What is a nested power outage? Why some Houston residents are without power more than a week after Hurricane Beryl – Houston Public Media

If you don’t have electricity but your neighbor does, you may be experiencing a nested outage.

Some people in the Houston area don’t have electricity, even though CenterPoint’s energy restoration map shows they should have it.

“A power outage typically affects locations where more than 100 customers are affected,” the company said in an email. “There are several reasons why some customers may have power restored, while others nearby remain without power.”

Nested outages occur when fuses, transformers, meters, power lines or other infrastructure are damaged, CenterPoint says. These problems can be caused by damage they haven’t yet noticed or by overloaded systems.

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Other customers may be on a different electrical circuit than their neighbors, which could result in different damage or require repairs at different times. Still, some residents have expressed frustration because they were told power would be restored on a specific date, only to have the delay extended.

Customers can report damaged infrastructure if they spot it and are advised to stay at least 10 metres away in case it is live. CenterPoint is also urging residents to ask for a company ID badge if a utility worker asks to enter their home while repairs are ongoing.

Just over 33,000 customers were still without power Wednesday afternoon. More than 2.26 million people were without power when Hurricane Beryl tore through the Houston area Monday. CenterPoint restored power to 98% of its customers Wednesday and expects to have full power restored to those who can get it by Friday.