CenterPoint Energy customers without power seek cooling after Hurricane Beryl and extreme Houston heat

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Hurricane Beryl may be behind us for the Greater Houston area. However, health experts say our communities are still at risk. 1.5 Million CenterPoint Energy Customers Still Without Power Tuesday evening.

Temperatures quickly rebounded toward 90 degrees Monday afternoon after the Category 1 storm dissipated, leaving people without air conditioning vulnerable to heat-related illness.

According to Dr. Kevin Lanza, who teaches environmental health sciences at UT Health Houston’s School of Public Health, extreme heat causes the most deaths in the United States of any weather-related hazard.

“It’s an invisible killer if people take it for granted,” Lanza said.

Less than 24 hours after the power outage, Brianna Guerrero and her family were fed up with the extreme heat in their Spring/Woodlands home. It prompted them to head to downtown Houston and rest at Discovery Green.

“Our area is a dead zone. We have no cell signal and we can’t get calls or texts. We drove in total darkness until we got to downtown Houston. Right now, we’re trying to charge our electronics, wait and see if we can get news from CenterPoint,” Guerrero said. “We’re hoping to get power soon because I don’t know if I’ll be able to get through another day like this.”

However, if you cannot afford to leave the house or go to a cooling centerThere are steps you can take to stay as cool as possible while you wait for crews to restore your power.

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Lanza said it’s important to stay hydrated, especially with water.

“While there are cooling drinks, such as cold coffee, cold drinks, alcoholic beverages and energy drinks, these are actually diuretics and can dehydrate you. The main way our bodies cool down is through the evaporation of sweat. If you don’t have enough body fluids to sweat, you can increase your risk of heat-related illnesses,” Lanza said.

Lanza also advised staying on the ground floor of your home if it has multiple floors, as heat tends to rise. You can also cover your windows to block out the heat and keep the temperature cooler. If you have a battery-operated fan, run it behind a curtain or wet towel to increase the wind chill effect in your home.

Experts recommend monitoring people who are more vulnerable to heat, such as children or the elderly. Watch for warning signs that may indicate the need to see a doctor, such as heat rash, muscle spasms or heat cramps.

“If it gets worse, it can lead to heat exhaustion. You could have profuse sweating, dizziness and nausea. That could lead to vomiting,” Lanza said. “If you can’t cool down, it can lead to heat exhaustion, which can cause neurological problems like agitation, confusion or loss of consciousness.”

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