More than 500,000 people still without electricity days after Beryl

More than 461,000 CenterPoint customers in the Houston area were still without power Sunday morning, six days after Hurricane Beryl ravaged the Houston area.

The company said it expected to restore power to an additional 350,000 customers on Sunday. The previous day, it had restored power to about 219,000 homes and businesses, amid growing pressure from government officials and customers to restore power and ensure transparent communication following the Beryl incident.

The company said it has restored power to 1.8 million customers in total, or about 80% of its service area, but said some restorations could take as long as July 19. Some areas of Houston do not yet have an estimated restoration time.

Follow live updates on the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl from Houston Chronicle reporters and meteorologists below. Here’s a recap of Friday and Saturday’s coverage. The Chronicle’s coverage of Beryl is free. To support our journalism, consider subscribing to the Chronicle for unlimited digital access.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will travel to Houston today, his office said. It will be his first visit to the city since the hurricane struck on July 8.

Abbott is expected to speak from the Gallery Furniture store on the North Freeway around noon. He will be joined by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd and furniture store owner Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, according to his office.

Abbott was on an economic development tour of Southeast Asia when the hurricane struck. The day after the storm, President Joe Biden said the White House could not distribute emergency relief supplies, including power generators, as federal officials tried to “track down” state leaders and obtain a formal request for a major disaster declaration.

With Abbott out of the country, Patrick served as the state’s acting governor.

Kingwood residents reported sewage backups into their yards, and even into their homes, following Hurricane Beryl.

Kingwood resident Picket Warton told KHOU that sewage overflows into his yard and sometimes seeps into his home. Warton’s neighbors, who also spoke with the outlet, said the smell is so strong that many residents in the neighborhood have left the area.

Warton’s neighbor, Derek Veatch, told KHOU that these sewage leaks occur frequently whenever the power goes out.

Warton said they have contacted the city and its councilors several times to request a generator for the sewage treatment plant to stop the leaks, but have received no help.

Houston Public Works reportedly told the outlet that they would be sending sewage cleanup trucks to the area and had mobile generators going to various pumping stations because they did not have enough for the city.

According to a study by local energy providers, the combined number of power outages in the Greater Houston area as of 6:20 a.m. Sunday was 514,000 homes and businesses.

CenterPoint reported more than 461,185 outages, down slightly from the 460,604 outages reported Saturday night.

Texas-New Mexico Power, which serves eastern Galveston County and parts of Brazoria County, reported 23,394 power outages at homes and businesses.

Entergy, an energy provider that serves Montgomery, San Jacinto and Galveston County, reported 30,366 outages. Power was restored throughout the Bolivar Peninsula in Galveston County, according to the company’s map.