HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — After six days without power, hot and hungry Houstonians are anxiously waiting for it to come back. Living without power has been brutal for the seniors stuck in the Campanile on Justice Park northwest Houston complex.
“It isn’t nice, man,” Leo Richardson said. “It’s like a heat wave up there.”
“You could let the windows up, but still, you get nothing but hot air in there,” Clifford Jackson described.
Richardson and Jackson haven’t had power for six days, and CenterPoint said it could return Wednesday night. But these seniors say that’s too long for them. When ABC13 showed up, they were hot and hungry.
Eyewitness News contacted Councilmember Amy Peck, who said she was aware of the situation and worked to arrange for firefighters, Metro, and the American Red Cross to help neighbors who needed it.
“I have to take six cold showers per day. That’s how hot it is,” Richardson said.
And they’re not alone. CenterPoint said nearly all customers impacted by last week’s storm should have power by Wednesday night.
If your power doesn’t come on, your equipment might be the reason. A tree may have fallen on a weatherhead, a device on the side of your home, or a roof where power lines enter. If that is the case, you’re responsible for repairs, not the utility company. If it was damaged, electricians say don’t touch it.
WATCH: What you need to do if your power is still out
If power is back on in your area, except for your house, there may be more to the problem.
“You don’t know when it’s going to come back on, and you’re in the middle of touching something, and that thing comes on at that moment,” Independent Electrical Contractors director of education Gilbert Soliz said. “That’s when you’re taking a big risk.”
If you call someone out to help, you’ll want to ensure the electrician is licensed. After the work is finished, the utility company can connect the power.
Normally, they have to wait for a permit. However, because of the disaster, they should be able to get one quickly.
CenterPoint has a tracker on its website that shows areas affected by outages.
Some Houstonians have contacted ABC13, saying they are without power, but it is not showing up on the map.
CenterPoint said in a statement that their map contains inaccuracies, but they are aware of the outages and are working to restore them as soon as possible.
If you’re worried about cost, which could cost you thousands, the Texas Department of Insurance said most home insurance policies cover damage from falling objects – but you should make sure by calling and asking.
“It could run anywhere from $3,000 to $6,000 depending on the size of the breaker box,” Soliz said.
It’s a costly repair, but it will restore power, which about 50,000 customers are still waiting for.
“We need some power,” Richardson said. “We need some AC! We can’t cook because everything is electric.”
If your equipment wasn’t damaged, CenterPoint says you may be in a harder-hit area, and the power may not be back until this weekend.
The company hasn’t said exactly where or how many customers there could be.
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