Beryl Barreling Our Way?

[Rafe]

‘CenterPointless’ graffiti painted on I-10 as Houstonians grow frustrated with power outages reaching day 4

More than 1 million CenterPoint customers are still without power four days after Hurricane Beryl hit, with temperatures soaring into the mid-90s. Despite the company's efforts to restore power and their newly launched restoration status tracker, many find the tool confusing and inaccurate...

www.click2houston.com

Clever. I didn't think of it. Could have printed and sold T-shirts...

 

[Havok1]

I don’t blame anyone for wanting perdiem. Living out of hotels and having to eat out all the time is costly.

 

[smittyb]

I don’t blame anyone for wanting perdiem. Living out of hotels and having to eat out all the time is costly.

Accommodations and meals have always been provided in the past. Definitely not 4 star, but still.
I do not know if that has changed this time around. There is a LOT of new upper management in the past 2-3 years.

 

[Havok1]

Accommodations and meals have always been provided in the past. Definitely not 4 star, but still.
I do not know if that has changed this time around. There is a LOT of new upper management in the past 2-3 years.

provided as in they give them food in place of per diem? That sounds like that would be tough to do.

 

[popper]

when the big (D) cities decide to put $ into infrastructure (instead of their pockets) we will ALWAYS have these problems. Bad roads and overhead power lines. And emergency gen in the (flooded) basement.

 

[Vaquero]

I don’t blame anyone for wanting perdiem. Living out of hotels and having to eat out all the time is costly.

If FEMA is there, it's kinda a different deal.
You get food, water, a roof over your head.
But it doesn't stop per diem. Not on the storms I've worked.
Maybe it's a different thing now.

I haven't worked a hurricane since 2005.
And I haven't missed it either.

 

[Vaquero]

when the big (D) cities decide to put $ into infrastructure (instead of their pockets) we will ALWAYS have these problems. Bad roads and overhead power lines. And emergency gen in the (flooded) basement.

Only in municipal utility situations.
This ain't one. Centerpoint is investor owned and doesn't answer to any city council or mayor.
They're losing money at an alarming rate right now.
They want the meters turning almost as bad as the people without power.

 

[Havok1]

If FEMA is there, it's kinda a different deal.
You get food, water, a roof over your head.
But it doesn't stop per diem. Not on the storms I've worked.
Maybe it's a different thing now.

I haven't worked a hurricane since 2005.
And I haven't missed it either.

I’ve seen trucks stopped at various places that I would have to assume was for a meal break. I don’t work for a utility company, but it would seem to me that trying to get food to every crew several times a day would be a logistical nightmare. If they are doing it though and actually providing adequate food, then I see no reason to need per diem.

 

[Vaquero]

I’ve seen trucks stopped at various places that I would have to assume was for a meal break. I don’t work for a utility company, but it would seem to me that trying to get food to every crew several times a day would be a logistical nightmare. If they are doing it though and actually providing adequate food, then I see no reason to need per diem.

Sleep on a church pew for a week. With no power to it. Get a bag lunch consisting of a sandwich and a piece of fruit for the duration. Dinner is MREs the whole time.
Yeah, it's just free money.
I guess I just should have declined and stayed home in my own bed and ate what I wanted from my own pantry. No skin off my back. Huh?

 

[Coiled]

You'll never guess which column I'm in

1st row closest to highway has power so maybe the rest of us will get energized tonight.

 

[Coiled]

I cannot say why or where they were going, but I personally saw four bucket trucks heading out of town on I-45, north of Huntsville.

You mean towards Madisonville where they need help too?

 

[Havok1]

Sleep on a church pew for a week. With no power to it. Get a bag lunch consisting of a sandwich and a piece of fruit for the duration. Dinner is MREs the whole time.
Yeah, it's just free money.
I guess I just should have declined and stayed home in my own bed and ate what I wanted from my own pantry. No skin off my back. Huh?

The purpose of per diem is to cover the cost of meals. I’m fine with per diem, but you either get per diem or you get food given to you, not both. The purpose of per diem is not to be a pay boost.

 

[smittyb]

I’ve seen trucks stopped at various places that I would have to assume was for a meal break. I don’t work for a utility company, but it would seem to me that trying to get food to every crew several times a day would be a logistical nightmare. If they are doing it though and actually providing adequate food, then I see no reason to need per diem.

2 hots, a cot, and a bag lunch.
Is it good food? Every now and then. Is it trash? Every now and then.
If you’ve driven by Sam Houston Race Park, you’ve seen where they are eating and sleeping.

 

[smittyb]

The purpose of per diem is to cover the cost of meals. I’m fine with per diem, but you either get per diem or you get food given to you, not both. The purpose of per diem is not to be a pay boost.

I’ve seen it work both ways.
Usually you get it.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

Montgomery county judge Mark Keough has been going after Centerpoint hard....

 

[Vaquero]

Montgomery county judge Mark Keough has been going after Centerpoint hard....

View attachment 461303

Someone is going to learn about how IOUs work and who has money invested.
I don't BTW. Some of mine is in Duke energy, but that's my financial advisors decision. Not mine.

 

[glenbo]

Maybe I’m just a grouchy old curmudgeon, but I don’t give 2 farts about explanations or excuses. I just want the power, that we pay for, to get turned on before my 63-year old invalid wife dies from the heat.

 

[Vaquero]

Maybe I’m just a grouchy old curmudgeon, but I don’t give 2 farts about explanations or excuses. I just want the power, that we pay for, to get turned on before my 63-year old invalid wife dies from the heat.

I pray the best outcome for you and yours.
There's a reason why I keep my generators ready.
Nature kicks our ass regularly.
No matter the geographic location.
God be with you.

 

[benenglish]

Kudos to my local HEB. They had the best-designed plan I've yet seen to sell gas without making a mess of the traffic flow both on their property and on the street. They used upended grocery carts to enforce a strict "You must get in the back of this line, enter exactly this one place here, and exit this one place here." policy.

They were so efficient, they had sold out of gas by about noon.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

My small generator crapped out yesterday, might be the fuel filter.

Fortunately, the large generator which wouldn't start Monday, started.
Now we've been able to use the AC in the bedroom.
Much better than before.