HOUSTON — As days of sweltering heat persist, Houstonians have directed their frustration over the lack of electricity toward local utility company CenterPoint Energy, which is under increased scrutiny for a perceived slow response after Hurricane Beryl landed on the Gulf Coast of Texas this week.
More than 800,000 customers remained without power and electricity Friday afternoon, more than four days after the hurricane-flooded streets and left more than 2 million people without running air conditioning as temperatures soared into the 90s.
“It’s ridiculous. We’re sleeping in hot rooms,” said Houston resident Ruth Gonzalez, who has been taking cold showers to sleep at night.
She blames the utility company and the storm for the upheaval.
“What in the world are you going to do for us, and how are we going to be reimbursed for everything that we’re losing?” she asked of CenterPoint, referring to the $600 worth of food they’ve thrown away since the storm.
Gonzalez, along with her fiancé, Guy Vasquez, 56, pawned their diamond-cluster wedding bands this week just for gas money and food.
“You gotta do what you gotta do to keep the kids fat and full,” said Vasquez, referring to the three grandchildren they are helping to raise.
The storm has been blamed for at least 11 deaths in the U.S. and nine in the Caribbean. At least three people were killed in metropolitan Houston, weather officials have said.Despite the public outrage, Darin Carroll, senior vice president of operations at CenterPoint, told NBC News this week that it was prepared for the storm and had brought in crews from outside Houston to mobilize as soon as the storm passed.
“We acknowledge what it must be like to live in Texas in July and to not have electricity,” he said in the interview, adding that it is the fastest the company has ever restored power to about 1 million homes.
CenterPoint Energy said in a news release Thursday that more than 80% of affected customers should have power and electricity by Sunday.
However, some areas with significant structural damage could experience prolonged outages while crews work to install thousands of new distribution poles and overhead conductors, which are required to transport electrical energy.
Carroll said the storm "caught the entire service territory with full force," with downed trees bringing down power lines across the city.
“In a lot of cases, it’s not just branches; these are entire trees that have to be cleaned up before we can do the restoration,” he said.
The repairs can't come soon enough for Rosa M. Zelaya, 53, of Humble, a city just outside Houston, who has been without power since the storm landed Monday. For the last few nights, she said, she has slept in her truck alongside her two children.
“It’s horrible, because we don’t have anything. We need food and water,” said Zelaya, who was sweating through her blue dress Friday morning. It was about 85 degrees outside at the time, but she'd spent most of the morning indoors, where the temperatures were hotter. “At least the truck has air.”
Ronald Thompson, 61, of northeast Houston, said he has been staying at his church, where the air conditioner and an inflatable mattress have kept him relaxed.
He, too, contended CenterPoint should share the blame for his living arrangements.
“There needs to be improvements, because our bills are due at the end of the month,” Thompson said. “I can’t go home.”
Tensions have been rising throughout the week. On Saturday, CenterPoint CEO Jason Wells said 100 line workers working on restoration had to be evacuated because of shots fired at the crew.Wells said that he understands how difficult it is to be without power in the difficult Houston heat but that threats of violence delay the restoration effort.
"We have to redirect our crews to an area that is safe," Wells said Saturday. "So I asked you please give our crews room to do their work safely. We are working tirelessly, day and night, to restore service to all of our customers who are still without power."
Wells said law enforcement has arrested the person.
And Wednesday, the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call about a man threatening to shoot CenterPoint employees.
“Hurry up and do your job or I’m going to shoot your truck,” the man told the workers, according to deputies.
Authorities took the man into custody on suspicion of making terroristic threats and deadly conduct.
And on a concrete wall along Interstate 10, someone spray-painted “CenterPointless” graffiti, according to NBC affiliate KPRC of Houston.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is acting Gov. Greg Abbott is out of state, said at a news conference this week that Abbott is calling for an investigation into CenterPoint's response to the storm, noting that consequences will be determined by the Public Utility Commission.
Hospitals overwhelmed and long lines for food
The dangerously hot temperatures this week have led to an increase in heat-related emergency calls and visits, with some hospitals relying on generators.
The storm also aggravated the health conditions of Vasquez, the man who sold his engagement ring. He lives with a pacemaker and has respiratory concerns.
“When I’m in the room in the house I can’t even breathe,” he said.
He was among the hundreds of people who queued up inside their vehicles Friday for ice and food, such as fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans, at a Wal-Mart near downtown.
The hot meals were provided by Tyson Foods, which planned to offer 5,000 plates per day over the next few days.
However, the meal giveaway didn’t come without controversy.
Cleveland Jackson, who uses a wheelchair, said he was declined food because he wasn’t sitting in a vehicle when he requested a plate.
“They wouldn’t let me walk up and get any food,” said Jackson, 58, of southeast Houston. “It made me feel unwanted, like I didn’t mean anything.” A couple of other people said they experienced the same.
Tyson Foods spokesman Kate Powell said she initially thought Jackson received a plate but later realized he hadn't and subsequently offered him one.
'Waiting for the lights to come back on'
In some parts of Houston, life went on as usual. Many people went to work. Traffic-plagued streets and grocery aisles were packed, albeit partly because of the storm.
But the impact the hurricane had on local residents can’t be overstated. Those with the financial resources retreated to hotel rooms to wait out the aftermath. Those without were left to sleep in cars or in sweltering homes.
Michael Stavinoha, 40, a real estate developer who lives in Houston part-time, had spent about $1,500 on hotel stays since the storm struck. He said he’s likely to continue shelling out for rentals because power to his home might not return until next week.“Every hotel I’ve had to stay at on the low end has been $350 per night,” he said. “Finding a place to stay is crazy, because everything is expensive and booked up.”
Northwest Houston resident Jessica Shaw, 35, wasn’t as fortunate.
After she grew tired of sleeping in her apartment in “unbearable heat,” she reluctantly stayed Wednesday night in her car with her three children.
“I had the air conditioning on, but I didn’t sleep much, because it was pitch black outside and a safety hazard,” said Shaw, whose power briefly returned Thursday, only to go out again Friday.
Vacationers passing through town also felt Beryl's wrath.
Martin Castro Munoc was traveling from Louisville, Kentucky, to Veracruz, Mexico, on Sunday but missed his layover flight in Houston by three minutes. He rescheduled for Monday, but not before the hurricane hit.
He has been paying $100 in cash per night to stay at a hotel that doesn’t have access to its computer system. “Anything that can go wrong has gone wrong,” said Munoc, 39. “It’s just very inconvenient.”
Robert Perez, who on Thursday evening was sitting on a milk crate under a large tree trying to cool off, said he felt helpless and at the mercy of CenterPoint to restore power to his apartment.
Despite the hot outdoor temperatures, he said, it beats the sweltering heat in his apartment. “I don’t understand why people won’t fix this,” said Perez, a southwest Houston resident, expressing his frustration with the power company.
And then there were those who can’t wait for the nightmare to end.
“I haven’t been doing anything except waiting for the lights to come back on,” said Zelaya, who is trying to find any way she can to dodge the heat.