Residents at northeast Houston apartment complex without power for more than a day
Residents complain about lights being out at Northlake Manor Apartments
Residents at a Humble apartment complex say they have been without electricity for more than a day, leaving some concerned about the heat, spoiled food and medication that needs to stay refrigerated. FOX 26's Leslie DelasBour has more.
UPDATE:
HUMBLE, Texas - Resident informs FOX 26 at 6:05, the power was restored.
What they're saying:
In a statement to FOX 26, we're told, "At approximately 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, power was lost to the property. Management immediately contacted CenterPoint and was advised that there was an outage in the area. CenterPoint responded Tuesday evening and restored power to the majority of the property; however, two buildings remained without electricity.
We immediately contacted our electrician, who responded to the property Tuesday evening. During their inspection, they identified an issue involving a blown CenterPoint fuse. CenterPoint was contacted again and returned to the property Wednesday morning.
After CenterPoint addressed the fuse, our electricians were able to continue troubleshooting and identified an underground electrical short on the property's side of the system. They immediately began the necessary repairs, including pulling and repairing the affected wiring.
The repairs were completed, and power was restored to the remaining buildings at approximately 4:00 p.m. today. As of this afternoon, all buildings at Northlake Manor Apartments have power.
We understand how difficult it is for residents to be without electricity, particularly during the summer heat, and we take those concerns seriously. From the time the outage was reported, our management team remained in contact with CenterPoint and our electrical contractor and worked continuously to identify the cause and restore power as quickly as possible.
We appreciate our residents' patience while CenterPoint, our management team, and our electrical contractor worked through the multiple issues affecting service."
PREVIOUS COVERAGE
Residents at a Humble apartment complex say they have been without electricity for more than a day, leaving some concerned about the heat, spoiled food and medication that needs to stay refrigerated.
FOX 26 spoke with residents at Northlake Manor Apartments who say their power went out at different times Tuesday.
What they're saying:
Residents describe a night without power
Nina Christian told FOX 26 her electricity went out Tuesday afternoon. She said one of her neighbors lost power earlier that morning.
Christian said she contacted CenterPoint and was initially told electricity could be restored by 5 p.m. Tuesday. She said CenterPoint crews came to the complex, but the power did not come back on.
As the outage continued, Christian said she sent her niece somewhere else to stay and ultimately slept outside overnight on her porch because of the heat inside her apartment.
She said she is also concerned about food going bad and neighbors with medical conditions who need to keep medication refrigerated.
Christian said she wished management had allowed affected residents to temporarily use empty units with electricity to cool off or keep essential items cold.
She told FOX 26 she pays about $1500 a month and said she is not looking to get anyone in trouble or asking for a reduction in her rent. She simply wants the problem fixed.
Resident worried about $1,200 insulin
FOX 26 also spoke with Patrice Seville, who said her power went out Tuesday morning.
Seville has diabetes and said one of her biggest concerns is keeping her insulin refrigerated. She said the medication costs about $1,200.
She described the experience as miserable and said she feels residents have been brushed off while trying to get answers about when their electricity will return.
Seville said she has received back-and-forth information about the outage and wishes affected residents had been allowed to use empty units with electricity, even temporarily, to cool off or keep food and medication cold.
She also said she was told the apartment office manager contacted the electric company about the problem, but believes more should have been done to make sure crews arrived and the issue was addressed.
What CenterPoint says
FOX 26 reached out to Northlake Manor Apartments and the property's management company for comment, but had not received a response at the time of publication.
While at the complex Wednesday, FOX 26 saw what appeared to be an electrician working at the property.
CenterPoint told FOX 26 that a repair needs to be completed on the customer's side — in this case, the apartment complex — before CenterPoint can complete its work.
Once the necessary repair is completed, CenterPoint says its crews can return to complete their work and restore electricity.
The Source: FOX 26 Reporter Leslie DelasBour spoke with