My Carport
Sorry for the delay. I am still without power. CenterPoint sent me this last night:
This afternoon (Monda) CenterPoint Energy mobilized its internal and mutual assistance crews to begin the restoration process to the total 2.265 million customers that lost power during Hurricane Beryl today. Based on current progress with damage assessment and initial restoration, we now expect to have 1 million impacted customers restored by the end of the day on Wednesday, July 10.
I saw this on NextDoor:
Just need to vent: At what point should Centerpoint be held accountable for their utter communication failures? This is NOT directed towards any technicians or linemen, they are doing their damndest and I respect the hell out of them. They are doing their jobs. But corporate Centerpoint is not. This is the second time this year they have botched their coms. And I don’t want to hear, “it was a hurricane!!!”. I have lived here for 30 years and survived 4 hurricanes and countless floods. That is Houston living. If they cannot do the job, they don’t deserve it. If any other company put 2 million people out of service, heads would roll. (Sorry for blunt words but I am hot and sticky in my own home…)
I am sure it is comforting for the 1 million customers who will have power by tomorrow. How about the other 1.3 million.
Our business, civic, and political leaders need to have a serious conversation with CenterPoint. They operate in a hurricane area with a very fragile grid. They need to make a greater investment in their infrastructure.
Commentary’s carport collapsed on my ride yesterday. See the featured photo. I was able to remove the debris. The insurance company is sending a debris removal company over tomorrow to clean up the mess. My next-door neighbor’s fence fell against my house yesterday.
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I just saw this.
SVREP and WCVI Mourn the Loss of its Chairman of the Board of Directors
Southwest Voter Registration Education Project (SVREP) and William C. Velásquez Institute (WCVI) mourn the incredible loss to the Latino community from the passing of Juan Maldonado. He served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of SVREP and WCVI. Juan Maldonado died on July 5, 2024 after battling an illness.
As the Chairman of the Board of Directors of both organizations for more than 36 years, he worked tirelessly to mobilize Latino voters, promote civic participation and improve the lives of immigrants living in the United States. He was a Chicano leader and activist. Juan dedicated his life to the transformation of the Latino community, from one who was invisible to one that had the power to transform communities.
Juan Maldonado was a longtime friend, compadre to the late William C. Velásquez. He was a friend to Andrew Hernandez, Antonio González and Lydia Camarillo. Juan Maldonado as Chairman worked closely with the four SVREP and WCVI presidents.
As the SVREP Chairman of the Board of Directors, Juan Maldonado saw Latino political power expand from 1974 to 2024, from 2.4 million to 20.6 million registered voters. Under his leadership, Latino voters were the decisive vote in the 2016 and 2020 elections, as well as the 2021 US Senate runoff elections in Georgia.
As Chairman of the Board of Directors of WCVI, Juan was part of the delegations that traveled with Velásquez, Hernandez and González to observe the Nicaraguan, Salvadoran, South African, Mexican, and Venezuelan electoral processes in from 1990 to 2014.
Juan Maldonado dedicated his life to fighting against anti-immigrant, anti-Latino policies. As Chairman of SVREP and WCVI, Juan was a key member of the efforts both organizations have undertaken over the last five decades.
Juan Maldonado first met William Velásquez when he served as Mayor of San Juan in 1977. He was elected to the San Juan City Commission in 1971. Juan tore down barriers and opened the doors in the Rio Grande Valley.
Juan Maldonado transformed the political power of Latinos in San Juan and across the Rio Grande Valley. Juan Maldonado is survived by his wife Debra Maldonado, his son, Juan, and family and friends.
I met Juan in 1976 during the Jimmy Carter campaign for president, He helped organize the Rio Grande Valley for Carter. He also helped run Cong. Bob Krueger’s campaign for U.S. Senate in South Texas in 1978. He was a former Chair of the Mexican American Democrats of Texas back in the 1980s. It has been a while since I last saw him. He was a great guy.
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The team is back in action this evening at The Yard as they host the Marlins for three.
