Hurricane Beryl

[Highrise Tower]

Here's a photo of the damage to my mom's house.  She lives out of state, so dealing with the repairs and insurance is total bullsh*t.

I was raised in this house, and we have never had a problem with the tree.  Not even during Hurricane Ike or Hurricane Harvey!

My mom has a $7,500 deductible apparently

[BeerNut]

16 hours ago, HoustonMidtown said:

Anyone know where there are so many dead fish in Brays Bayou ?

 

Can't say for sure but being a Louisiana boy and having seen a few fish kills after hurricanes, might be low oxygen from too much plant matter getting blown into the water causing decomposition microbes to go crazy.

[editor]

I went out for a couple of hours Saturday morning, and was surprised by what I saw five days after the storm.

I went to the Walgreens on West Gray, the Kroger across the street, Whole Foods nearby, then the Walgreens on Smith.

It was 10am, but the city was very quiet.  I came across about a dozen traffic lights that were blinking, and a few that were simply off.  I'd seen on the news that people were blowing through unlit traffic lights, causing crashes, and I thought it was stupidity and lack of caution; but they really are hard to see if they're not lit up.  Perhaps camouflage green isn't the best color for traffic lights in Houston.

In downtown and Midtown, there were lots of freshly-cut stumps where trees once were.  I got an e-mail from Downtown Houston saying that a couple of hundred trees were felled, and that seems about right based on the stumps.  The federal building on the corner of Rusk and San Jacinto lost all of its trees except for one palm.  In some places, there are still piles of cut tree trunks awaiting removal.  The sidewalks are almost all covered in debris.  Mud, leaves, branches, garbage.  Glad I don't need a walker to get around anymore.

At the first Walgreens, there was only one other person there.  It was a bit creepy.

At Kroger, I was one of four people visible in the store.  At the checkout, people were talking about the power outages.  A customer from the Heights and a cashier from Pasadena both looked haggard, like they hadn't slept since the storm came.  Neither had power at that time.  No visible shortage of food in the store, at least.

Whole Foods was very quiet.  There were probably eight or ten customers in the building.  Again, at 10am on a Saturday, this is surprising.  Lots of food available, and even signs posted on the bagged ice letting people know there's no purchase limits.  

I was the only customer inside the Smith Street Walgreens.  Creepy.  But at least it had power again.  This location loses power a couple of times a year, even without storms.  

Driving through the residential portions of Montrose to get between these locations was a little weird.  Ordinarily, I'd expect to hear the noise and hum of chainsaws and generators, but it was all very still.  

The Allen Parkway underpass at Waugh was still closed, and about half full of water.  I presume there's no power for the pumps.  Some of the lanes of the parkway were also blocked by mud and rocks.  It looked like the whole of Buffalo Bayou came out of its banks up to the skyscrapers and in a ceremonial offering, disgorged all of the tree snags, branches, and garbage it had been saving over the years for this occasion.   When I worked at KHOU, the bayou flooded the newsroom at least four times, so I expect that's exactly what happened.

For reasons unrelated to the storm, I have been unable to leave my apartment since it struck, so this was my first time out.  It's been very quiet downtown.  The parking garages have been full during the day with powerless people from the suburbs coming in to take advantage of their office air conditioning.  The usual evening and early-morning miscreants and urban hillbillies on their motor bikes and ghetto klaxons-on-wheels have only just started to return, but there's far fewer of them now.  

I've been through a number of hurricanes in Houston.  I wasn't here for Ike or Harvey, but I was here for TS Allison and some others.  It feels like the city is recovering much more slowly than it did before.  

[editor]

I'm not an arborist, so I'm asking for feedback on this notion:  Perhaps its time to get people in Houston to embrace willows instead of oak trees.  

They bend better in the wind, instead of breaking so much, and they suck up lots of water.  Perhaps enough to help during minor flooding events.

Am I way off base?

[Ross]

36 minutes ago, editor said:

I'm not an arborist, so I'm asking for feedback on this notion:  Perhaps its time to get people in Houston to embrace willows instead of oak trees.  

They bend better in the wind, instead of breaking so much, and they suck up lots of water.  Perhaps enough to help during minor flooding events.

