Here is a breakdown of the two cities' situations.
Bellaire
According to CenterPoint Energy’s online tracker, thousands of residents remain without power since outages first began Feb. 15.
“A few Bellaire residents have reported their power was restored last night, so that does give us some measure of hope,” Bellaire Mayor Andrew Friedberg wrote Feb. 16 on his blog.
Waterlines have also frozen over, specifically within smaller pipes feeding into Bellaire homes, according to a Feb. 16 city of Bellaire Facebook post.
“You may continue to experience low water pressure in your home today and into the evening,” the city wrote. “Please do your best to conserve water. Bellaire water is safe to drink.”
In the meantime, Bellaire Public Works crews continue to work to ensure water is safe and available once the pipes have thawed.
As a result of the winter storm, the city of Bellaire has extended the closure of its facilities through Feb. 15 and has canceled solid waste and recycling collection.
West U
Residents in West University Place remain in similar conditions regarding power outages.
In response, the city opened its recreation center at 4210 Bellaire Blvd. as a warming center for residents Feb. 15.
“This center is not an overnight shelter and will have limited capacity and amenities,” the city wrote in its Feb. 15 Facebook post. “Residents are welcome to come into the facility to charge their devices and warm up for a few hours at a time.”
Families are encouraged to call the center at 713-662-7420 before arriving to ensure there is space available.
Many residents have reported not having running water inside their homes. According to the city of West University Place, its water distribution system remains working with adequate pressure.
City facilities remain closed through Feb. 16, and collections of trash, recycling or yard waste have been canceled.
Trash, recycling and yard waste for Feb. 16’s route will instead be collected Feb. 17. Trash missed due to the Feb. 15 closure will be collected Feb. 18.
