Austin Energy Crews Headed to Houston to Assist in Hurricane Beryl Recovery

July 9, 2024

Austin Energy is sending 20 lineworkers and support personnel to the Houston area to help with restoration efforts in the wake of Hurricane Beryl, which left more than two million people without power.

The Austin Energy team leave Tuesday, July 9 with bucket trucks and support vehicles to help restore power to affected communities. The team is prepared to provide assistance for up to a week.

“Providing mutual aid in natural disasters is something our lineworkers take great pride in and our crews will work hard to restore power to families in Houston,” said Elton Richards, Austin Energy Vice President of Electric System Field Operations. “Any opportunity to train and hone our craft is a benefit to our community as well as those impacted by Hurricane Beryl.”

Austin Energy received the request for mutual aid from CenterPoint Energy, which estimates restoration efforts will take days or weeks and is enlisting approximately 12,000 lineworkers and vegetation management professionals for mutual assistance support.

What is public power mutual aid?

Mutual aid is just what it sounds like — utilities helping each other in times of need to help rebuild communities devastated by natural disasters. Lineworkers and other electric utility personnel come together in an emergency to restore power to communities and turn the lights back on. A national mutual aid agreement links more than 1,100 utilities so they can help each other in times of need. Some public power utilities may also have other local, state, and regional contracts and agreements in place to render mutual aid.

About Austin Energy
Customer Driven. Community Focused.
Austin Energy, the City of Austin’s electric utility, serves more than 550,000 customer accounts and more than one million residents in Greater Austin. The utility’s mission — to safely deliver clean, affordable, reliable energy and excellent customer service — has guided Austin Energy in powering the community and supporting the region’s growth since 1895. For more information about Austin Energy, visit austinenergy.com.