HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — As millions remain without power in Houston and Southeast Texas, the Heat Advisory has been extended through at least Thursday evening with the hot, humid conditions continuing. Thankfully, cooling showers and storms will occur more frequently Thursday through Saturday.
We are starting off this morning with lows in the mid to upper 70s. After the sun comes out, temperatures will quickly warm into the low 90s by the early afternoon. Heat indices should get up close to 106 degrees. We also have an Ozone Pollution Watch in effect. The good news is there will be more tropical moisture in the air, which should lead to scattered showers and thunderstorms bubbling up from the late morning to the early afternoon. Any downpour could drop a quick inch of rain, produce cloud-to-ground lightning, and drop the temperatures into the upper 70s. Stronger storms could also bring gusty winds and small hail so make sure you head indoors if you hear thunder.
What does the rest of the week look like?
Storm chances will continue to climb Friday and Saturday as more tropical moisture piles in. This will cap highs in the upper 80s both days for most. Even if you don’t get rain, you’ll likely enjoy the benefits of the extra clouds and rain-cooled air pushing through.
Anything else in the tropics to be concerned about?
At this point, nope! There is a small disturbance off the east coast of Georgia and Florida but it has a very low chance of development and should move into the southeastern US by this weekend. Head to our daily Tropical Update page for the latest on what’s happening in the tropics.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Over a million Houston-area CenterPoint Energy customers are still without power, three long and hot days since Hurricane Beryl slammed the area.
Many southeast Texas residents say they have lost their faith in CenterPoint, the primary energy provider for the region. On Wednesday, a mural popped up on the side of I-10 at Sawyer that says “CenterPointless.” That pretty much sums up how many people feel, not about the linemen working out in the elements to get the power back on, but about the system leading to the massive outage.
According to CenterPoint’s Outage Tracker, 1.1 million customers were still in the dark on Thursay morning, and over 1.1 million customers had been restored since the storm. CenterPoint declared that, with 2.26 million customers impacted, this is the largest outage in the company’s history.
In an interview with 13 Investigates, CenterPoint Energy admits not enough resiliency work was done heading into Hurricane Beryl.
The company’s executive vice president, Jason Ryan, sat down with 13 Investigates’ Kevin Ozebek — sharing details about their “resiliency” plan, which is aimed at making badly-needed upgrades.
From 2025 to 2027, CenterPoint wants to spend a whopping $376 million to harden its transmission system.
Much of that money would be used to replace old wooden power poles with stronger poles made out of materials like concrete, which are more likely to withstand hurricanes.
Another $268 million would be used to upgrade larger power towers to sturdier models.
Then, $31 million would move some above ground lines to under our highways.
“Will this truly prepare our electric infrastructure for the storms of the future?” Kevin asked. “Yes. We’re confident it will,” Ryan said.
“How can you say with confidence this is enough?” Kevin asked. “We’ve seen those poles stand up in these extreme events, both the strong category 2 equivalent hurricane of the derecho and this strong category 1 storm that just hit 48 hours ago. We’ve seen those poles perform,” Ryan said.
In total, the plan adds up to $1.45 billion. Ryan said CenterPoint is applying for federal grants to help pay for it.
While CenterPoint supplies most of the energy to the Houston area, there are also a few other providers.
Entergy is giving specifics on its own restorations efforts. It released a detailed timelineshowing when people living in certain areas should expect to get their power back.
For example, people in New Caney and Conroe should get their power back by Sunday. People in Bolivar Peninsula and Huntsville should get their power back by Friday.
Entergy says it has restored power to more than half of the 252,000 customers who lost power during Beryl.
The Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management (HCOHSEM) continues to support and coordinate recovery efforts following Beryl.
Cooling Centers
The National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory for Harris County until 8 PM on Thursday, July 11th. Due to the extreme heat and extended power outages, several cooling centers have been opened around the county.
All programming at Precinct 3 Community Centers are cancelled until further notice; however, they will begin distributing water and food while supplies last.
Due to power issues, the following Community Centers will close after supplies run out:
• Barrett Station Community Center • May Community Center • San Jacinto Community Center • George H.W. Bush Community Center
The following Community Centers will also distribute food and water supplies, but will remain open during normal hours (8 a.m. – 8 p.m.) for the public to charge devices and enjoy free Wi-Fi in an air-conditioned facility:
• Crosby Community Center • Big Stone Lodge • Trini Mendenhall Community Center • Juergen’s Hall Community Center
The National Weather Service offers the following tips for Cleaning Up After the Storm:
• Don’t push yourself. Straining the body can lead to heart attacks and other serious issues. Perform clean-ups slowly, taking lots of breaks. • Be careful with chainsaws. Wear protective gear. Keep a safe distance from bystanders. Avoid contact with fallen power lines to prevent electric shock. If you aren’t trained to use them, leave power tools to the experts. • Stay safe in the heat. Stay hydrated wear light loose fitting clothing. Take breaks in shaded areas. Clean up during cooler hours if possible.