Am I way off base?

Lots of the trees that fell in my hood were end of life water oaks and pine trees. Not sure willows would do well in yards.

[Renaissance1999]

1 hour ago, editor said:

I'm not an arborist, so I'm asking for feedback on this notion:  Perhaps its time to get people in Houston to embrace willows instead of oak trees.  

They bend better in the wind, instead of breaking so much, and they suck up lots of water.  Perhaps enough to help during minor flooding events.

Am I way off base?

Oak trees have the strongest, deepest root systems so there very strong trees. The thing is most landscape companies think it's a good idea to plant them next to sidewalks or between concrete leaving very little area for their roots to expand and grow. This causes them to easily blow in the winds and tear limbs. I would say there not the best choice of trees to have in an urban environment unless there is a park like discovery that actually have them covering the sidewalk. I also don't understand why they plant them so close together when the average width of the tree is 60 to 100 feet. I guess all they care about is having the space look good for the first years and not think about the long term.

[Amlaham]

Or maybe we can start burying some power lines. The pros are far outweighing the cons at this moment 

[Zorin]

I just read on CNN.....apparently the governor's pretty pissed off at Centerpoint.  They're about to drop the hammer on them.  Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of folks, my recollection of them stretches back to the HL&P days, when we referred to them as Houston Looting and Pillage. 

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/14/us/texas-houston-hurricane-beryl-damage/index.html

I can say that I have a good friend that lives in the 45 and Yale Street area, and they've been without power the entire time now....I just found this out today.  And they have an estimated time of return on Tuesday! 

 

[august948]

Just posting this as food for thought....I was talking with our hvac guy a couple of years ago, a few months after the 2021 winter storm blackouts.  He told me he lives right next to West Houston Medical Center off Richmond and he never lost power during the whole thing and that it was because the circuits with hospitals and other priority installations were kept online.  We live less than a mile from the same hospital and our power was only off about 18 hours.  I can't help but think that the same priority factor was in play as many neighborhoods not far from us, but on the opposite side of us from the hospital still didn't have power as of last night. 

[BeerNut]

7 hours ago, Zorin said:

I just read on CNN.....apparently the governor's pretty pissed off at Centerpoint.  They're about to drop the hammer on them.  Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of folks, my recollection of them stretches back to the HL&P days, when we referred to them as Houston Looting and Pillage. 
 

It's all for show.  

[editor]

7 hours ago, Zorin said:

I just read on CNN.....apparently the governor's pretty pissed off at Centerpoint.  They're about to drop the hammer on them.  Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of folks, my recollection of them stretches back to the HL&P days, when we referred to them as Houston Looting and Pillage. 

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/14/us/texas-houston-hurricane-beryl-damage/index.html

I can say that I have a good friend that lives in the 45 and Yale Street area, and they've been without power the entire time now....I just found this out today.  And they have an estimated time of return on Tuesday! 

 

I'll believe it when it happens. Right now there are a bunch of politicians who are all huff and puff about this because the public and the media are on them. But once that dies down, I doubt anything will be done. 
 

What is Abbot, or any other politician going to do? Fine CenterPoint? For violating what statute? Take away Centerpoint's franchise? And give it to who?
 

Sadly, the politicians who seem the most honest about the situation right now are the ones who keep dodging the question of responsibility and saying things like "I'm focused on getting the lights back on" because they know they're powerless to do anything. 
 

The bottom line is that the power stayed on in places where the lines are underground. But once the lights go back on, people will go back to repeating the fable that it's too expensive to bury them. The same thing happens after every storm. 

[editor]

3 hours ago, august948 said:

Just posting this as food for thought....I was talking with our hvac guy a couple of years ago, a few months after the 2021 winter storm blackouts.  He told me he lives right next to West Houston Medical Center off Richmond and he never lost power during the whole thing and that it was because the circuits with hospitals and other priority installations were kept online.  We live less than a mile from the same hospital and our power was only off about 18 hours.  I can't help but think that the same priority factor was in play as many neighborhoods not far from us, but on the opposite side of us from the hospital still didn't have power as of last night. 

Downtown and the medical center get priority treatment. It's like that every city. 

