

  • VOD

    0.1323

    8.73

    +1.52%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0100

    6.79

    -0.15%

  • RIO

    -0.2200

    62.35

    -0.35%

  • NGG

    1.0296

    63.11

    +1.63%

  • BTI

    0.4000

    37.38

    +1.07%

  • BP

    0.2000

    29.72

    +0.67%

  • CMSC

    0.0320

    24.672

    +0.13%

  • SCS

    0.2300

    13.27

    +1.73%

  • BCC

    3.4200

    143.78

    +2.38%

  • AZN

    1.3700

    65.63

    +2.09%

  • BCE

    0.0900

    26.77

    +0.34%

  • CMSD

    0.0150

    24.46

    +0.06%

  • JRI

    -0.0200

    13.21

    -0.15%

Houston residents 'in hell' after Beryl cuts power for millions
Houston residents 'in hell' after Beryl cuts power for millions / Photo: Mark Felix - AFP

Houston residents 'in hell' after Beryl cuts power for millions

Josh Vance stands in the airconditioned entrance of Sunnyside Community Center in Houston, Texas, one of the designated "cooling centers" open to the public after Hurricane Beryl knocked out power during a potent heat wave.

Text size:

"Dealing with the heat at home, it's terrible. Honestly, we're suffering," he said.

Vance is among one million customers still without electricity, four days after the storm blew through the city.

Though the state's prominent oil and gas industry weathered the storm, Beryl still flooded neighborhoods and roads, uprooted trees and damaged power poles and transmission lines.

By the time the hurricane dissipated, seven people in Texas were dead and two million customers -- most of them in Houston -- were without power, with half still waiting for it to be restored by Friday, according to poweroutage.us.

While grid operators work to reconnect power, hundreds gather in cooling centers or wait in their cars to pick up ice, water and fresh food.

Vance, 43, lives in Houston with his two children and pet cat, but has spent much of the past week sheltering in the cooling center to escape temperatures which have peaked over 90 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius).

"You'd be amazed how much we're so acclimated to [electricity], and without the power, it's living in hell,” he said.

-'Not as prepared'-

The United States has two major power grids: one for the eastern part of the country and another for the west.

Each grid connects to different power sources, so if one state is having problems generating power, it can be redirected from other parts.

However, Texas is the only state with its own autonomous power grid, which has led to regular issues.

In February 2021, a prolonged cold storm caused the grid to collapse due to demand for heating. Natural gas lines also faced problems. Dozens of residents froze to death.

In Houston, the electrical grid is administered by the utility company CenterPoint.

Both elected officials and citizens have asked why the company has been so slow to restore power when Beryl was only a Category 1 hurricane, the lowest designation on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

"They underestimated the impact of the storm... it would appear that they were not as prepared as they should have been," Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said at a press conference Thursday, where he announced an investigation into the power company's response.

“I understand how frustrating it is to be without power, especially in this heat," CenterPoint CEO Jason Wells told the Houston Chronicle.

Wells highlighted the fact that the company was able to restore power to 1.1 million customers within 48 hours of the storm ending.

The progress, however, offers little consolation for those without electricity, like Maria Dionisio, who was also at the cooling center.

"There is nothing to eat, everything that was in the refrigerator is ruined," Dionisio said.

While Houston residents continue to recover, some dread an even more powerful storm this season.

"I'm praying to God there's not [a hurricane] right behind this one, because if there is, we're in trouble," Vance said.

(S.G.Stein--BBZ)