A complex in southwest Houston was without power for nearly two days.
Their electricity is now back on, but some residents told ABC13 they planned to stay somewhere else if the power wasn’t restored.
It happened at the Westbury Square Townhomes off of Chimney Rock.
“I slept with a rag over my face and my body to try and stay cool,” resident Kathy Metcalf said.
Metcalf said that starting at 4 a.m. on Saturday, she and her neighbors were without power. When ABC13 arrived at the complex on Sunday afternoon after residents reached out, many people were standing outside, seeking relief from the heat in their homes.
“It’s cooler out here than it is inside,” Metcalf said.
Residents said there are people with medical needs that require electricity to store medications.
“There’s people suffering. People with diabetes, elderly people. They can’t take 100 degrees heat or just your medication alone. I have diabetes and take medication myself,” said resident Frank Edwards.
CenterPoint Energy sent ABC13 a statement saying this was related to damage to customer-owned equipment on the property, not CenterPoint equipment.
The utilities company said that since Saturday, they have been working with the homeowners’ association leadership to address the issue.
“People need cooling. They need access to electricity as a basic human need,” said resident Angela Furnari.
On Sunday evening at around 7:30 p.m., crews restored power. Residents could be heard cheering when the lights turned back on.
But even with the electricity fixed, residents told ABC13 that they worry about potential issues in the future. They said these are older townhomes, and they’d like to see the HOA prioritize updates to the complex’s electrical system and other maintenance needs.