Police, fire, hospitals, and certain government buildings are always prioritized.  It would be silly to put the power on at a bar before police headquarters. 

[august948]

1 hour ago, editor said:

Downtown and the medical center get priority treatment. It's like that every city. 

Police, fire, hospitals, and certain government buildings are always prioritized.  It would be silly to put the power on at a bar before police headquarters. 

Absolutely agree.  Just something to consider any time you move.  Similar to how you might consider the school districts or consult the flood plain charts.

[samagon]

19 hours ago, editor said:

I'm not an arborist, so I'm asking for feedback on this notion:  Perhaps its time to get people in Houston to embrace willows instead of oak trees.  

They bend better in the wind, instead of breaking so much, and they suck up lots of water.  Perhaps enough to help during minor flooding events.

Am I way off base?

we have an arborist come thin trees every 5 years. for the wind event back in May, all we got were a few limbs down, none larger than thumb sized. for this one, same thing. I did clean up one limb that was about the size of a small wrist though.

I'm convinced that this preventative maintenance matters.

I know CPE states they clear areas around lines once every 5 years, but I can only recall once that I saw them in the 15 years I lived in my previous home. I've only been in my current home for 3 years and they've not been out yet. first thing I did when I moved in though was call my arborist to get things done.

13 hours ago, Zorin said:

I just read on CNN.....apparently the governor's pretty pissed off at Centerpoint.  They're about to drop the hammer on them.  Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of folks, my recollection of them stretches back to the HL&P days, when we referred to them as Houston Looting and Pillage. 

 

I hope so, and  I hope something comes of it.

Hurricane Alicia was a Cat3 storm and only took 750,000. granted the amount of time people had to wait back then was a lot longer, I have read a few anecdotes of 3 weeks.

I recall during Ike that my home was without power for over 2 weeks, and the internet says that storm took out 2.2 million.

either way, I got a generator after the May storm, and it's configured to run on propane, so I'll get a natural gas conversion kit for it and that will be able to run my fridge, charge phones, laptops and probably a window unit too.

the outrage makes sense, less than 3 months and probably half of CPE customers had to deal with 2, week long power outages. we just got our freezers stocked back up with frozen shrimp, only to have them thaw and stink the place up again.

Edited July 15 by samagon

[editor]

6 hours ago, august948 said:

Absolutely agree.  Just something to consider any time you move.  Similar to how you might consider the school districts or consult the flood plain charts.

I did.  When we moved back to Houston a few years ago, my wife was pushing for a high rise out by the Galleria.  I wanted to be on a main electrical circuit and near trains.  Fortunately, I won because the building she wanted to live in had no power for at least five days, and may still be offline.

And all this nonsense about "it's too expensive" to bury power lines doesn't ask the question: "Compared to what?"  Compared to shutting the city down every six months?  When the insurance industry numbers come in, I would not be surprised to see the amount of money that was lost in this storm alone will be more than the cost of burying the power lines.

See also: The many third-world style open sewers that pass for "drainage" in this city.

[editor]

Recent CenterPoint Energy donations to Governor Abbott, according to Open Secrets:

• 4-20-2018: $10,000
• 6-28-2017: $10,000
• 5-5-2016: $10,000
• 9-11-2014: $10,000

Recent CenterPoint Energy donations to the Texas Republican organizations:

• 12-26-2023: $500,000 (Associated Republicans of Texas)
• 4-13-2018: $25,000 (Texas Republican Party)
• 2-18-2016: $25,000 (Republican State Leadership Committee)
• 1-6-2022: $15,000 (Texas Republican Party)
• 10-26-2016: $12,000 (Republican State Leadership Committee)
• 8-25-2012: $10,000 (Texas Republican Legislative Caucus)

The list is not exhaustive, just what I pulled from the top.  I recommend reading the list.  It's pretty much all the usual suspects who point fingers at everyone else when something goes wrong in this state, rather than taking responsibility for their failure to lead and serve the public.

CenterPoint also donated a small amount of money to Democrats, but mostly in Arkansas, as far as the skimming I did.

Still, I wonder how much of Houston's electrical system could be kept online for ~$700,000.

