Houston - Petition to Investigate CenterPoint Energy's Response to Hurricane Beryl

Call for Investigation into CenterPoint Energy's Response to Hurricane Beryl and Potential Negligence

Introduction
We, the undersigned, call for an immediate investigation into CenterPoint Energy's management and response to Hurricane Beryl, which left over 2 million people in Texas, especially in Houston, without power. The prolonged power outage and lack of urgency in restoration efforts have raised serious concerns about potential negligence."

Backgound
Hurricane Beryl caused significant damage across several locations in Texas, particularly in Houston and its suburbs. The hurricane, which hit on Monday, July 7th, resulted in widespread power outages affecting over 2 million people. One would expect that, following such a catastrophic event, every possible effort would be made to restore power swiftly to those affected.

However, this was not the case. Numerous customers reported not seeing any utility trucks or crews from CenterPoint Energy in their neighborhoods for several days, despite the urgent need for power restoration. It seemed as though there was no urgency to address the crisis.

Typically, after similar natural disasters, it is common to see a coordinated response with CenterPoint Energy trucks or third-party utility crews contracted to restore power. Unfortunately, this was not observed. Many residents only began to see a minimal presence of CenterPoint personnel several days later, and power was restored only sporadically, indicating that a faster resolution was possible if there had been a more urgent response.

As a result, over 1 million people remained without power for five days, enduring heatwaves, food spoilage, health risks for the elderly and infants, lost work time, and even house fires.

CenterPoint also failed to accurately inform customers about the repair timelines, leaving them unprepared.

Conclusion
We petition the state to investigate potential negligence and lack of urgency on the part of CenterPoint Energy's management.

Specifically, we request an investigation into:

1. Whether it was possible to restore power more quickly and if CenterPoint Energy failed in their duty to do so.
2. Whether CenterPoint Energy made any efforts to engage third-party contractors if they lacked the capacity to address the issues promptly.
3. Whether CenterPoint Energy's management prioritized cost savings over the well-being and interests of their customers.

If the investigation finds that management was negligent, we demand that appropriate punitive measures be taken against those responsible. Keeping millions of Texans without power for over five days is unacceptable and warrants accountability.

Call to Action
Please join us in holding CenterPoint Energy accountable by signing this petition and sharing it with your networks.

Addressed To:
- The Governor of Texas
- The Texas Public Utility Commission
- The Attorney General of Texas
- Local and State Representatives

By addressing this petition, we hope to ensure a thorough investigation and prompt action to prevent such neglect in the future.