Houston Independent School District Says 60 Schools Damaged by Hurricane Beryl – Houston Public Media

Summer school was suspended this week in Houston’s largest school district, which, like much of the city, is trying to recover from Hurricane Beryl.

The Houston Independent School District said Friday that the “vast majority” of its 274 campuses were without power Monday, when Beryl made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane and swept through the region, causing multiple deaths, widespread flooding and damage to trees, structures and infrastructure. About 70 of its schools were still without power Friday morning, the district said.

“HISD was dramatically impacted by Hurricane Beryl,” the district said in a news release.

Sixty HISD schools reported roof or structural damage, and 50 had trees fall on their campuses, the district said. HISD also dealt with fallen trees, damaged facilities and power outages during the mid-May derecho that knocked out power to more than 900,000 homes, schools and businesses in the area.

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According to CenterPoint Energy, which provides electricity to much of the region, more than 2.2 million customers were without power Monday because of the hurricane. As of Friday afternoon, more than 800,000 of its customers were still without power.

The HISD press office did not grant an interview request Friday from a district administrator. It also did not provide further details about which campuses were affected in which parts of the city, the extent of some of the damage or when the affected schools are expected to reopen.

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All HISD campuses were closed throughout the week, and the district also suspended its summer meal program.

“We are working diligently to resolve these issues and ensure the safety and well-being of our students and staff,” HISD said in a statement. “Our facilities and IT teams have been working around the clock this week to bring campuses back online to serve summer school students next week and then begin preparations for the 2024-25 school year.”