12 hours Ago By Maddie Taylor Hartley
A snag in Houston's power grid left the Texas Medical Center in the dark briefly on Monday, affecting multiple hospitals and triggering backup systems. According to FOX 26, the outage started around 4 p.m.
but was quickly resolved, with power being restored by 5:10 p.m. Affected areas, notably garages and lights, saw most services back online, though the cause of the outage remains uncertain.
CenterPoint Energy, the local utility managing the outage, said they were "aware of an outage affecting parts of the Texas Medical Center this afternoon." Assuring residents and hospital officials gathered to assess the power failure, they stated the majority of customers had seen their service returned within an hour. They also confirmed that coordination continued with TMC officials to bring back full power, as conveyed through a statement obtained by FOX 26.
Medical institutions managed the situation with nimble aplomb, as emergency power systems functioned as intended. Houston Methodist and Ben Taub Hospital reported no interruptions to patient care and appointments, respectively. Meanwhile, MD Anderson Cancer Center faced some delays, but assured that normal operations had resumed, according to a statement acquired by Houston Chronicle.
Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center delayed some elective procedures, swiftly moving them forward post-restoration, while a Baylor College of Medicine spokesperson described experiencing a power "blink."Social media reports shed light on outages elsewhere in the medical complex, while Memorial Hermann Health System highlighted their reliance on backup generators, ensuring uninterrupted patient care, as noted in a statement to the Houston Chronicle.
The Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, however, maintained power unaffected by Monday's incident, confirmed by a spokesperson..
