Over two and a half million Texans are now without power as a result of Hurricane Beryl.
CenterPoint Electricity estimates that 2.26 million consumers were reported to have lost power during the hurricane.
Interestingly, some people in the Houston region have advised using Whataburger’s web map to discover open locations if you’re looking for a gas station, restaurant, or air conditioning in East Texas.
Typically, Whataburger restaurants are open around the clock. On the chain’s online map, the 164 locations in the Houston region are represented by an orange-and-white W.
If the gray logo indicates that the site is closed and likely without power, it is a clever life hack. Online users dubbed the app “WATTaburger.”
Previously, there was a measurement dubbed “The Waffle House” index. Damage from storms and the severity of any natural disaster were measured by the number of Waffle Houses that were still open.
Whataburger president and CEO Ed Nelson, however, recommended that locals call them just to be sure.
On Monday, eight people were killed when the superstorm pounded the southern state with howling winds and heavy rain. Millions were without power, and the public frantically attempted to reach CenterPoint for information. That is when some social media users started tracking the outages with the burger company’s app.
Wednesday morning saw the introduction of a tracking map by CenterPoint Energy, which showed the areas that had power restored. There were about 1.3 million people who still did not have electricity as of Wednesday morning.
Unusually early in the year, Beryl intensified to a Category 5 storm, the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2024 season, in part due to hot ocean temperatures.
With 165 mph wind gusts, it became the first Atlantic hurricane ever recorded as a Category 5. Due to hurricane damage, many Houston area hospitals closed their doors to non-emergency appointments on Tuesday.
Hospitals that are up and running use electricity from generators.
