By Saturday afternoon, approximately 2,500 customers of Houston's main utility, CenterPoint Energy, were still without power, as reported by PowerOutage.us. The number of outages fluctuated throughout the day, leaving uncertainty as to whether these customers have been without power since Hurricane Beryl struck the Gulf Coast on July 8, causing over 2 million customers to lose electricity, primarily in the Houston area. At its peak, more than 135,000 CenterPoint customers were left in the dark on Monday night.

CenterPoint Energy, already facing criticism, addressed the ongoing outages and stated that they were mainly "isolated instances" where homes or equipment had suffered severe damage from the storm. The utility, which serves 2.8 million customers in the Houston area, attributed some of the current outages to thunderstorms that occurred on Saturday morning, explaining that their crews had to pause work due to safety concerns surrounding lightning.

Tragically, at least 14 deaths in the Houston area have been confirmed to be hurricane-related, according to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Of these, seven individuals, ranging in age from 50 to 110, died from heat exposure due to power loss. The storm-related fatalities in Harris and nearby counties total over 20, and authorities have warned that the number could rise. The elderly, in particular, have been vulnerable to the extreme conditions caused by the power outages.

The aftermath of Hurricane Beryl has been devastating for many residents of Houston. For over a week, some have been forced to sleep in their cars, navigate pitch-black rooms with canes and walkers, and deal with spoiled food and medications as critical medical equipment became non-functional. The situation has been dire, with desperate cries heard as neighbors discovered the bodies of those who succumbed to the stifling heat following the relatively mild Category 1 hurricane.

Denise Furlough, whose 86-year-old father resides in a powerless home in Alameda Plaza, expressed her disbelief at the situation in 2024. Furlough delivered food, batteries, and ice to her father during the week without power and said, "I was just frightened I might go over there and he wouldn't be alive."

The hardship faced by residents continued to mount. Pat Baker, who went to check on a neighbor with health issues at a condominium complex in Houston's Museum District, tragically found the individual unresponsive. Emotionally, Baker shared with CNN affiliate KHOU, "You know, it's just been hot and miserable, and I'm just sick of this, you know. I'm just sick of it."

The recovery efforts to restore power to all affected customers are ongoing, and CenterPoint Energy is under pressure to resolve the outages swiftly.