HOUSTON – While many Houston area residents are at home due to Hurricane Beryl, many are having trouble connecting to internet connection or signal on their cellphones.
According to NetBlocks, real-time network data showed the growing impact of Beryl across Texas with connectivity in Houston down to 30% of ordinary levels due to heavy winds and downed powerlines, leaving over 2 million without power and telecoms.
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⚠️ Update: Real-time network data show the growing impact of Hurricane Beryl across #Texas with connectivity in Houston down to 30% of ordinary levels; the incident is attributed to heavy winds and downed lines leaving over two million without power and telecoms 🌀⚡ pic.twitter.com/ICzi39t4T7
— NetBlocks (@netblocks) July 8, 2024
Internet companies such as AT&T and Xfinity have alert their customers of the power outages causing issues with service and working to fix the disruptions.
CenterPoint Energy confirmed that more than 2.1 million electric customers are without power in the Houston area.
Comcast is offering free WiFi hotspots in the region due to widespread power outages, which also affects internet service.
You can find a hotspot location map at wifi.xfinity.com or download the Xfinity app from the App Store or Google Play.
AT&T released the following statement:
We continue to monitor Beryl’s path. Strong winds, storm surge, flooding rain and tornadoes continue to impact the greater Houston area and broader Southeast Texas. As the storm clears the area, our teams will begin to safely restore service.
Currently, all of our major network facilities remain online, with some running on backup power. Some of our customers in affected areas may be experiencing service interruptions due to storm damage and commercial power outages.
Our FirstNet liaisons are in contact with federal, state and local officials on our deployment efforts to support public safety and the communities in impacted areas. The FirstNet team continues to support public safety with additional mobile communications equipment on the way to Fort Bend, Harris and Matagorda counties. The FirstNet Response Operations Group (ROG) is prepared to deploy additional dedicated FirstNet assets to further support emergency communications.