CenterPoint Energy’s nearly 2.8 million customers in the Greater Houston area are being asked to share their experiences with power outages during the May derecho wind storm and July's Hurricane Beryl with the Public Utility Commission of Texas by filling out an online, bilingual survey.

Customer feedback will be used as part of the PUC's ongoing, formal investigation into CenterPoint's response and preparations for both extreme weather events, according to a news release. The PUC's final investigation report will be delivered to Gov. Greg Abbott and the Legislature for review by Dec. 1.

Quote of note

PUC Executive Director Connie Corona said in a news release the information customers supply will guide the organization with making changes to prevent a disaster of this scope in the future.

"The most important people in our investigation into the preparedness and response to these devastating storms are the Texans who experienced these storms firsthand," Corona said.


The online survey for residents and business owners can be filled out here.

How we got here

Texas policymakers continue their investigations into how various utility companies performed not only in the wake of Beryl, which left more than 2.6 million Texans without power, but also the derecho wind storm that knocked out power for nearly 1 million CenterPoint customers.

The newly formed Senate committee on hurricane preparedness first met July 29 with CenterPoint executives, asking why more than 2 million Houston-area residents lost power and why it took weeks to restore.
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Attorney General Ken Paxton also opened a formal investigation into CenterPoint's conduct, announcing on Aug. 12 how his office will examine allegations of fraud, waste and improper use of taxpayer-provided funds.

"If the investigation uncovers unlawful activity, that activity will be met with the full force of the law," Paxton said in a news release.