From the cover
BY WESLEY GARDNER & EMILY LINCKE CONTRIBUTIONS BY JOVANNA AGUILAR, VANESSA HOLT, JESSICA SHORTEN, HALEY VELASCO & AUBREY VOGEL
unpredictability of hurricanes as it delivered a powerful blow across our service territory and impacted a lot of lives,” said Lynnae Wilson, senior vice president for CenterPoint Energy. Internet and phone service was interrupted by the storm as well. Data provided by Comcast showed around 420,000 Xfinity and Comcast business customers’ service had been temporar- ily interrupted by Beryl’s impact on southeast Texas as of July 8. Officials from AT&T said July 8 that major network facilities were online, with some running on backup power; however, customers in affected areas were experiencing service interruptions due to storm damage and commercial power outages. What’s next Thomas Gleeson, chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, said state agencies will work with local utility companies to strengthen infrastructure 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. Tom Overbye, who serves as the director of Texas A&M University’s Smart Grid Center, said there will be an investigation with the PUCT to figure out what went wrong. “When we build distribution circuits, there’s standards. One of the standards is the distribu- tion line should withstand 110 mph wind when I don’t think Beryl had wind at that speed. That surely will be an issue that the investigations will come look and say, ‘Why did so many people lose electricity?’” he said. On July 8, President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration for Texas that will provide federal assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures, according to a July 9 news release from the Texas Division of Emergency Management. The emergency declaration will grant 75% reimbursement for debris cleanup for affected counties, TDEM Chief Nim Kidd said during a July 9 news conference. “Our community has been battered over the past few months, and this [declaration] is a big ray of hope for us,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in a July 9 post on Facebook. Residents who sustained damage from the storm can report it through the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool, by visiting https://damage.tdem.texas.gov.
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Beryl by the numbers
Robert Logan, assistant fire chief for the Spring Fire Department, said as of July 9 that SFD had responded to 300 calls from Beryl, including downed trees, power lines and transformers as well as gas leaks. SFD leaders prepared for the storm by adding 25% more staff to the emergency response teams, and preparing additional trucks and equipment. “There [were] many times that we had just about every single crew on an incident,” he said. What happened? 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. The hurricane
8 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.
Historical peak wind gusts Spring area George Bush
Intercontinental Airport
traveled through the Gulf of Mexico before turning northeast and making landfall for the third time July 8 as a Category 1 hurricane near Matagorda. In Harris County,
“We know we have important work ahead for our customers who depend on us, especially during the hot summer months.”
58 mph
Hurricane Beryl (July 8) Derecho (Early May 2024) Isolated thunderstorm (June 2023) Hurricane Harvey (August 2017) Hurricane Ike (September 2008)
83 mph
62 mph
LYNNAE WILSON, CENTERPOINT ENERGY SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
91 mph
41 mph
the highest wind speeds were recorded near the University of Houston with gusts reaching as high as 89 mph on July 8, according to the NWS. According to data provided by The Citizen Weather Observer Program, wind speeds reached as high as 58 mph in Spring. Additionally, Beryl dropped 7.2 inches of rain in the Spring area and as much as 14.9 inches in some areas in Harris County, per NWS data. The impact At least eight people have died in Texas as a result of Hurricane Beryl, including seven in the Greater Houston area, as of July 9, local emer- gency management and state officials said. “Our hearts grieve for all the Texans impacted by Hurricane Beryl, including our fellow Texans who tragically lost their lives or were injured,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement July 9. In a July 9 news conference, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said more than 2.2 million residents in the Greater Houston area were still without power after the storm toppled 10 power trans- mission lines in addition to a bevy of trees and power distribution lines throughout the area. As of press time July 11, service had been restored to about half of those facing power outages. “While we tracked the projected path, intensity and timing for Hurricane Beryl closely for many days, this storm proved the
82 mph
Historical two-day rainfall averages
Spring area
Harris County
7.2 in.
Hurricane Beryl (July 8)
12 in.
5.9 in.
Derecho (Early May 2024)
12.7 in.
25 in.
Hurricane Harvey (August 2017)
35.2 in.
12.5 in.
Hurricane Ike (September 2008)
15.5 in.
Historical peak power outages in the Greater Houston area Hurricane Beryl (July 8)
2.2M
Derecho (Early May 2024) Hurricane Harvey (August 2017) Hurricane Ike (September 2008)
930,000
Outages during Harvey totaled 1M
270,000
2.2M
SOURCES: HARRIS COUNTY, CITY OF HOUSTON, CENTERPOINT ENERGY, ACCUWEATHER, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE, HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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SPRING - KLEIN EDITION
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