State leaders confirm a third death from Hurricane Beryl. Power restoration for 2.7 million Texans will take several days

In the wake of Hurricane Beryl, efforts to restore power to 2.7 million Texans will extend over several days, state officials announced on Monday evening. The Public Utility Commission of Texas Chair, Thomas Gleeson, urged residents to be patient as crews work tirelessly to restore electricity across the state.

“As of early Monday evening, nearly 2.7 million Texans are without power,” reported PowerOutage.us. The majority of these outages affect customers of CenterPoint Energy, the primary electricity provider for residents in Harris and Fort Bend counties, as well as many communities in East Texas.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, acting as governor in Governor Greg Abbott’s absence, cautioned that more outages could occur before power is fully restored due to downed transmission lines from fallen trees. CenterPoint has mobilized 11,500 personnel to expedite the restoration process, Patrick noted.

Texas Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd announced that his department is coordinating with local officials to establish cooling centers and shelters, anticipating rising temperatures while power remains out. First responders are also relocating patients from nursing homes, hospitals, and assisted living facilities to safer locations.

Tragically, a third fatality has been reported, a City of Houston employee who drowned in a flooded underpass. Earlier, two individuals lost their lives due to falling trees while they sought shelter in their homes. A fourth death has been reported by the Houston Chronicle, though it has not been confirmed as storm-related by the Texas Tribune.

We extend our thoughts and prayers to those affected by this devastating storm. We will continue to provide updates as the situation develops.