One Week After Hurricane Beryl Many Katy Residents are Still Without Power

KATY MAGAZINE NEWS

July 15, 2024

By Natalie Cook Clark

One week ago today, category 1 Hurricane Beryl took a direct aim at Katy, Texas and the west side of Houston. Many residents and businesses are still without power as the area worries about ongoing power grid issues in what’s proving to be a historic hurricane season.

Photo credit: Rebecca Fox

A week after Hurricane Beryl hit Katy many residents are still in the dark. Homes in Memorial Parkway, Williamsburg Parish, Williamsburg Settlement, Woodcreek Reserve, Firethorne, Pine Mill Ranch, and more are still without power.

Frustration continues to grow as CenterPoint Energy continues to not give accurate estimates for power restoration and their outage map also isn’t accurate.

“I just can’t y’all this is ridiculous,” says Katy resident Whitney Peper. She is one of 27 homes in Williamsburg Settlement still without power. The residents keep calling CenterPoint multiple times a day and are told that the outages are reported.

“Yesterday linemen showed up, for the second time and not only did nothing happen and no problems resolves, they reported that they only have had reports of one house being without power in the neighborhood and that it was a transformer and or other equipment issue and CenterPoint is not providing them with the equipment to fix the more complex issues,” says Peper.

Katy continues to experience extreme heat that makes these power outages serious and dangerous. Many families have moved out to stay with friends and others report kindness of neighbors helping neighbors.

Many businesses are also still struggling with power outages. Contemporary Eye Care and Scholars and Scoundrels off of Peek Road are still without power.

“Basically, CenterPoint has no idea what they are doing, are not keeping accurate records, and these poor linemen are being sent out in extreme weather, working 15 hour day, and doing so without the equipment needed to do the repairs,” says Peper.

Katy ISD Offers Support  

Katy ISD’s Legacy and Rhodes Stadiums have been a staging area for CenterPoint linemen from all across the region. The District also continues to offer free meals to any Katy area child under the age of 18. Find their schedule here.

“Even in the midst of recovery, we want to continue providing much-needed meals for our students and families,” says Donna Pittenger, Katy ISD’s Executive Director of Nutrition & Food Service. “Our Summer Meals program is a lifeline for families, especially as some are enduring prolonged power outages.”

Find Help in Katy

City of Katy Mayor Dusty Thiele wants to remind residents to follow this city's official website and social media pagesfor the latest updates.

Cooling centers have been set up in the city since Tuesday. Residents who need a cooling center can get the information by calling Katy Police Department at 281-391-4848 or reach out to Katy Christian Ministries.

The Atlantic Hurricane Season goes through November 1, 2024 and experts continue to warn those along to the coast of a concerning and active season. The fact the Hurricane Beryl made history of being the earliest named storm in a season to make landfall backs up this concerning claim.

Katy residents should continue to stay prepared by following this tips and be ready before the next name storm makes headlines.

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