When Hurricane Beryl slammed into the Texas Gulf Coast, it left more than two-million CenterPoint Energy customers in the Houston area without power. It took several days, in some cases longer, for CenterPoint to restore electricity. That left customers without lights and air conditioning in sweltering heat far longer than anyone expected.
The anger and frustration among customers were compounded by the utility’s mixed and incomplete messaging on several fronts. The news story below gives a good overview of the issues that angered the community. Pay special attention to the reporter’s closing remarks about CenterPoint officials giving out conflicting figures on one of those issues.
We’re not in a position to judge CenterPoint’s overall planning. But we can judge the utility’s public communications, especially the confusing release of three different numbers of out-of-town crews trying to restore power. The conflicting numbers gave the impression CenterPoint was not on top of the situation and left customers with little confidence that the utility knew what it was doing.
In a crisis, a company or organization needs to speak with one voice. It should settle on facts and figures and make sure anyone speaking to the media understands them. All media requests should go through the communications office and the office should ensure that everyone is on the same page.
CenterPoint paid a serious public relations price for its communications during the crisis. We urge you and all our clients not to make the same mistake.