[editor]

Sorry. I don't mean to derail this into a political discussion.  That's not my intent.  If there was a Democratic monopoly on power in Texas, I should hope that I would post the same thing.

I just find it so frustrating to watch the same thing happen to Houston over and over.  Nothing ever changes.  The legislature continues to pass laws addressing trivial matters, rather than the big problems that face this state.  The politicians keep making the same promises, and never fulfill them.  Hucksters and middlemen game the system to get rich.  The ordinary people of Houston have to carry the burden every single time.

I wish I knew where Greg Abbot, Ted Cruz, and the head of CenterPoint live, so I can see if their neighborhoods lost power.

[Zorin]

@editor - Wow!  I can't, in good conscience quote everything, so I will just stab at a somewhat coherent reply - 

Fact is, you're right.  The governor can whine to the PUC all he likes, but at the end of the day, I'm not really sure what can actually be done.  I think they can fine them in some form of punitive fashion, but that's never changed anything, and sure won't go to the people who've been sweating their asses off for the last 8 days. 

But, it would be nice if there was some accountability.  I'm hearing differing tidbits between mismanagement of resources, lousy scheduling of employees, and even finger pointing over not properly trimming trees back from power lines.  All of these are nice points, and I would like to see some accountability to these points.  After all, we all pay for a service, and at this juncture, I'd call electricity a vital service.  So, when you are billed for a vital service, the servicer must understand the mission-critical nature of such service, and should be prepared for these contingencies.  I mean, hey......this ain't Houston's first hurricane! 

As for where Jason P Wells, CEO of Centerpoint Energy lives....I know where, but will not divulge this in public.  

Edited July 15 by Zorin

[Ross]

22 hours ago, Amlaham said:

Or maybe we can start burying some power lines. The pros are far outweighing the cons at this moment 

In my hood, the lines are all behind the houses, along with an 8 inch gas main and a large sewer line. Burying lines would require access to the 20 foot wide easement, burying the power lines, placing transformers connected to the lines, then trenching every back yard, taking down the lines that run from the poles to the houses, and connecting the new buried drop to the meters. If the house has a pool or other structure between the easement and the meter, the work gets more complicated. And you have to hope all of the fences get put back like they were. We have 2 dogs, and one of them has been known to dash out an opening. So, is Centerpoint going to pay for boarding while the work is being done?

In the end our power costs would probably double. I don't see the benefit overall.

[hindesky]

 

 

Beryl damage to the Hilton signage and Norton Rose Fulbright Tower.

 

[editor]

1 hour ago, Ross said:

In my hood, the lines are all behind the houses, along with an 8 inch gas main and a large sewer line. Burying lines would require access to the 20 foot wide easement, burying the power lines, placing transformers connected to the lines, then trenching every back yard, taking down the lines that run from the poles to the houses, and connecting the new buried drop to the meters. If the house has a pool or other structure between the easement and the meter, the work gets more complicated. And you have to hope all of the fences get put back like they were. We have 2 dogs, and one of them has been known to dash out an opening. So, is Centerpoint going to pay for boarding while the work is being done?

In the end our power costs would probably double. I don't see the benefit overall.

Or they can put it in front, under the street like in most places. 
 

Citing your inability to control your pets as a reason your neighbors shouldn't have reliable electric service doesn't hold water. That's just grasping at straws. 
 

You don't see the benefit because you're not on day eight of no power. 

[OkieEric]

I live a few blocks west of the Medical Center, and we are still without power a week on at this point.  "Luckily", we have a whole house generator we bought back in 2018.  Ironically, it was for just this scenario, but until now the usage was mainly unexpected events like the 2021 freeze.

I have no say in any of this but I'd love to see some heads roll at CenterPoint.  What a total joke of a response - yes, those were some serious and sustained winds, but it was still a Cat 1 and I don't even believe the stats they publish.  As of now, they report "only" 132K customers without power...  Am I so unlucky to be in a relatively central area of town, in close proximity to Med Center, and yet don't have power a week later because a single tree fell on a power line?  And if I see one more clip of their CEO in a hard hat at a work site I'm going to lose it.  Drop the PR $hit already

I owned a townhouse in Montrose back during Ike and yes, we had no power for like a week.  I remember some complaints but nothing like this.  I don't know if it's just changing expectations (in our ever-connected world) or the fact that this was just a Cat 1 storm, but clearly we are not prepared at all for a major hurricane.

