More than a week following Hurricane Beryl’s impact on Texas, nearly 60,000 residents in the state still lack electricity, exacerbating a deadly heat wave that claimed another victim on Tuesday.
Reports indicated that a woman was found deceased in her apartment after enduring eight days without power and air conditioning, as Houston’s heat index soared to 110°F (43°C) on the day of her discovery.
With temperatures remaining high and frustrations mounting, particularly as forecasts predict continued heat, tensions in Houston have escalated.
There have been reports of armed residents harassing and threatening CenterPoint Energy workers tasked with restoring power, reflecting widespread discontent with the prolonged outage.
Governor Greg Abbott criticized CenterPoint Energy’s response, stating the company had “lost the faith and trust of Texans.”
He set a deadline of July 31 for the company to address concerns about their handling of the situation and plans to mitigate future hurricane damage to the electric grid.
Lynnae Wilson, a senior vice president at CenterPoint, assured the public of their commitment to restoring power, acknowledging the challenges faced by remaining customers.
She emphasized to USA Today, “We know the remaining customers are counting on us and are committed to restoring power to all remaining customers able to receive it.”
Since Hurricane Beryl struck, Texas officials have reported a total of 18 deaths linked to the storm, with several fatalities in Houston attributed to heat exposure following power loss, according to the Harris County medical examiner’s office.
For residents like Emily Schkud, whose power was finally restored after nine days, the experience has been deeply unsettling.
Reflecting on her ordeal, Schkud said, “It just is quite shocking. You would think we’re in a third-world country, to be out of power for nine days.”
The challenges of daily life without electricity forced her to seek temporary shelter and incur significant additional expenses, estimating costs as high as $10,000 (£7,689) due to hotel stays and dining out.
The impact of prolonged power outages has strained local hospitals, leading to overflow conditions and the conversion of churches and libraries into cooling centers.
Houston’s football stadium has been repurposed as a “transitional facility” to manage hospital capacity, with approximately 150 seasonal relief spaces opened across the city to provide respite from the heat.
As temperatures continue to soar, with peaks expected above 90°F (32°C) through the weekend, climate scientists underscore the role of human-induced climate change in exacerbating extreme weather events.
The increase in average daily temperatures globally has heightened the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, contributing to dozens of heat-related deaths reported across the US in recent weeks, even in typically milder climates like Oregon.
Source-BBC
