Nearly a week after Hurricane Beryl hit Texas, approximately 270,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area remain without power.

On Sunday, Gov. Greg Abbott announced an investigation into the response and preparedness of the utility company, CenterPoint Energy.

Abbott emphasized the necessity for Gulf Coast power companies to be hurricane-ready and criticized the slow recovery pace.

CenterPoint Energy has restored power to about 2 million customers since the storm on July 8, but the delays have raised concerns about their preparedness, the Associated Press has reported.

Abbott plans to send a letter to the Public Utility Commission of Texas, demanding an investigation into the prolonged restoration process and requesting solutions to prevent future outages.

He gave CenterPoint until the end of the month to outline plans for reducing power outages, including detailed vegetation management strategies.

Written by B.C. Begley