When will power be restored to Houston after Beryl?

HOUSTON — If you’re looking for a fleet of electrical repair trucks and haven’t been able to find them in Houston, there’s a reason. Most out-of-town crews aren’t in Houston yet to begin repairing the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Beryl.

A CenterPoint spokesperson confirmed to KHOU 11 Investigates that unlike previous hurricanes, no outside aid was deployed locally prior to Beryl’s arrival.

“I think we had it all planned out in advance,” Alyssia Oshodi, CenterPoint’s communications director, told us.

“In this case, we had the resources requested and we knew they were ready to respond. However, they were not already on site before Hurricane Beryl hit,” Oshodi said.

Asked why outside help was not called in earlier, Oshodi said: “I don’t have that specific information.”

The spokesperson acknowledged that Beryl had had more impact than many expected and had also deviated from its original planned trajectory, which “had a greater impact on CenterPoint’s footprint.”

“What we have seen so far has a bigger impact than we initially thought we would see,” Oshodi said.

Severe storms have knocked out power to more than 2.5 million customers in the Greater Houston area. Oshodi said CenterPoint has 1,500 local crews that must first assess the damage and cut downed trees and vegetation before restoration can begin in earnest.

“It is really too early to be more specific about our restoration timeline,” Oshodi said.

“Right now, mutual assistance is on the way, and then they’ll go through safety training tomorrow morning, and then there will be boots on the ground working in the area,” added Paul Lock, director of local government relations for CenterPoint Energy, during a news conference with Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.

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