Houston Set for Dangerous Heat as Power Outages Top 2 Million

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Houston is set for a dangerous bout of heat as more than 2 million homes and businesses remain without power in the area around the nation’s fourth-largest city after Hurricane Beryl’s battering.

The region is under a heat advisory, with heat index values forecast as high as 106F (41C), the US National Weather Service said, warning of the possibility of illness under the extreme conditions.

The scorching temperatures and humidity combined with the lack of power will make for brutal conditions, as people won’t be able to turn on air conditioners for a break from the heat.

As of Tuesday morning, about 2.3 million homes and businesses were still without power in eastern Texas, concentrated in the Houston area, according to PowerOutage.us. Almost 80% of those without power are customers of CenterPoint Energy Inc., the Houston area’s main electric utility.

Beryl left the Houston metro area — home to roughly 7 million — a morass of flooded streets, downed trees, darkened traffic lights and power lines lying on the ground. At least three deaths were blamed on the storm. Beryl, a Category 1 hurricane when it struck Texas early Monday, already had killed 11 people in a week-long rampage across the Caribbean.

Based on current progress with damage assessment and initial restoration, CenterPoint expects to have power restored to 1 million impacted customers by the end of day on July 10, the company said in a statement late Monday.