People on ventilators struggle without power after weather disasters

Power grids across the U.S. are crashing more frequently and outages lasting longer as a warming atmosphere carries more water and triggers more destructive storms, according to an AP analysis of government data. A “bomb cyclone” in the Pacific Northwest this week caused nearly half a million outages.

People with disabilities and chronic health conditions are particularly at risk when power goes out, and many live in homes that lack the weatherproofing and backup power supplies needed to better cope with high temperatures and freezing temperatures, or are unable to pay their utility bills. Diana Hernandez, a Columbia University professor of sociomedical sciences who studies energy instability in U.S. homes.

At any given time, 1 in 3 U.S. households are “actively trying to avoid disconnection or dealing with the consequences,” Hernandez said.

As another winter approaches in Texas, people can’t shake the fear of another power outage that left millions without power for days and killed more than 200 people during the 2021 cold freeze. Despite efforts to build greater resiliency, a winter storm this strong could still cause outages, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages much of the state’s power grid.

Beryl also knocked out power to millions of people for days, making many sick in the sweltering July heat. Local and state officials have heaped criticism on Houston’s power utility, CenterPoint Energy, saying it should have communicated more clearly, taken more preventative measures such as trimming trees before the storm hit and repaired downed power lines more quickly. The utility’s response is under investigation by the Texas attorney general’s office.

CenterPoint says it is now focused on improving resiliency, customer communications and community partnerships with one defining goal: “to build the most resilient coastal network in the country that can better withstand the harsh weather conditions of the future.”

Meanwhile, Texas lawmakers are debating whether assisted living facilities need more regulation. One suggestion: Requiring people to have enough emergency generator fuel to power life-saving equipment and keep indoor temperatures safe during extended power outages, as Florida did after the scandal over hurricane-related nursing home deaths.

The legislative panel also reviewed emergency responses this month. According to city and state officials, regulated facilities and care centers fare better than non-regulated places, such as senior communities. That meant hundreds of apartment complexes and private homes serving older adults were likely more prone to losing power and going without food.

“We have to find a way to flag these facilities or have them go into computer dispatch systems,” said Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Department of Emergency Management. “There are so many in our city that we have no idea until we get a 911 call to that facility,” he said.

Since 2003, Texas power companies have been required to give medically vulnerable households advance notice of planned outages by submitting a form with a doctor’s approval. But that law did not require utilities to share those lists with state or local emergency management agencies.

Multiple states have similar regulatory requirements, and 38 states have policies aimed at preventing disconnections during extreme weather, according to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. In Colorado, medically vulnerable residents are protected from disconnection for up to 90 days. In Arkansas, utilities cannot shut off power to people 65 and older if temperatures are predicted to rise above 94 degrees Fahrenheit (34 Celsius).

In Houston, Rubit and her daughter share one of about 3,000 households where unreliable electricity can quickly become a matter of life or death because at least one person needs an electrically powered medical device, according to CenterPoint’s public filings. The utility offers such households payment plans to keep the power on when they can’t pay their bills.

Belinda Taylor, who runs a joint nonprofit with the management company, said the utility’s efforts offered little consolation to community members at the Commons of Grace, a senior living center in Houston, where the outages have left life unforgettable for more than 100 residents. He said he had become a part of it.

“I’m disappointed we’re not getting the services we need,” Taylor said. “It’s ridiculous that we have to suffer.”

Sharon Burks, who lives at Commons of Grace, said the situation became unbearable when the power went out. He is 63 years old and uses a breathing machine due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which causes shortness of breath. He had to resort to a battery-powered breathing pump, which was not intended to be used for long periods of time.

“I didn’t expect anything from CenterPoint,” Burks said. “We are always the last ones to get it.”