HOUSTON — The KHOU 11 Verify Team went out and got answers after some rumors were circling online about how linemen were being treated as they worked to restore power after Beryl.
THE CLAIM
Dozens of emails came to the KHOU 11 newsroom with several claims.
Viewers shared posts that claimed a group of workers were being held hostage and another claimed a lineman was poisoned with fentanyl-laced water.
THE SOURCES
CenterPoint
IBEW 66
Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
THE ANSWER
The KHOU Verify Team reached out to CenterPoint Energy and IBEW 66 to see what they said.
Ed Allen, with IBEW 66, said the fentanyl report was not true and the report that 20 linemen were taken hostage was a hoax.
WHAT WE FOUND
CenterPoint sent us this statement:
"Unfortunately, while conducting our restoration efforts following Hurricane Beryl, we have experienced increasing calls for and actual incidents of criminal actions toward public utility property and the men and women who are working hard in hot, difficult conditions to restore power. This includes reports of a drive-by shooting at one of our staging sites. The safety of our employees, contractors, mutual assistance crews and support personnel is our top priority. For that reason, the site in question is now being used to store materials for expediting restoration purposes. This type of conduct is criminal and dangerous to our workers who are away from their own families to turn power on for the rest of us, and counter-productive to us getting the power back on.
"We appreciate and value the support from our customers. The best way to support these crews is to ask that customers please keep a safe distance away from the work sites and thank them as they arrive and leave the area."
The power company didn't provide any more information about the incident.
An official with the Drug Enforcement Agency sent us this: "I checked and we aren’t aware of anything related to this."