From the cover
Recovering from Beryl
BY SHAWN ARRAJJ, WESLEY GARDNER & EMILY LINCKE
Beryl by the numbers
Local recovery City officials have waived some permit fees as storm recovery continues. Bellaire
Two-minute Impact
18 people in Texas have died as a result of Hurricane Beryl.
10 power transmission lines were downed during the storm in the Greater Houston area. 47 water rescues were conducted by Harris County and city of Houston agencies. 2.2M CenterPoint customers in the Greater Houston area were left without power on July 8. $28B-$32B is the preliminary estimate of the total damage and economic loss from Beryl in the U.S.
Hurricane Beryl initially formed as a tropical depression over the Atlantic Ocean on June 28 before strengthening into the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season the following day, according to the National Weather Service. At least 18 people have died in Harris County as a result of Beryl, as of July 24 data from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Half of the cases were from heat-related issues. Many of Houston’s multiservice centers that were predesignated as cooling areas before the storm hit could not be used because they did not have power, said Tom Muñoz, acting director of public safety and homeland security. Randy Macchi, Houston Public Works chief operating officer, said 178 of the city’s 378 wastewater pumping stations lost power at the peak of the outages, though he said Houston’s drinking water remained safe. Moving forward, Houston Mayor John Whitmire said transparency from city department heads will be key in addressing shortcomings. “We can’t go around saying we have a $400 million surplus when we have critical needs,” Whitmire said. “We have a lot of work to do, but it starts with transparency.”
Emergency recovery work may begin without a permit, but residents must apply for a no-fee permit for the work the next business day. Contractors must obtain a permit when necessary. West University Place Permit fees related to storm damage repairs will be waived until Sept. 6. Contractors must obtain a permit when necessary.
Historical peak wind gusts
Historical peak power outages in the Greater Houston area
Hobby Airport
George Bush Intercontinental Airport
Hurricane Beryl (July 8)
2.2M
84 mph 83 mph
Hurricane Beryl (July 8) Derecho (May 16-17, 2024) Isolated thunderstorm (June 2023) Hurricane Harvey (August 2017) Hurricane Ike (September 2008)
Derecho (May 16-17, 2024)
930,000
62 mph
Outages during Harvey totaled 1M
91 mph
Hurricane Harvey (August 2017)
270,000
41 mph
Hurricane Ike (September 2008)
2.2M
82 mph
SOURCES: CENTERPOINT ENERGY, CITY OF BELLAIRE, CITY OF WEST UNIVERSITY PLACE, HARRIS COUNTY INSTITUTE OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Zooming in
What readers should know
What’s next?
Hurricane outlook On May 23, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released projections for the 2024 Atlantic Ocean hurricane season.
Thomas Gleeson, chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, said state agencies will work with local utility companies to strengthen infra- structure against future disasters. “I look at every one of these storms as a chance for us to review what we’ve done and try to get better at our preparation, our response,” he said. The PUC is investigating CenterPoint’s response to Beryl. The investigation kicked off July 25 with a hearing on CenterPoint’s resiliency efforts and what officials said the company will enact immediately to improve communication during emergencies. Meanwhile, residents in Bellaire addressed the Bellaire City Council July 15 with suggestions for what can be done at the local level, including a request for the city to waive permits to install generators during times of emergency and to look closer at how the city can regulate vegetation near utility lines. Bellaire Mayor Gus Pappas said he expected storm-related topics to return to council for discussion in the coming months.
A number of resources are available in the city of Houston for residents who need food, shelter or who are looking for help with disaster repairs. Food, water, hygiene Houston Food Bank www.houstonfoodbank.org Texas Health and Human Services www.211texas.org Health Care for the Homeless www.homeless-healthcare.org/severe-weather-resources
Hurricane season runs from June 1-Nov. 30
17-25 named storms
8-13 hurricanes with 74 mph winds or higher
4-7 major hurricanes with 111 mph winds or higher
Beryl featured winds of 84 mph in Houston
Shelter City of Houston www.houstonoem.org/pages/response Red Cross www.redcross.org/local/texas/gulf-coast Disaster assistance Federal Emergency Management Agency www.fema.gov/disaster/4798
85% chance of an above average number of hurricanes over Atlantic Ocean
2024
10% chance of a normal season 5% chance of a below average
number of hurricanes over Atlantic Ocean
SOURCE: NOAA/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCES: VARIOUS AGENCIES/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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BELLAIRE - MEYERLAND - WEST UNIVERSITY EDITION
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