Common symptoms of heat-related sickness include headaches, dizziness, nausea, and loss of consciousness. Seek medical care or call 911immediately if you suspect someone is suffering from a heat-related illness.
Power Restoration
CenterPoint is working to bring back power throughout the region. The company has provided a website and map that overview its restoration activities.
Generator Safety
The following are safety tips from the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office:
• Apartments: avoid using portable generators in apartment buildings or on apartment balconies. • Portable generators should only be used outdoors in well-ventilated areas at least 15 to 20 feet from all doors windows and vent openings to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. • Carbon monoxide poisoning may happen if a fuel burning device like a generator is not functioning or vented correctly inhaling high levels of CO can be deadly.
Generator Safety Proper Usage: • Use portable generators outdoors in well-ventilated areas at least 15 to 20 feet away from all doors windows and vent openings to prevent carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. • Measure the 15-to-20-foot distance from the generator exhaust system to the building. • Never use a generator in an attached garage even with the door open.
Resources Flyer
The Harris County Recovery Resource and Information Flyer includes information on how to report damages and Crisis Cleanup for Harris County residents. Versions of this flyer are available in English and Spanish at www.ReadyHarris.org.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The cost of Hurricane Beryl’s damage, extended power outages, and travel and business disruptions are adding up fast.
ABC13’s partners at AccuWeather issued a preliminary estimate for the damage and economic losses from the storm in Texas and along its path through the United States.
AccuWeather estimates the storm will cost a staggering $28-32 billion in total damage and economic losses.
Their estimate looked at both direct and indirect impacts of the storm, long-term effects on transportation and tourism, and even what’s still expected as Beryl moves into New England.
Houston, being the fourth largest city in the country, also plays a big part in costs.
“(Houston) is a major port, and it’s a major hub of economic activity – not only in the state of Texas but as far as the United States overall,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter said.
So far, Beryl has exceeded the cost of Idalia, which last year caused $18-20 billion in damages and economic loss. It’s still below Harvey, which caused $230 billion.
The state is asking anyone who has suffered damage to report it to the Texas Division of Emergency Management website, as this plays a significant role in receiving additional federal money for storm victims.
Under “Active Incidents,” you can look for Beryl and fill out the survey that helps officials assess the need.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Open businesses in the Houston area are seeing long lines of people looking for essentials, like groceries, gas, and hot meals.
Cars lined up in the streets outside businesses serving customers on Tuesday.
Susan Balderas waited in line at a gas station at Buffalo Speedway and the Southwest Freeway feeder road. It was the second place she went to fill up her tank.
“I’ve taken my lunchtime today to find gas because in the area I live, a lot of power is still out,” Balderas said. “Gas stations are out. Long lines everywhere.”
James Puckett also waited in line, but he said he had seen worse lines down the street.
Others pulled into parking lots of closed gas stations, looking to fill their tanks and gas cans.
While some turned to restaurants for a hot meal, others looked for open grocery stores.
H-E-B said all of its stores are open during normal business hours. Some may have limited availability on curbside and delivery.
A Kroger spokesperson said all of their stores are open except the following:
9703 Barker Cypress Road, Cypress, TX 77433
360 FM 1960 West, Houston, Texas 77090
8000 Research Forest Drive, The Woodlands, Texas 77380
6767 Spencer Highway, Pasadena, TX 77505
2619 Red Bluff Road, Pasadena, TX 77506
According to manager Jeff Bailey, the Kroger location on North Shepherd in The Heights remained open throughout the storm.
He said they lost power during the storm and moved to their backup generator, which partially powers the facility.
Because their power remains out, Bailey said they had to throw out all their frozen and refrigerated foods for safety reasons.
“I’m so proud of our team,” Bailey said. “We’re getting it all put back together, and we’re here to benefit the neighborhood. We’ve got plenty of water, plenty of bread, still plenty of batteries, ice chests, all the essential needs you can think of. Canned goods, ice.”
Lisa New visited the North Shepherd Kroger on Tuesday afternoon. She said she and her family still did not have power and were stressed and thirsty. She had a shopping cart full of juice.
“(Monday) was the most terrifying day of my life,” New said emotionally. “We had huge trees fall down everywhere.”
She hugged Bailey as she shopped and expressed her gratitude for the open store.
