As climate change drives more severe weather, Houston remains unprepared for the deadly combination of power outages and extreme heat following hurricanes.
By Niko Kommenda, Shannon Osaka and Simon Ducroquet report for The Washington Post.
In short:
- Tropical Storm Beryl left two-thirds of Houston homes without power, with some outages lasting over a week, compounding the heat-related risks.
- Experts predict future blackouts and heat waves will claim more lives as cities like Houston have aging power grids, vulnerable infrastructure and little preparation.
- Hospitals and critical services were overwhelmed as residents, especially those dependent on electricity for medical devices, struggled to survive.
Key quote:
“I think it’s an absolute certainty that we will have an extreme heat wave and an extended blackout in the United States.”
— Brian Stone, professor and director of the Urban Climate Lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology
Why this matters:
Houston’s vulnerability to hurricanes and heat waves is worsened by its aging infrastructure. As climate change intensifies, prolonged power outages during heat waves could turn deadly, with cities needing better preparation to protect their populations.
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