Governor Greg Abbott today called on CenterPoint Energy to enhance its hurricane preparation and response efforts following repeated power failures in the Greater Houston area. During a press conference in Houston, Abbott also directed the Public Utility Commission (PUC) of Texas to investigate utility companies' inability to restore power after Hurricane Beryl's landfall.
"First and foremost, Texas’ No. 1 goal is to protect life," said Governor Abbott. "An issue that we see in the ongoing response to Hurricane Beryl are life-based issues, not because of the hurricane itself, but because of the lack of power supply. The failure of power companies to provide power to their customers is unacceptable. CenterPoint has repeatedly failed to deliver power to its customers."
Abbott emphasized that CenterPoint must present specific actions by the end of the month to address power outages and reduce future disruptions during severe weather events. "If CenterPoint fails to comply, I will issue an Executive Order to impose actions on the company that are geared to keep the power on," he stated.
The Governor was accompanied at the briefing by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick; Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) Chief Nim Kidd; Senators Carol Alvarado and Paul Bettencourt; Representatives Briscoe Cain, Charles Cunningham, Dennis Paul, Jon E. Rosenthal, Lacey Hull, Mano DeAyala, Mike Schofield, Sam Harless, and Valoree Swanson; PUC Chairman Thomas J. Gleeson; Gallery Furniture Owner Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale; and other state and local officials.
Governor Abbott instructed CenterPoint to submit an action plan by July 31, 2024 detailing how they will:
- Remove all vegetation threatening any power line.
- Prepare in advance for any tropical storm entering the Gulf Coast.
- Pre-stage enough linemen and personnel for immediate response to any power outages from tropical storms affecting their service region.
Abbott also highlighted Texas' ongoing recovery efforts providing resources such as generators, tarps, fuel, ready-to-eat meals, water, and ice. To date, more than 5 million bottles of water, over 679 thousand ready-to-eat meals, and more than 206 thousand bags of ice have been distributed.
Additionally, Abbott directed TDEM to request additional counties be included in FEMA’s Individual Assistance programs. The requested counties include Austin, Bowie, Shelby, Trinity, and Waller.
A request from Texas remains pending with FEMA for reopening the incident period amid ongoing responses and recovery from Hurricane Beryl.
Texans are encouraged to report damage using the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT) available at damage.tdem.texas.gov. Reporting through iSTAT helps emergency management officials identify resource needs and determine eligibility for federal disaster assistance.
The State of Texas continues deploying resources for communities impacted by Hurricane Beryl with actions including issuing advisories and increasing readiness levels at state emergency operations centers.
