Whataburger app used as power outage map by Houstonians
HOUSTON - When in doubt, Texans can always turn to Whataburger for a little bit of help! With CenterPoint not providing a map to help track power outages, Houstonians have discovered the Whataburger app is a suitable alternative!
Through the app, users can see which locations are open and closed. Since Whataburger is open 24 hours, the locations popping up in gray mean they are closed, so the power must be out.
SUGGESTED: Houston power outage on Tuesday: Live Centerpoint, Entergy tracker; report an outage
Whataburger even offered their response on X after user @BBQBryan posted a tweet about the "hack", which received 8.3 million views since Monday night. The restaurant simply replied to his tweet saying, "Well there’s a use for our app we didn’t think of! We hope you and everyone else are okay!"
The restaurant even quote tweeted, stating, "Y’all be safe out there!"
As of 5 p.m. on Tuesday, CenterPoint is reporting that 1,563,595 customers are still without power.
Houstonians have expressed their frustration over the outages and in a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Acting Governor Dan Patrick stated the company would have to answer for themselves if they were prepared and positioned for the hurricane. "If Centerpoint wasn't ready, that's on them," he added.
"While we tracked the projected path, intensity, and timing for Hurricane Beryl closely for many days, this storm proved the unpredictability of hurricanes as it delivered a powerful blow across our service territory and impacted a lot of lives," said Lynnae Wilson, Senior Vice President, CenterPoint Energy. "We know we have important work ahead for our customers who depend on us, especially during the hot summer months."