AUSTIN, Texas – Lawmakers in Austin are planning to question leaders of CenterPoint Energy on the company’s performance in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Beryl in a hearing scheduled for Monday.
There is also a state-ordered investigation into the company’s actions amid the storm, and the company must provide Texas Governor Greg Abbott with a full report on what went wrong during Beryl by the end of the year.
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As part of an investigation into CenterPoint’s preparedness and response to the hurricane, the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) will develop an online survey that Houstonians can take part in. That survey should be available online in the next couple of weeks.
During a hearing last Thursday, executives for the company offered a public apology as they spoke before the Texas Public Utility Commission.
The President and Chief Executive Officer of CenterPoint Energy, Jason Wells, also sent a letter to customers apologizing for the company’s response during and after the storm.
More than two million customers all across the Houston area were left in the dark after Beryl. Some didn’t get power for more than a week and were forced to live in dangerously hot conditions inside their homes with no air conditioning, while temperatures outside soared into the 90′s. Many of those who died lost their lives to heat illness.
Critics have questioned whether CenterPoint cut corners with maintaining trees around town. They also questioned whether the company was prepared with enough workers and if their resources were on par with industry standards.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire is also scheduled to testify at the Senate hearing on Monday, according to the mayor’s schedule.
KPRC 2′s Rilwan Balogun will be at the hearing in Austin Monday and will be providing real-time updates on both KPRC 2 and the KPRC 2+ livestream.