Frustration expressed over images of downtown Houston lit up during major winter power outage

HOUSTON – While the temperatures dropped on a bitterly cold Monday night, frustration rose with residents asking why the lights inside office buildings in downtown Houston were still on as so many homes and apartments remain without electricity.

Here’s what Houstonians are saying on social media:

“Why does downtown Houston still have all the lights on? We are told save energy but downtown is all lit up?” Leslie Nollsch posted on the KPRC 2 Facebook page.

“... why millions are without power but downtown is lit up like a Christmas tree.......” William Tischina posted on KPRC 2 Facebook page.

“Rolling outages. Freezing families in the 6th ward. Yet look at downtown,” emailed a KPRC 2 viewer.

“Why is downtown lit up when people are told to conserve power… Unacceptable!” said another KPRC 2 viewer.

KPRC 2 was able to grab a photo of downtown Houston:

Similar questions were raised in Dallas Sunday night and by Monday evening, the lights were dimmed:

When Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner was asked about the question at hand, his office responded with the following:

“Mayor Turner has throughout the day asked people to conserve energy because of the power outages. He had mentioned it in tweets, Zoom interviews and during his news conference. He has been in contact with CenterPoint Energy and others urging them to restore power to Houstonians as soon as possible. CenterPoint has assured the mayor that it is asking its major providers to conserve energy. The mayor encourages everyone to do their share to help during the extreme winter weather.”

The Downtown District said in a tweet Tuesday that they are asking all of the properties in downtown Houston to do everything possible to reduce power demand.