Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Houston Mayor John Whitmire to Tour NRG Stadium and Provide Update on Hurricane Beryl Recovery Efforts

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Mayor John Whitmire will tour the First Responder Staging Area at NRG Stadium on Monday amid growing pressure to restore power to thousands of Houston residents after Hurricane Beryl.

Nearly 260,000 CenterPoint customers remain in the dark. CenterPoint said it expects 90% of customers to be back online by Monday.

Abbott is expected to provide an update on storm relief efforts at a news conference Monday at 12 p.m. You can watch ABC13’s 24/7 live stream in the video player above.

Calls are growing for CenterPoint to respond to its response to Beryl.

“A power company on the Gulf Coast should never be caught off guard,” Abbott said at a news conference Sunday at Gallery Furniture.

READ MORE: Gov. Abbott set to visit Houston to discuss post-Beryl recovery, CenterPoint woes

Abbott set several deadlines for CenterPoint, including providing a plan by the end of the month to improve reliability and removing vegetation that threatens power lines by the end of August.

“CenterPoint needs to clarify what steps it will take in the coming months that it did not take in Beryl that will reduce or eliminate power outages if another tropical storm hits the Gulf Coast,” he added.

On Monday, Abbott and Whitmire will tour NRG Stadium, which has also served as a medical shelter, helping people released from the hospital but unable to return home due to damage or lack of power.

“One thing we’ve said from day one, the governor and I have talked about this: The state of Texas needs to pray for the best and prepare for the worst,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patricks said. “CenterPoint did not prepare for the worst.”

“If CenterPoint fails to comply, I will require the Public Utilities Commission to deny CenterPoint’s request to recover a profit in its pending application before the Public Utilities Commission,” Abbott continued.

SEE ALSO: Harris County leaders condemn violence against utility workers during post-Beryl restoration efforts

The governor also added that if CenterPoint could not comply, it would have to reconsider the territory it serves.

CenterPoint is now on the defensive and responding to growing concerns.

In a press release, the company said it prepares for hurricanes year-round and has doubled its investments in the power system over the past five years. It said it quickly called for additional help to augment the 3,000 crews already prepositioned for Hurricane Beryl.

“We have heard and understood the frustrations of our customers, and we are committed to working with state, local government, regulators and community leaders to help the Greater Houston area recover from Hurricane Beryl and improve for the future. We are committed to conducting a thorough review of our response to support our customers and communities, especially when they need us most. We know they are counting on us, and we are committed to being there for them,” the company said.

ABC13 will be at NRG Stadium at noon to get the latest updates from officials on recovery efforts.

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