People on breathing machines struggle without power after weather disasters

Associated Press/Report for America

HOUSTON (AP) — Extreme weather is making power outages longer and more frequent across the U.S. People with health conditions who depend on medical devices powered by electricity are particularly vulnerable. In Texas, these people can get notified in advance about planned blackouts, but that doesn’t help in a disaster. Texas lawmakers are looking at solutions, such as requiring nursing facilities to keep enough generator fuel to keep backup power on for days. Houston’s CenterPoint Energy was showered with blame after a 10-day blackout following Hurricane Beryl in July. The utility is working on a resiliency plan, but remains under investigation by the Texas attorney general.