Current:Home > NewsWhataburger outage map? Texans use burger chain's app for power updates after Beryl-LoTradeCoin
Whataburger outage map? Texans use burger chain's app for power updates after Beryl
View Date:2024-12-23 23:32:14
Move over, Waffle House Index, another restaurant-turned-disaster-tracker has entered the scene.
Texans, who have experienced mass power outages and property destruction thanks to Hurricane Beryl, have been searching for updates from energy provider CenterPoint Energy, which has been grappling with over 2 million power outages since Monday.
But the energy provider's outage map has been out of operation since a derecho hit the area in May, Houston Landing reported.
The lack of communication has inspired some Texans to turn away from official updates from the utility provider in favor of a familiar name: Whataburger.
CenterPoint customers who feel left in the dark have taken to the burger chain's app for information on their local power outages. Specifically, they are looking at the chain's location map, which is color-coded with the classic "W" logo showing orange if the restaurant is open and grey if it's closed − in this case, likely due to a lack of power.
One particularly keen-eyed Houstonian posted this discovery on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday, receiving more than 7 million views and 24,000 likes by Tuesday afternoon.
"The Whataburger app works as a power outage tracker, handy since the electric company doesn't show a map." said user @BBQBryan, who posted a screencap of the locator tool on the Whataburger app.
Sure enough, the map, which was zoomed into the Houston area, showed a smattering of greyed-out icons with a handful of orange. Whataburger told USA TODAY that the app is updated in real-time as restaurants become operational.
Texas power outage map:Beryl leaves millions without power, heads toward Mississippi
"We’re glad the Whataburger app has been helpful to Houston residents to understand where power is available in the city," Whataburger President and CEO Ed Nelson said in a statement to USA TODAY.
"Keep in mind, the app should only be used as a general idea of power availability," Nelson continued. "We encourage residents to call local units to see if they are open and operating. Everyone please be safe if you leave your home.”
USA TODAY reached out to CenterPoint for comment.
Texas power outage map
Over 2 million without power after Beryl hits Texas
In a post on X, CenterPoint said it had deployed 12,000 field workers to restore the 1 million customers still without service by the end of the day Wednesday.
Another post, shared by Texas State Senator Carol Alvarado, estimated on Monday that more than 2.2 million customers were initially left without power. In comments beneath, some reported an inability to get ahold of CenterPoint via phone, while similarly disgruntled customers took to the comments beneath CenterPoint's own posts.
Many claimed they were unable to get any updates on the status of their service via phone, email or website. Others pointed out that the outage map is prone to going down during major incidents, leaving them frustrated and turning to other resources like word-of-mouth and, well, Whataburger.
As of Tuesday afternoon, an outage map was still unavailable on the CenterPoint website. Just after 4 p.m. ET, a live counter on the site reported about 1.6 million customers affected by outages and 849,518 customers with restored service.
The company noted phone hold times are longer than usual and suggested signing up for its emergency alert system to stay up to date.
Of the 165 Whataburger locations in the larger Houston area, about half are open and running, Whataburger told USA TODAY Tuesday afternoon.
Almost all of the Texas locations still closed at that time were heavily concentrated around Houston, though social media users reported that some that showed as "open" on the map were closed or operating in a limited capacity despite seeming to have power.
Beryl, which began as the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record, swept through the Caribbean last week before making landfall on the Texas coast early Monday. While it had weakened to a Category 1 hurricane by the time it arrived in the U.S., the storm still caused mass flooding, trapping people in their homes and cars, knocking out power amid a dangerous heatwave and killing at least eight in Texas and Louisiana.
veryGood! (4)
Related
- She was found dead while hitchhiking in 1974. An arrest has finally been made.
- How 2024 Caribbean Series was influenced by MLB legend Ralph Avila | Nightengale's Notebook
- 5.1 magnitude earthquake near Oklahoma City felt in 5 states, USGS says
- Grim California weather forecast says big cities could face 'life-threatening flooding'
- Mississippi woman pleads guilty to stealing Social Security funds
- Glen Powell Responds to His Mom Describing His Past Styles as Douchey
- The destruction of a Jackie Robinson statue was awful. What happened next was amazing.
- Dog rescued by Coast Guard survived in shipping container for 8 days with no food, water
- Republican Dan Newhouse wins reelection to US House in Washington
- A story about sports, Black History Month, a racist comment, and the greatest of pilots
Ranking
- Where is 'College GameDay' for Week 12? Location, what to know for ESPN show
- Oklahoma jarred by 5.1 magnitude earthquake
- Dua Lipa Is Ready to Dance the Night Away in Her 2024 Grammys Look
- Who Is Kelly Osbourne's Masked Date at the 2024 Grammys? Why This Scary Look Actually Makes Perfect Sense
- Satellite images and documents indicate China working on nuclear propulsion for new aircraft carrier
- At least 46 were killed in Chile as forest fires move into densely populated areas
- Off-duty Nebraska police officers shoot and kill two men
- 5 Capitol riot defendants who led first breach on Jan. 6 found guilty at trial
Recommendation
-
13 escaped monkeys still on the loose in South Carolina after 30 were recaptured
-
Arab American leaders urge Michigan to vote uncommitted and send message to Biden about Israel policy
-
Workers safe after gunmen take hostages at Procter & Gamble factory in Turkey in apparent protest of Gaza war
-
Japanese embassy says Taylor Swift should comfortably make it in time for the Super Bowl
-
Oklahoma school district adding anti-harassment policies after nonbinary teen’s death
-
How Euphoria's Colman Domingo Met His Husband Through Craigslist
-
Jason Kelce praises Taylor Swift and defends NFL for coverage during games
-
Maluma Reveals the Fatherhood Advice He Got From Marc Anthony