A Houston-area man uses the Whataburger app to check for power outages around him after Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Texas.
“The Whataburger app works as a power outage tracker, which is handy since the power company doesn’t show a map,” BBQBryan said in a post on X. “There are still nearly 1.9 million power outages.”
According to PowerOutage.us, an independent website that tracks power outages in the United States, more than 2 million Texans are still without power. Beryl hit the Gulf Coast around 4 a.m. Tuesday as a Category 1 hurricane. Winds of 65 mph downed power lines and trees. At least eight people are dead and millions are without power.
Texas has more than 300 power companies, all of which operate somewhat differently. Many of them, in fact almost all of them, maintain power outage maps that are updated in real time. This allows customers to see how severe an outage is and where work is being done to restore power. Websites like PowerOutage.us and USA Today’s tracking map simply aggregate the data published by these local power companies.
The Houston-area power company blocking its customers from viewing an outage map appears to be CenterPoint Energy. “CenterPoint Energy’s primary outage management system is currently offline,” a note on PowerOutage.us states. “Currently, they can only provide the number of outage customers across their entire service territory.”
There could be several reasons for this. Outage maps are often real-time, with information communicated to the power company via on-site receivers that are part of an outage management system (OMS). These systems are often so accurate that power companies can pinpoint the location of a street or individual customer experiencing a power outage. CenterPoint continues to list outage numbers on its website, but does not provide a detailed map.
Customers don’t always need this much information, and a massive outage like this can put a strain on the OMS system. It takes a lot of data and energy to communicate this amount of information in real time. It’s possible that CenterPoint turned off real-time updates to its OMS system so as not to overload the system. This is a fairly common practice during major events like a hurricane. CenterPoint did not respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment.
Americans, deprived of reliable information about natural disasters, are turning their lonely eyes to what has long been their comfort: fast-food restaurants. Whataburger, a popular Texas-based fast-food joint, has an app that provides real-time information on which restaurants are open and closed. The app runs 24/7, allowing Houston users to check the map and get a sense of the status of power restoration when the orange W lights light up. The app is similar to the Waffle House Index, an old FEMA maxim that says you can tell how prepared a region is for a natural disaster by how quickly the local Waffle House reopens after one strikes.
“Whataburger is that friend that’s there for you in good times and bad. We’re glad the Whataburger app has helped Houstonians understand where power is available in the city,” Whataburger CEO Ed Nelson told Gizmodo in an email. “Keep in mind that the app should only be used as a general idea of power availability. We encourage residents to call local units to see if they’re open and operating. Everyone, please be careful if you leave your home.”
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