Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis stated Sunday morning that the state’s response to Hurricane Beryl “was clearly inadequate” and that local and county officials must hold Texas leaders and systems accountable for improving conditions for future weather occurrences.
WFAA reporter Jason Whitely hosted Ellis on Inside Texas Politics on Sunday, which aired on TEGNA stations throughout the state. Whitely questioned Ellis on why Southeast Texas, particularly Harris County, suffered so much from Beryl, which claimed at least 22 lives and knocked out power to more than 2.2 million CenterPoint Energy customers. Ellis said a lot of factors were at play, but basically, Beryl arrived as a one-of-a-kind “unnatural” disaster that struck an unprepared Texas, especially less than two months after a derecho caused similar but smaller-scale destruction.
“It’s not as predictable coming right after the derecho,” Ellis told reporters. It hit us, and we were unprepared, so I always say these are ‘unnatural’ disasters.” Climate change is real; “What are we going to do to be more resilient over the long haul?”
Ellis went on to argue that state leaders botched the disaster response by delaying submitting a federal help request to the White House. Days after Beryl struck, President Joe Biden accused Gov. Greg Abbott, who was on an economic development tour in East Asia, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who was acting in Abbott’s place, for the delayed reaction. Abbott and Patrick responded, alleging that they had spoken with federal officials and that Biden was lying.
Either way, federal assistance arrived in Texas on July 9, one day after Beryl struck Southeast Texas. Three days later, Biden modified the disaster proclamation to include additional cash for the state. Ellis claimed it wasn’t satisfactory enough.
“The state’s response was clearly inadequate this time around,” Ellis said to the crowd. “I mean, the paperwork should have followed its normal path, knowing that something was coming. Instead of changing it later, they should have signed and sent the documentation to the White House as a precaution.
Ellis also stated on Sunday morning that the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) “has not done its job” in guaranteeing that citizens in Southeast Texas would not be without power for days, if not weeks, after Beryl pounded the area. Ellis emphasized the need to pose serious questions to CenterPoint and other utilities, both now and in the future, and suggested that the state should explore ways to include “more players” in the current energy monopoly.
Ellis cautioned Whitely that the Atlantic hurricane season has just commenced and anticipates a higher number of hurricanes than usual across the ocean. Ellis emphasized the need for policymakers to challenge state systems both now and in the future, while also focusing on immediate actions to improve conditions for the remainder of the summer.
“If I were CenterPoint, I’d do everything I could to restore electricity and prepare for the next storm of the season. And if it means spending money from my bottom line, I’ll do it because I believe the heat will be on,” Ellis added. “This will have a significant impact on our ability to attract people and industries to Texas, not only in Harris County but throughout Texas.”
