Houston residents sleep in their cars due to power outages caused by Hurricane Beryl

HOUSTON, Texas — As days of sweltering heat continue, Houston residents have expressed frustration over the lack of electricity to local power company CenterPoint Energy, which has come under increased scrutiny due to a perceived slow response after Hurricane Beryl made landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast earlier this week.

More than 800,000 customers were still without power Friday afternoon, more than four days after the hurricane flooded streets and left more than two million people without air conditioning as temperatures soared to 30 degrees.

“It’s ridiculous, we’re sleeping in hot rooms,” said Ruth Gonzalez, a Houston resident who takes cold showers to sleep at night.

She blames the power company and the storm for this week’s disruptions.

“But what are you going to do for us and how are we going to get reimbursed for everything we lose?” she asked CenterPoint, referring to the $600 worth of food they have thrown away since the storm.

Gonzalez and her 56-year-old fiancé, Guy Vasquez, pawned their diamond wedding rings this week just to pay for gas and food.

“You have to do what you have to do to keep the kids fat and full,” Vasquez said, referring to the three grandchildren they help raise.

The storm killed at least 11 people in the United States and nine in the Caribbean. At least three people died in the Houston metropolitan area, weather officials said.

Despite the public outrage, Darin Carroll, senior vice president of operations at CenterPoint, told NBC News this week that the power company was prepared for the storm and had called in crews from outside Houston to mobilize as soon as the storm passed.

“We recognize what it must be like to live in Texas in July and not have power,” he said in the interview, adding that this is the fastest the company has ever restored power to about 1 million homes.

CenterPoint Energy said in a news release Thursday that more than 80% of affected customers should have power by Sunday.

However, some areas with significant structural damage could experience extended outages as crews work to install thousands of new utility poles and overhead conductors needed to transmit power.

Carroll said the storm “hit the entire service territory hard,” with downed trees knocking down power lines across the city.

“In many cases, it’s not just branches, but entire trees that need to be cleaned before we can do the restoration,” he said.

Repairs cannot come soon enough Rosa M. Zelaya, 53, of Humble, Texas, a town just outside Houston, has been without power since the storm began Monday.

The last few nights, she says she has been sleeping in her truck with her two children.

“It’s horrible because we have nothing. We need food and water,” said Zelaya, sweating through her blue dress Friday morning. It was about 30 degrees outside at the time, but she had spent most of the morning inside, where temperatures were warmer. “At least the truck has air.”

Ronald Thompson, 61, of northeast Houston, said he stays at his church, where air conditioning and an air mattress keep him relaxed.

He, too, argues that CenterPoint should share responsibility for its living conditions.

“We have to make improvements because our bills are due at the end of the month,” Thompson said. “I can’t go home.”

Tensions have been rising throughout the week. On Saturday, CenterPoint CEO Jason Wells said 100 food service workers had to be evacuated after shots were fired at the crew.

Wells said he understands how difficult it is to be without power in Houston’s intense heat, but that threats of violence are delaying restoration efforts.

“We need to redirect our crews to a safe area,” Wells said Saturday. “So I’ve asked you to please give our crews the space they need to work safely. We’re working around the clock to restore service to all of our customers who are still without power.”

Wells said law enforcement arrested the individual.

And on Wednesday, the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call about a man threatening to shoot CenterPoint employees.

“Hurry up and do your job or I’ll shoot your truck,” the man told the workers, according to deputies.

Sheriffs took the man into custody on charges of terroristic threats and deadly conduct.

And on a concrete wall along Interstate 10, someone spray-painted the graffiti “CenterPointless,” according to NBC affiliate KPRC-TV in Houston.

Acting Gov. Dan Patrick said at a news conference this week that Gov. Greg Abbott is calling for an investigation into CenterPoint’s response to the storm, noting that the consequences will be determined by the Public Utilities Commission.

Overwhelmed hospitals and long lines for food

This week’s dangerously hot temperatures have led to an increase in heat-related emergency calls and visits, with some local hospitals relying on generators.

The storm also worsened the health of Vasquez, the man who sold her engagement ring. He lives with a pacemaker and suffers from breathing problems.

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“When I’m in a room in the house, I can’t even breathe,” he said.

He was among hundreds of people who lined up in their vehicles Friday to get ice cream and food like fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans at a Wal-Mart near downtown.

The hot meals were provided by Tyson Foods, which planned to offer 5,000 meals per day over the next few days.

However, the distribution of the meal was not without controversy.

Cleveland Jackson, who uses a wheelchair, said he was refused food because he was not seated in a vehicle when he asked for a plate.

“They wouldn’t let me go get food,” said Jackson, 58, of southeast Houston. “I felt unwanted, like I wasn’t worth anything.” Others said they had the same experience.

Tyson Foods spokeswoman Kate Powell said she initially thought Jackson had been given a plate, but later realized that was not the case and offered him one.

“Waiting for the lights to come back on”

In parts of Houston, life It was business as usual. Many people went to work. The streets were clogged with traffic and grocery store shelves were packed, partly because of the storm.

But the impact of the hurricane on local residents cannot be underestimated. Those who could afford it took refuge in hotel rooms to wait out the damage. Those who could not afford it had to sleep in cars or in houses where it was too hot.

Michael Stavinoha, a 40-year-old real estate developer who lives in Houston part-time, has spent about $1,500 on hotel stays since the storm. He said he will likely continue to pay for rentals because his power may not come back on until next week.

“All the low-end hotels I stayed in were $350 a night,” he said. “Finding a place to stay is a challenge because everything is expensive and fully booked.”

Jessica Shaw, 35, a northwest Houston resident, wasn’t so lucky.

After growing tired of sleeping in her apartment in “unbearable heat,” she reluctantly stayed in her car with her three children on Wednesday night.

“I had the air conditioning on, but I didn’t get much sleep because it was dark outside and it was dangerous,” said Shaw, whose power was briefly restored Thursday before being cut off again Friday.

Holidaymakers passing through town have also attracted Beryl’s wrath.

Martin Castro Munoc was traveling from Louisville, Kentucky, to Veracruz, Mexico, on Sunday, but missed his transit flight in Houston by three minutes. He rescheduled his flight for Monday, but not before the hurricane hits.

He pays $100 cash a night to stay in a hotel that doesn’t have access to his computer system. “Everything that can go wrong has gone wrong,” said Munoc, 39. “It’s very inconvenient.”

Robert Perez, who was sitting on a milk crate under a large tree Thursday night while trying to cool off, said he felt helpless and at the mercy of CenterPoint to restore power to his apartment.

Despite the high temperatures outside, he said it was better than the stifling heat inside his apartment. “I don’t understand why people don’t want to fix this,” said Perez, a southwest Houston resident, expressing frustration with the power company.

And then there are those who can’t wait for the nightmare to end.

“I didn’t do anything but wait for the lights to come back on,” said Zelaya, who is trying to find a way to avoid the heat.