HOUSTON — Some Houston-area residents were having trouble connecting with family members and friends after losing internet and mobile connectivity on Monday during the passage of Hurricane Beryl.
The storm flooded roadways and knocked down trees, triggering major power outages across Harris County. More than 3 million CenterPoint, Entergy, and Texas New Mexico Power customers were without power Monday. More than 1.6 million remain without power Tuesday.
Internet companies such as AT&T and Xfinity have alerted their customers of connectivity disruptions and are working to fix the disruptions.
AT&T announced it's waiving overage charges and providing unlimited texts, phone calls, and data for Postpaid and Prepaid customers impacted by Beryl. This will be in effect from July 8 through July 17, according to an AT&T spokesperson.
"Customers in these areas may still receive alerts during these dates, but accounts will reflect the credits and/or waived data, voice, and text charges," the company said in a statement.
AT&T also announced that it will station its Mobile Connectivity Center (MCC) in Houston at the Deputy Almendarez Center located at 10918 Bentley St. and will be open for use on Wednesday morning.
The MCC is an air-conditioned mobile computer lab with 16 laptops for those who need connection and free WiFi. It also has charging stations for those who need to charge any electronic devices. The MCC will be open to the public beginning Wednesday at 8 a.m. and will close at 8 p.m.
AT&T also listed 13 retail stores that are open in the area with charging accessories. The locations are open until 7 p.m. Tuesday and the hours will vary by location going forward, the company said. A list of the open stores are below:
- 1333 West Bay Area Blvd, Webster 77598
- 109 Hwy 290 West, Brenham 77833
- 6595 Hwy 6 North, Houston 77084
- 14201 Cypress Rosehill Rd, Cypress 77429
- 13341 Westheimer, Houston 77077
- 1505 S. Mason Rd, Katy 77450
- 2727 Mercantile Dr, Rosenberg 77471
- 8412 Katy Freeway, Houston 77024
- 22521 Tomball Parkway, Houston 77070
- 14002 FM 2920, Tomball 77377
- 790 W. Sam Hoston Pkwy N, Houston 77024
- 5514 Weslayan St, Houston 77005
- 7911 FM 1960 Rd. W, Houston 77070
Comcast said in a statement that there are no reports of any major outages.
"Comcast critical network facilities in the area have not been damaged by the storm and are operational," the company said.
Comcast is offering free Xfinity WiFi hotspots in the Houston area to all residents. You can find a hotspot location map here by entering your ZIP code.
RELATED: Tropical Storm Beryl brings 90+ mph winds, more than a foot of rain in some areas of Houston
Ahead of Beryl, T-Mobile and Verizon said they prepared their networks to ensure customers could stay connected during the storm.
According to T-Mobile's website, the company’s network teams have been working with utility companies and monitoring network status, by refueling fixed generators and ensuring battery backups are charged.