North Houston homeowner still waiting on CenterPoint after tree falls on powerline during Hurricane Beryl

HOUSTON – A north Houston homeowner says he called CenterPoint Energy almost weekly -- trying to get them to remove limbs that fell on a power line in July when Hurricane Beryl hit the area.

When Tropical Storm Francine formed the in the Gulf of Mexico, he got concern and finally reached out to us through KPRC 2 Help Desk.

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Two months later, Louis Darling said CenterPoint finally sent a crew to cut the branches off the power line.

“I’m happy the tree is going,” he said. “Hopefully I won’t spend another nine days if we end up with the same situation. But at the same time. I’m glad it’s going. It’s gone. I don’t have to deal with it no more. It’s just a headache.”

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In the days and weeks after Hurricane Beryl hit, CenterPoint Energy says its meeting its “Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative,” including removing vegetation from high-risk vegetation areas.

CenterPoint Energy reported to the Public Utility Commission of Texas that it has spent more than $35 million trimming trees and vegetation in 2023, but the PUC doesn’t require the company to report where the maintenance was completed.

“This is the problem from eight years. Ten years ago, they came here ten years ago to cut,” Darling said.