CYPRESS, Texas — In the final stretch for power restoration, CenterPoint reported that 99% of its customers had power by Friday, July 19, 2024.
But, for others, a different service has been causing headaches this week -- even with their power back on.
Quite a few people in a Cypress neighborhood lost power during Beryl and the May derecho, but now, internet service is the issue, especially for those who have to work from home.
It's forced them to make a big change.
A neighborhood near where 290 hits the Grand Parkway is looking more like it did before Beryl rolled through. Zerin Dube said he watched the powerlines arch and spark before the power went out.
"For our home specifically, we had water coming through our windows," he said.
Knowing so many others experienced a tougher time, he and his family felt lucky getting by with a generator. He said in Texas it’s not a matter of if you'll need one, but when.
"It's almost like we've got to bring our own infrastructure for everything. I have to have a generator for electricity because it's not if the power goes out -- it's when. We're now at about 110 hours on our generator in two months alone," he said.
And he said even with the power back on their problems aren’t over. Having internet service isn’t just about scrolling social media. In many cases, it’s in necessity.
"This is the modern world. We have to have electricity. We have to have internet connectivity, many of us rely on it. People rely on it for their day-to-day or their medical devices," he said.
That’s why this week Dube and some of his neighbors decided to switch providers, leaving after what they called serious delays and poor communication about restoration from Comcast and Xfinity.
In a statement to KHOU 11 News, Xfinity said, in part: "In many cases, our restoration work can’t start until storm debris is cleared and utility crews are done with their work. Because of this, internet service providers are often the last to get their work completed."
Xfinity hasn’t given a clear timeline for a full restoration -- only saying they have a laser focus on making repairs.