“I feel like they have done a fabulous job restocking, and it’s not like COVID where everything is just cleaned out,” New noticed. “I think people are just getting what they need, hoping the power will only be out for a few days and not trying to deplete the store.”
The U.S. team heading to the 2024 Paris Olympics is packed with talent across various sports.
Key highlights include the gymnastics team led by Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera. Biles and Lee are particularly aiming for a “redemption tour” after the challenges faced in Tokyo.
In track and field, notable athletes include Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Noah Lyles, and Sha’Carri Richardson. The swimming team features stars like Caeleb Dressel, Katie Ledecky, and Lilly King, poised to continue their dominance.
Team USA also boasts strong contenders in sports like basketball, with a lineup including LeBron James and Kevin Durant for the men’s team, and Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson for the women’s team. Additionally, skateboarding sees returnees like Nyjah Huston and newcomers like Bryce Wettstein.
In newer Olympic sports, the U.S. is represented in surfing by athletes like Carissa Moore and John John Florence, while the climbing team features stars such as Natalia Grossman and Colin Duffy.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The signs are the same at hardware stores all over Houston: No generators, no propane.
“We’ve got the windows open. We’ve got the doors open. My grandkids are just running back and forth. We sit outside to keep it cool, but it’s really hot,” Rene Ramirez told ABC13.
Ramirez said he had been to four stores, trying to find a generator.
More than 1.5 million Houstonians were still without power Tuesday, the day after Hurricane Beryl made landfall.
“With generators, especially whole home generators, it was what you would call a luxury good, but here in Houston, it is a necessity,” David Koster with Abacus Plumbing, Air Conditioning, and Electrical said.
The company has set up shop in a hotel in northwest Houston. The business and most employees are also without power, and calls are only expected to increase this week.
“I think the real test is that when power starts restoring, we always see an uptick in calls because things are wrong that we’re not aware of and then surge, and all those factors play in,” he said.
Preparation is key when it comes to severe weather. Whole-home generators cost thousands of dollars and can take months to install and obtain permits.
You can find a portable generator for a couple hundred dollars, but to avoid fires or electric shock, you’ll still need an electrician to set it up with your electric panel.
“We need to install what’s called an interlock on your panel and then also an inlet where you can plug the portable generator in,” Koster said.
In Houston, shelves will likely be stocked up again by next week.
“I can’t find nothing. It’s hard, but you gotta keep on going. Can’t give up,” Ramirez said.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Over a million households have been left in truly miserable conditions without power for more than 48 hours after Beryl moved through southeast Texas.
According to CenterPoint Energy’s Outage Tracker, over 1.3 million customers are still in the dark, and there’re no specific timeline of when the power will be fully restored. At Beryl’s peak on Monday, over 2.2 million customers were without power — about 80% of CenterPoint’s customers.
Previously, CenterPoint said it aimed to have 1 million of those initial 2.2 million customers back online by the end of the day on Wednesday. The company said customers should expect a multi-day process to restore their electricity.
CenterPoint released a new map overnight that gives customers an idea of the work being done in their neighborhoods.
The map doesn’t show when power will come back, but it does show areas across Houston highlighted in three colors.
Green means power is back, though isolated outages to individual homes could remain
Blue means crews have been assigned to restore the power and work is being done
Orange means CenterPoint is still assessing damage
CenterPoint broke their restoration process down into five categories:
Impact evaluation and resource mobilization – Crews begin assessing impact of damage and mobilizing local and mutual assistance resources.
Critical infrastructure assessment – Focus on essential facilities critical to health and public safety.
Community infrastructure assessment/repair – If your grocery stores, street lights and surrounding neighborhoods are without power, the problem may be at the circuit level, which supplies power to the largest number of customers.
Neighborhood infrastructure repair – If surrounding neighborhoods are restored, but yours is still without power, the problem may be at the fuse level.
Street infrastructure repair – Seeing lights on in your neighborhood, but you and your closest neighbors are still out? We’ve completed the fuse-level repairs, but there is a more isolated issue, such as a damaged transformer, that needs to be addressed.
CenterPoint plans to update the new map as it receives more information.
ABC13 was live at the Sam Houston Race Park on Wednesday morning, which is one of 17 CenterPoint staging areas across Houston. Countless trucks were lined up at the race park, with crews loading up and heading out to work for the day.
While CenterPoint has brought in extra crews to help with repairs, with 12,000 workers spread out across the region, some Texas leaders are questioning the response and if the company did enough.
“If they made mistakes, and we don’t know if they did or not, that will be addressed by the PUC and the state legislature. That’s our job,” Acting Gov. Dan Patrick said, adding he wants CenterPoint to focus on restoring power for now.
One common criticism is that crews are sitting around for hours, waiting for an assignment.
