The Power Outage in Mission Bend: A Cautionary Tale

Residents in Mission Bend were left in the dark, both literally and figuratively, when their power unexpectedly went out for nearly two days as CenterPoint worked on resiliency improvements. What was initially meant to be a short-term inconvenience turned into a frustrating ordeal for many homeowners in the Houston-area neighborhood.

Cynthia Fisher, a long-time resident of Mission Bend, shared her experience of the outage with KHOU. Despite her familiarity with power outages due to storms, the sudden loss of electricity without warning caught her off guard.

After Hurricane Beryl had passed, Fisher expected to be better prepared for any potential outages. However, when the power went out on a Tuesday morning, she, like many others, received notice from CenterPoint only after the fact, with estimated restoration times continuously being pushed back.

As contracted linemen worked in the neighborhood to improve infrastructure resiliency as part of the Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative, residents like Fisher found themselves without power for an extended period. The initiative, mandated by Gov. Greg Abbott, aims to enhance the utility’s ability to respond to future disasters and prevent widespread outages.

While outages were anticipated as part of the improvement efforts, the lack of timely communication from CenterPoint left many residents unable to adequately prepare. Fisher, unable to salvage perishable food and medications, emphasized the need for real-time updates and transparent communication from the utility company.

CenterPoint apologized for the prolonged outage and acknowledged the shortcomings in their communication, promising to reach out to affected customers directly to address their concerns.

As we navigate an increasingly unpredictable climate, incidents like the one in Mission Bend serve as a reminder of the importance of robust infrastructure and effective communication in ensuring the resilience of our communities.

For more information on CenterPoint’s resiliency efforts and customer support, visit their website or contact their customer service directly.