As the storm season heats up in Harris County, a recent University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs survey casts a palpable concern among residents over the state of the electrical grid, with a tangential note of dismay at CenterPoint Energy's efforts to shore up confidence. According to KHOU, the poll of 2,300 registered voters conducted between July 9 and 18 revealed widespread anxiety, with 69% worried about losing electricity for more than a day during the summer.
These fears aren't unfounded; high winds and the potential for home damage command significant concern, with 54% very or moderately worried about such events. Yet, it's flooding that exposes stark disparities among racial demographics and those with varying educational backgrounds, with 44% harboring serious worries — a figure that spikes notably among Latino and Black residents, younger adults, and those without a college degree.
When it comes to CenterPoint's progress in strengthening the grid post-Hurricane Beryl and a subsequent severe derecho last year, only a sliver of respondents, 7%, believed significant progress had been made, a sentiment echoed by Chron. In contrast, 44% saw only "a little bit" of advancement, holding an unfavorable opinion towards the company, with just 33% viewing the utility in a positive light.
Despite such disapproval, CenterPoint has vowed to redouble its efforts, "heard the calls for change and immediately took action by launching the Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative," a spokesperson said in a statement obtained by Chron. This initiative comprises strengthening system resiliency, improving the response, and bettering communication. The spokesperson also highlighted that outage minutes have plummeted by roughly 45 percent in the first half of this year, compared to the same period last year.
