Anger over Houston power outages after Beryl faces threats from some residents

HOUSTON — Guns drawn, rocks thrown, threatening messages. Extended power outages in Houston following Hurricane Beryl have led some frustrated and angry residents to turn on workers trying to restore power throughout the city.

The threats and confrontations have resulted in police escorts, indictments in at least two cases and calls from authorities and local officials to leave the fitters alone so they can work.

Beryl knocked out power to nearly 3 million people in Texas, most of them in the Houston area, after making landfall on July 8. The storm unleashed heavy rains and winds that uprooted trees and damaged homes and businesses along the Texas coast and in parts of southeast Texas. State officials reported 18 deaths from Beryl. In the Houston area, some were caused by heat exposure from the loss of power, according to the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Crews were still working to restore power to some residents on Tuesday.

“Linemen are our friends and they are doing their job. Do not threaten them. I understand that you are angry, furious and frustrated, but we have to get through this together,” Mayor John Whitmire said at a news conference Monday.

Houston police have investigated at least five cases involving threats made against workers and other employees, either in person or online.

In one of those cases, police arrested Anthony Leonard, 38, on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Authorities say Leonard threw rocks and pointed a gun at a group of CenterPoint Energy employees who were in a gathering area Saturday.

Leonard remained in jail Tuesday. His attorney did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Jason Wells, CEO of CenterPoint, said more than 100 production line workers had to be evacuated from the staging area Saturday. He added that such threats were counterproductive because crews had to be moved to safer areas, delaying their work.

“Many of our fellow Houstonians have faced this situation with patience and grace. And I want to thank them. But unfortunately, there have been instances where violence has been threatened or committed against our crews working on this vital restoration. This is unacceptable. The safety of our crews is paramount,” Wells said.

KPRC reported that a terroristic threat charge has been filed against a woman from Baytown, a Houston suburb. The Texas Department of Public Safety alleges the woman made multiple threats of murder, assault and deadly conduct online against employees, including Wells, at CenterPoint’s headquarters in downtown Houston. The woman has not been arrested.

Harris County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Mike Lee said his agency investigated a break-in into a CenterPoint vehicle and three cases where residents refused to let linemen onto their properties.

Ed Allen, business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 66, which represents CenterPoint workers, said that in his 42 years in the industry, he has never seen such a response when workers were threatened.

Allen said he spoke to a crew who said that while they were working in a suburban Houston neighborhood, several men stood in front of them holding assault rifles in a threatening manner.

“It’s very disheartening to see the community that I worked in and dedicated my life to providing electricity act the way they did during this event,” Allen said.

Crews told Allen on Tuesday they had received no new threats.

“I hope the situation has improved. I think part of that is because, regardless of what people think, the restoration efforts have gone very well,” Allen said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, CenterPoint reported that fewer than 82,000 customers remained without power.

On Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott sent a letter to CenterPoint requesting information from the company, including what steps it will take to reduce or eliminate power outages during future storms and how it will improve communication with its customers before, during and after a weather event.

“Texans must be able to count on their energy providers to ensure continued power supply, even during hurricane season. It is your responsibility to adequately prepare for these predictable events and work tirelessly to restore power as quickly as possible when an outage occurs. Anything less would be unacceptable,” Abbott wrote.

Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia said threats against CenterPoint workers and out-of-town crews only make it “more difficult and longer to get the lights back on.”

“These people are here to try to help. Let them do their job and help us, and tomorrow will be a better day,” Garcia said.

___

Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70