HOUSTON — More than 2.2 million CenterPoint customers lost power when Hurricane Beryl slammed the Houston area on July 8. As the massive outages dragged on for days, some people died in their sweltering homes while waiting for their power to return.
According to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, at least four Houston residents and two men in Pasadena died from hyperthermia during the power outages.
Wednesday, July 10
Candie York, 50, Houston
Oscar Rodriguez, 78, Houston
Charles Anderson Sr., 76, Pasadena
Thursday, July 11
Bryan Keith Taylor, 66, Houston
Pamela Jarrett, 64, Houston
James Butcher, 75, Pasadena
Another Houston woman was found dead in her Museum District condo on Tuesday when her landlady's mother went to check on her.
"She's renting from my daughter, so I came to check on her and she didn't answer," neighbor Pat Baker said. "So, therefore, I unlocked the door and found her. You know, it's just been hot and miserable and I'm just sick of this you know? I'm just sick of it!"
We're told the woman was not that old but did have health issues. She was riding out the power outage in the miserable heat.
Emotional neighbors wish they could have done more.
"It makes me sad," neighbor David Duffield said. "I mean, it makes me sad she was up here in the heat like that."
The complex's power was finally restored hours later after multiple calls and a KHOU 11 News email to CenterPoint.
An autopsy will be done to determine if the woman's death was caused by hyperthermia.
At Wednesday's city council meeting, Houston leaders called for changes as they review their storm preparation plans.
"It didn't have to happen like this and I know that as a city we're doing everything we can and we're trying to continue to encourage residents to reach out if they need assistance, but with the temperatures rising this week and power still out I just want to voice my concern that we are not out of this yet," Councilmember Abbie Kamin said.
"Let's focus on that, then hold people accountable, do an assessment, action review, and make certain that Centerpoint knows that it's unacceptable," Mayor John Whitmire replied.
The city has 69 cooling centers, including libraries, for those in need.
By Wednesday afternoon, more than 35,000 CenterPoint customers still didn't have power. The company said power has been restored to 98% of customers.