"Powerless: How Hurricane Beryl devastated the country’s fourth largest city and the energy company’s decisions that kept millions in the dark"

INVESTIGATIVE CATEGORY — SHOWCASE Silver winner

Houston Chronicle
Contributors: Neena Satija, Mike Morris, Claire Hao, Amanda Drane, Eric Dexheimer
07/12/2024

In the crucible of Hurricane Beryl – a storm that devastated Houston, claimed at least 27 lives across Texas and left more than 2.2 million residents without power – the Houston Chronicle delivered journalism that was not only immediate and essential but also unflinching in its focus on accountability.

This entry showcases our newsroom’s dedication to investigative rigor. The revelations in this work led to the kind of impact all investigative journalists aspire to achieve. It prompted Texas lawmakers to read our reporting into the record and regulators to investigate CenterPoint Energy – the utility company that left millions in the dark. It led the CEO of CenterPoint to apologize to the nation’s fourth largest city and change several of the company’s policies and practices. And it inspired legislators to introduce bills to clawback electricity rate increases.

The Chronicle’s first accountability story was published just hours after the storm hit, as CenterPoint failed to provide the public with estimates for when power would return: “When will power be back in Houston after Beryl? CenterPoint says it could be a while.” The story dissected CenterPoint Energy's delayed response and the cascading failures that left vulnerable residents in the dark for days.

Less than two weeks after the storm, investigative reporters Neena Satija and Mike Morris broke the news that almost none of the $800 million mobile generators leased by CenterPoint – and paid for by the company’s ratepayers – had been deployed while power was out.

Satija and energy reporter Claire Hao followed up with reporting on how Texas lawmakers enabled CenterPoint to lease the generators despite a questionable bidding process. The coverage prompted a state lawmaker to file a bill to refund Houstonians for the rate hikes that pay for the generators, and CenterPoint pledged to forgo $110 million in profit, including $40 million of prospective profit from the generators.

Another investigation revealed that CenterPoint failed to address a critical preventive issue – tree maintenance along nearly 30,000 miles of power lines, leaving essential infrastructure vulnerable. Houston state Sen. Carol Alvarado printed out a copy of the article and read from it at a hearing less than a month after the storm. In response, CenterPoint said it would commit more resources to vegetation maintenance – both in terms of staffing and coverage area.

Reporters Morris, Satija, Amanda Drane and Eric Dexheimer then scrutinized the political influence of CenterPoint with coverage of “The Pond” — a private retreat in Chambers County where the utility company wines and dines lawmakers. Soon after publication, Wells informed the public that the company is “reassessing” the use of the facility for entertaining elected officials in the future.

We did this work as our staffers struggled to work from their own homes, some of which were damaged or flooded, and without reliable power, air conditioning, internet or cell service because our entire building was without the same for days.

MAIN LINK to content online

Additional links to supporting content online:
CenterPoint spent $800M on generators. Where are they post-Beryl?
CenterPoint calls $800M generators a good deal. Documents raise doubts.
CenterPoint uses private Houston-area retreat to lobby Texas leaders.
CenterPoint's political reach is broader than other major utilities.
Is it CenterPoint's fault that tree limbs caused Beryl power outages?
Other states braced their grids for disaster while Texas dilly-dallied.
Texas lawmakers blasting CenterPoint’s generator deal also enabled it.
CenterPoint CEO: I apologize. Houston's grid will be better.

Submitted by Yaffa Fredrick.