Repair Workers under Threat after Hurricane Beryl

Houston, TX (WorkersCompensation.com) – Utility company officials and law enforcement say that threats hurled at workers trying to restore power after Hurricane Beryl are unacceptable.

CenterPoint Energy officials said utility workers trying to restore power one week after the hurricane were subjected to threats from frustrated residents. In some cases, threats and confrontations have prompted police escorts and pleas from authorities to leave the linemen alone so they can work.

“I understand the anger and frustration of being without electricity, but you don’t take it into your own hands and harass or threaten the linemen,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire said. "Linemen are our friends and are doing their job. Do not threaten them. Let's get through this together.”

Houston police said they have investigated more than four cases involving threats to workers, both in person and online.

Officials said residents shouted at resting workers that they “don’t deserve to eat” and in some cases pointed AK-47 guns at them as they worked. Ed Allen, a representative for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 66 said in a press conference that workers were from neighboring communities and states, and were being threatened as they did their work.

“We’ve had guys with guns pulled on them. We’ve had guys with rocks picked up and slung at them. We’ve had people brandishing AK-47s at them. It needs to stop,” Allen said.

Allen said one crew of workers said to him that while they were working in a suburban neighborhood, several men stood across the street holding assault type rifles in a menacing way.

"It is very disheartening to see the community that I've worked in and that I've dedicated my life to provide electricity to act the way they have during this event," Allen said.

A 38-year-old man was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after pointing a gun at a utility worker on July 13.  Anthony Leonard allegedly threw rocks and pointed a gun at a group of CenterPoint Energy workers who were at a staging area.

On Tuesday, Leonard was still in jail, according to the Associated Press.

As of July 14, more than 385,000 people were without power, nearly a week after the hurricane hit Houston. Three heat-related deaths have been attributed to the power loss, according to KHOU.

CenterPoint Energy said 98 percent of the customers who are impacted would have power by the end of July 17. The company restored power to more than 2 million customers as of July 15.

However, the company said, it has received multiple reports of violence against its workers.

CenterPoint CEO Jason Wells said more than 100 line workers had to be evacuated from the staging area on Saturday due to threats. Those threats, he said, are counterproductive.

"So many of our fellow Houstonians have addressed this situation with patience and grace. And I want to thank them. But unfortunately, there have been instances where either acts of violence have been threatened or actually committed against our crews that are working this vital restoration. This is unacceptable. The safety of our crews is paramount," Wells said.

Other threats were more directly physical.

“This includes reports of a drive-by shooting at one of our staging sites and several crews having guns pulled on them the past two days,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement. “This morning someone stopped and began hitting one of our mutual assistance trucks with a pipe.”

Harris County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Mike Lee said his agency is also investigating a break-in of a CenterPoint vehicle and three cases where residents refused to let linemen enter their properties.

Energy company officials and union representatives have called for the harassment and threats to stop, saying it can delay power restoration.

“All that does is make it harder and longer to get your lights back on,” Allen said.

Texas officials said power should have been restored sooner, and that the power company needs to be held accountable for delays, Allen said.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbot called for the utility companies to be investigated for the delays in power restoration.

“The failure of power companies to provide power to their customers is unacceptable. CenterPoint has repeatedly failed to deliver power to its customers,” Abbot said in a July 14 news release.

Hurricane Beryl hit Houston on July 8, and knocked out power for more than 2 million customers, officials said.

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