 

[Ross]

59 minutes ago, editor said:

Or they can put it in front, under the street like in most places. 
 

Citing your inability to control your pets as a reason your neighbors shouldn't have reliable electric service doesn't hold water. That's just grasping at straws. 
 

You don't see the benefit because you're not on day eight of no power. 

In my area, it's not practical to put the power in front when all the meters and panels are in the back, as the trenching for the line to the meters would have to go under driveways or through garages or other inconvenient paths. Even the new houses that replaced demolished houses have the electric meter and panel in the back of the house. This area was developed in 1952, and many of the trees are at end of life. That's why so many went down in May. The age of the neighborhood also means the City doesn't have a good handle on where all of the water mains are. We know there's one in our front yard, as it had a bad leak 12 years ago, and they had to dig it up. They never got the water shot off, as they couldn't find all the valves.

We went 6 days without power - it came back Saturday at 4pm At that point, it was 87 degrees in the house. I have some idea of what people are going through.

Our dog is controlled after a bunch of training, but we aren't going to risk her running off when some utility worker takes down our fence without telling us. Which has happened in this neighborhood in the past. If we aren't home, she's crated(which she is happy to do)

[hindesky]

[samagon]

16 hours ago, editor said:

Sorry. I don't mean to derail this into a political discussion.  That's not my intent.  If there was a Democratic monopoly on power in Texas, I should hope that I would post the same thing.

I just find it so frustrating to watch the same thing happen to Houston over and over.  Nothing ever changes.  The legislature continues to pass laws addressing trivial matters, rather than the big problems that face this state.  The politicians keep making the same promises, and never fulfill them.  Hucksters and middlemen game the system to get rich.  The ordinary people of Houston have to carry the burden every single time.

I wish I knew where Greg Abbot, Ted Cruz, and the head of CenterPoint live, so I can see if their neighborhoods lost power.

I guess we'll see. he gave them a deadline of July 31, we should all mark our calendars and check back.

there's this too:

https://abc13.com/post/centerpoint-energy-faces-lawsuit-houston-restaurants-prolonged-power/15062075/

[editor]

The New York Times has an article today about people being so frustrated with repeated infrastructure failures in Houston that they're considering moving elsewhere.  A few points:

• People moving because of things like this is real, and is studied by sociologists and demographers.
• People with the most money, education, and youth tend to be the people who move for these reasons, which leaves cities with older, poorer, less educated residents.
• Though the region and the state may gain people, when crap hits the fan like this, the cities lose people as they move to the suburbs.
• The people who are most likely to move are the people who didn't grow up here, who haven't developed "place attachment."

For those who don't subscribe, here's a gift link: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/16/us/houston-exodus-climate-hurricane-beryl.html?unlocked_article_code=1.7k0.ME4l.XEAiKj6kpeAt&smid=url-share

On a related note, there was an article in the Chronicle today about how Texas ranks dead last for quality of life.

[hbg.50]

29 minutes ago, editor said:

The New York Times has an article today about people being so frustrated with repeated infrastructure failures in Houston that they're considering moving elsewhere.  A few points:

• People moving because of things like this is real, and is studied by sociologists and demographers.
• People with the most money, education, and youth tend to be the people who move for these reasons, which leaves cities with older, poorer, less educated residents.
• Though the region and the state may gain people, when crap hits the fan like this, the cities lose people as they move to the suburbs.
• The people who are most likely to move are the people who didn't grow up here, who haven't developed "place attachment."

For those who don't subscribe, here's a gift link: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/16/us/houston-exodus-climate-hurricane-beryl.html?unlocked_article_code=1.7k0.ME4l.XEAiKj6kpeAt&smid=url-share

On a related note, there was an article in the Chronicle today about how Texas ranks dead last for quality of life.

Thanks for the gift.  The people identified in the article as planning to leave were renters.  It’s understandable if people leave.  Houston is not for everyone and disasters here are unfortunately not unexpected.  We have to take the good with the bad.  It’s mostly good.

