Frustration is mounting for many Texas residents as they endure a fourth day of widespread power outages, which have been worsened by scorching summer temperatures.

Over 1.3 million homes and businesses remain without electricity following the havoc brought by Hurricane Beryl, which made landfall as a Category 1 storm earlier this week. The aftermath has claimed at least 10 lives across Texas, with continued threats of flooding in certain areas.

Houston continues to grapple with heat-related medical emergencies as temperatures soar to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, with the heat index as high as 106 due to humidity and other conditions, as CNN reported. In Needville, southwest of Houston, one family said it decided to cope with the heat by purchasing a window air conditioning unit and running it on a generator.

Many others in the Houston area may be relying on generators, but users could risk carbon monoxide poisoning if the generators are not ventilated properly. Tragically, two fatalities in Harris County have been attributed to carbon monoxide exposure, while emergency services have been hit with over 200 related calls in just 24 hours, reported CNN.

Many vulnerable populations, including those in hospitals and senior care facilities, remain at risk due to critical equipment that relies on electricity, according to CNN.

Criticism has mounted against CenterPoint Energy, Houston’s primary utility provider. Residents and officials have accused the utility of inadequate preparation and communication during the crisis. Outrage has spilled over on social media platforms, where users have criticized the utility for inaccuracies on outage maps and insufficient updates on restoration efforts.

“Hurricane Beryl marks the third major weather event to impact Harris County in less than a year. It also marks the third time countless residents have been without power for days due to a seemingly [sic] lack of preparedness from CenterPoint,” the Harris County GOP posted on social media.

“CenterPoint is the number one provider of power for Harris County residents and must do better. They owe us answers,” the post continued.

“Almost universally, people have lost patience with CenterPoint,” Houston City Council Member Julian Ramirez told CNN.

City officials have pressed CenterPoint for answers as to why the utility company was so ill-prepared despite past storm experiences, such as Hurricane Ike in 2008, which caused historic power outages across the city, as CNN reported.

On Wednesday, CenterPoint Energy reported that it had successfully restored electricity to approximately 40% of its customers affected by Hurricane Beryl in the Houston area. However, the utility company acknowledged that significant portions of its infrastructure will require more rebuilding to fully recover from the storm, per Fox 4 KDFW.

CenterPoint Energy has brought in 12,000 additional linemen from states as far as Ohio and West Virginia to assist in restoring power across Texas.

“We take our responsibility of serving our customers and working as safely and as quickly as possible to restore service very seriously,” said Lynnae Wilson, a spokesperson for CenterPoint, per Fox 4, “At the same time, we fully understand our customers are hot and growing more impatient with their outages.”

Following Hurricane Beryl’s landfall, Houstonians have turned to an unconventional source for more accurate updates on power outages across the city: the Whataburger mobile app.

Normally used to locate nearby Whataburger locations, the app now serves as a vital tool. It displays open locations with an orange “W” symbol and closed ones with grey symbols, often indicating areas still affected by power outages. The Whataburger app has apparently proven more accurate, reliable, and useful for many Houstonians than CenterPoint’s outage map.

As previously reported by The Dallas Express, President Biden authorized a disaster declaration for Texas on July 1.

Acting governor Dan Patrick also formally requested federal assistance, citing the need to accelerate the recovery process for Texans. Patrick expressed gratitude for the approval, emphasizing that FEMA’s support would be crucial in assisting communities impacted by Beryl.