A CenterPoint spokesperson said they know of at least three cases where that happened and have made changes to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
“We’ve found it’s more productive if we do the assessment and then go out to where the need is, otherwise we’re just randomly just sending them out,” Paul Lock with CenterPoint said. “So, it’s painful for a day or two, but it’s more efficient in the long run.”
One thing you may notice is that your power may come back on, only to go right back off again. CenterPoint said that is because crews might have to take you back offline in order to help restore power to your neighbors.
The City of Houston will open cooling centers Tuesday, July 9, so people can take refuge from the heat. Additionally, nonprofit and county partners at the County are offering facilities.
City of Houston Southwest Multi-Service Center 6400 High Star Dr., 77074 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Tuesday, with heat index values in the three digits. The City of Houston activates its Public Health Heat Emergency Plan when a heat advisory or an excessive heat warning is expected to last two or more consecutive days. People without adequate transportation to a designated cooling center can call 3-1-1 to request a free ride. Transportation is only to and from the cooling centers; transportation to other locations is unavailable. Especially during this extended power outage, be sure to put these best practices into place: – Drink more water. Drink lots of liquids even before getting thirsty, but avoid beverages with caffeine, alcohol, or large amounts of sugar. – Conduct outdoor work or exercise in the early morning or evening when temperatures are not as high. Outdoor workers should drink plenty of water or electrolyte replacement beverages and take frequent breaks in the shade or in an air-conditioned facility. People unaccustomed to working or exercising in a hot environment need to start slowly and gradually increase heat exposure over several weeks. – Wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing that permits the evaporation of perspiration. – Do not leave infants, children, senior citizens, or pets unattended in a parked vehicle, even if the windows are cracked open. Check to make sure everyone is out of the car and don’t overlook children who may have fallen asleep. – Wear a wide-brimmed hat to help prevent sunburn as well as heat-related illness. Apply sunscreen, which protects from the sun’s harmful rays and reduces the risk of sunburn. – Seek accommodations in air-conditioned facilities during the heat of the day if the house is not air-conditioned: a relative’s home, multi-service centers, malls, movie theaters, libraries, etc. – Take frequent cool baths or showers if your home is not air-conditioned. – Look out for vulnerable populations. – Check on your neighbors.
Statistical analysis of the heat-related illnesses in Houston in the previous two summers indicates that some members of our community begin to suffer heat-related illnesses requiring visits to emergency departments when the daily maximum heat index (feels like temperature) is as low as 80 degrees. The young, elderly, and individuals with pre-existing health conditions, that heat can exacerbate (e.g., asthma/respiratory, cardiac, kidney conditions), should be especially cautious. Symptoms of heat exhaustion include weakness, dizziness, excessive sweating, cool or moist skin, nausea or vomiting, muscle cramps, and a fast and weak pulse. People experiencing these symptoms should lower their body temperature by getting to a cooler place, drinking water, taking a cool shower or bath and resting. A throbbing headache, red, hot, and dry skin (no longer sweating), extremely high body temperature (above 103°), nausea or vomiting, confusion, loss of consciousness and a rapid, strong pulse are signs of heat stroke. If these symptoms occur, call 9-1-1 immediately and try to lower the person’s body temperature until help arrives. People may seek air-conditioning in city multi-service centers, libraries and recreation centers, even when the Public Health Heat Emergency Plan is not activated. For more information or to find the nearest cooling center location or an air-conditioned city facility, people can contact 3-1-1 or visit houstonoem.org
Houston — July 8, 2024: The City of Houston’s Solid Waste Management Department (SWM) announces additional service interruptions for this week. Due to the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl’s high winds and rain across the City, SWM will operate a modified collection schedule for the remainder of the week. For additional information, download the HTX Collects mobile application or contact the 3-1-1 call center. Residents can also use the 3-1-1 online portal at houstontx.gov/311 to report any storm-related concerns. Please see the collection schedule changes below:
Tuesday, July 9, 2024
Monday’s garbage and heavy tree waste will be collected. Storm debris collections will resume. All six Neighborhood Depositories will reopen, but all other facilities will remain closed. Recycling and yard waste services will be suspended for the remainder of the week and will be collected on your next regularly scheduled collection day.
Additionally, SWM will conduct city-wide damage assessments from Hurricane Beryl.
Wednesday, July 10, 2024
Tuesday’s garbage, heavy tree waste, and storm debris will be collected. All SWM facilities will reopen.
Thursday, July 11, 2024
Thursday’s garbage, heavy tree waste, and storm debris will be collected.
Friday, July 12, 2024
Friday’s garbage, heavy tree waste, and storm debris will be collected.
Saturday, July 13, 2024
Heavy tree waste and storm debris operations will continue.
