Backlash from Beryl: CenterPoint Faces Scrutiny but Restores Power in Record Time
Electric utilities have been on the front lines of many bad storms, the names of which have become synonymous with damage, hardship, and victory — with our industry pulling together to rebuild, restore and recover. Katrina, Sandy, Harvey, Ike, Ian and now Beryl are all named storms that will forever remain in utilities’ collective conscience. But in my 30 years of watching and covering this industry, I have never seen the same public derision and criticism of a utility that I saw with CenterPoint Energy over the last couple of weeks in the aftermath of Beryl.
Any time a weather disaster hits the U.S, causing catastrophic damage and power outages, we see scrutiny of the utility response: that’s par for the course. The tendency is to blame someone when terrible things happen, and some of that scrutiny may help in that we have learned lessons over the years and improved resiliency and response on many fronts.
Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Texas as a Category 1 hurricane on July 8. With significant sustained winds, storm surges and torrential rain, the hurricane caused widespread outages in CenterPoint’s service territory. At its peak, 2.2 million electric customers were impacted. Before the hurricane even made landfall, the utility activated its emergency response plan to pre-position crews, set up staging sites, call for mutual assistance and take an all-hands-on-deck approach.
Seventy-five percent of CenterPoint’s distribution circuits were affected by vegetation; 16 transmission structures were damaged; more than 2,000 distribution poles were damaged; six CenterPoint-owned substations and 15 customer-owned substations were out at the peak of the storm. Vegetation crews had removed more than 12,100 trees from lines as of July 13.
By July 19, 10 days after Beryl made landfall, CenterPoint had restored power to 98% of affected customers. This was a record recovery; Ike knocked out power to about 2 million of CenterPoint’s customers in 2008, and only 74% of impacted customers were restored by Day 10 at that time. If you look at the pure restoration efforts, CenterPoint knocked it out of the park.
But if you followed local Houston media you saw headlines such as: “Why are CenterPoint repair trucks sitting in parking lots? Here’s what we found out” and “After Hurricane Beryl, why does Whataburger have a better power outage map than CenterPoint?” If you were on any social media sites and followed or searched for information around the storm, you would see complaints, misinformation and nastiness. Someone even painted “Centerpointless” under a Houston overpass.
Hurricane Beryl Ravages Texas Coast, Leaving Widespread Damage and Power Outages
There were also reports of attacks on lineworkers; Houston police had investigated at least five cases involving threats made to workers and other employees, whether in person or online. In one of the cases, police arrested Anthony Leonard, 38, charging him with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Authorities allege Leonard threw rocks and pointed a gun at a group of CenterPoint Energy workers who were at a staging area.
CenterPoint Energy employs 9,000 people; it’s sad to see that vitriol and anger directed at utility workers; they are the heroes who keep society running. Some associated or formerly associated with the utility tried to share what it takes to respond to a massive storm like that. One former employee published a letter to the editor in the Houston Chronicle explaining what goes into storm response: the amount of damage assessment, the amount of supplies needed, the commitment and dedication of all the employees no matter their role; and the balance between customers who demand reliable power but don’t allow their trees to be trimmed.
The local and state government leaders even jumped in on the criticism; with a local city mayor tweeting using the words failed and disastrous. Texas Governor Abbott held a press conference slamming the utility. CenterPoint, in return, released a statement outlining what it did do to prepare for Beryl, including the staging of 3,000 crew members and coordination with mutual aid utilities, and details of what materials were on hand ready to put into service. CenterPoint also tried to correct misinformation swirling around in the media, such as “payment of mutual assistance crews.”
I do not have to tell you what goes into storm preparation and response, but as utilities, be prepared for increasingly outspoken criticism when big storms like that hit. Particularly, with the proliferation of social media, derision, negativity and misinformation can spread like wildfire. Or like in this case, the temperatures are hotter or colder, making people miserable and emotions exacerbated. And the fact that we rely more on electricity for everything like never before.
While the dedicated efforts of CenterPoint Energy in response to Hurricane Beryl showcased remarkable restoration capabilities and a swift recovery, the public reaction highlighted a growing challenge for utilities in this age of social media. Despite record-setting restoration achievements, the scrutiny and criticism, fueled by misinformation and heightened emotions, underscore the necessity for better communication and transparency. As the demand for reliable electricity continues to rise, utilities will not only focus on improving infrastructure and response strategies, but also on engaging with and educating the public to foster understanding and support during these critical times.