[Amlaham]

I really dislike the "it is what it is" attitude. There is always a solution. America is one of the richest countries in the world, it can make anything happen if it really wanted to. Texas has the nation's second largest GDP, representing 10% of the US's GDP. We're overhear question if burying power lines is financially do-able. Listing insignificant excuses as to why the energy capital of the world was without power for more than a week after a Cat 1 Storm. Also, it's common knowledge that power lines lower your property value, surely most if not everyone would welcome getting rid of a power line eye sore on your property.

Florida seems to be doing better than us and they're hit with almost double the amount of hurricanes that we get. They have a higher power grid reliability and experience less power outages than we do. 

For reference, Texas's power grid reliability is ranked at 28th nationally, Florida ranked 6th. Lets not say "well its just the weather" 

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/infrastructure/energy/power-grid-reliability

https://propertyclub.nyc/article/should-i-buy-a-house-near-power-lines#:~:text=most electrical lines.-,How Much Does Living Close to Power Lines Impact Home,a power station is nearby.

https://www.mroelectric.com/blog/us-power-outages-by-state/

 

[Renaissance1999]

7 hours ago, editor said:

The New York Times has an article today about people being so frustrated with repeated infrastructure failures in Houston that they're considering moving elsewhere.  A few points:

• People moving because of things like this is real, and is studied by sociologists and demographers.
• People with the most money, education, and youth tend to be the people who move for these reasons, which leaves cities with older, poorer, less educated residents.
• Though the region and the state may gain people, when crap hits the fan like this, the cities lose people as they move to the suburbs.
• The people who are most likely to move are the people who didn't grow up here, who haven't developed "place attachment."

For those who don't subscribe, here's a gift link: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/16/us/houston-exodus-climate-hurricane-beryl.html?unlocked_article_code=1.7k0.ME4l.XEAiKj6kpeAt&smid=url-share

On a related note, there was an article in the Chronicle today about how Texas ranks dead last for quality of life.

I've lived in Houston almost all my life and I, too after the winter freeze, Harvey, May 2024 storm, and this recent hurricane have given it some hard thought of moving elsewhere for a better-quality life. Not to mention Houston has the worst pollution/air quality out of all the American cities. It's not even just an environmental issue, people say that Houston is growing the fastest but fail to realize who the people coming to the city are. It's not young, professional or wealthy individuals/families there all going to Dallas and Austin. The majority are low-income families and immigrants. Not to get political, I know these views might be harsh, but it's a reality that's overlooked. For a city to grow and prosper it can only do so with an educated population. The environment for immigrants and low-income families is not that great. Houston lacks industry to attract other types of populations. The crime rate and homelessness are only climbing...

I believe you only realize this when you go to other cities like Denver, Austin, Dallas, etc. The vibes of the city and people just feel different. You can sense the growth.

[Renaissance1999]

1 hour ago, Amlaham said:

I really dislike the "it is what it is" attitude. There is always a solution. America is one of the richest countries in the world, it can make anything happen if it really wanted to. Texas has the nation's second largest GDP, representing 10% of the US's GDP. We're overhear question if burying power lines is financially do-able. Listing insignificant excuses as to why the energy capital of the world was without power for more than a week after a Cat 1 Storm. Also, it's common knowledge that power lines lower your property value, surely most if not everyone would welcome getting rid of a power line eye sore on your property.

Florida seems to be doing better than us and they're hit with almost double the amount of hurricanes that we get. They have a higher power grid reliability and experience less power outages than we do. 

For reference, Texas's power grid reliability is ranked at 28th nationally, Florida ranked 6th. Lets not say "well its just the weather" 

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/infrastructure/energy/power-grid-reliability

https://propertyclub.nyc/article/should-i-buy-a-house-near-power-lines#:~:text=most electrical lines.-,How Much Does Living Close to Power Lines Impact Home,a power station is nearby.

https://www.mroelectric.com/blog/us-power-outages-by-state/

 

Its crazy to hear the mayor saying the city is "broke" when you have the port of Houston bringing in $900+ billion a year. How is that money not flowing into the city to better the infrastructure...These politicians are only good for finger pointing when things go wrong. They have the money to bury powerlines or better the grid but who knows where all that money goes to.