As millions of Texans suffer the effects of Hurricane Beryl, some have turned to a fast-food app to help track power outages.
The superstorm brought howling winds and torrential rains to the southern state on Monday, killing eight people and leaving more than 2.7 million people without power.
Of those stranded, more than 1.6 million are CenterPoint Energy customers who have been unable to access the online outage tracker since it was suddenly disconnected.
As many desperately tried to get in touch with the supplier, some social media users took to the popular burger chain’s app to track the outages.
The superstorm brought howling winds and torrential rains to the southern state on Monday, killing eight people and leaving more than 2.7 million without power.
AX user named @BBQBryan He noted that the Whataburger app has become a very useful source for tracking the power outage, unlike CenterPoint Energy’s online tracker.
The app allows customers to search for any Whataburger restaurant and find out which areas are still without power.
Restaurants that are closed appear in grey and those that are open appear in orange.
The well-meaning user also shared a screenshot of a map showing which locations have regained power in X.
“The Whataburger app works as a power outage tracker, which is very helpful since the power company doesn’t display a map. There are still nearly 1.9 million power outages,” she wrote in the caption.
As many desperately tried to get in touch with the supplier, some social media users took to the popular burger chain’s app to track the outages.
Since the post went viral on the app, Texans flooded the comments section with jokes about the unconventional solution, while others were furious.
“Between this and the Waffle House Index, who needs meteorologists?” one X user asked.
While another joked: “Texas problems require Texas solutions…”
An angry X user also said: ‘My proposal is that all of Houston NOT pay their July electric bill unless and until the following has been addressed.’
While another joked: “Private companies do better what public services cannot do. Hahaha.”
“Whataburger and Waffle House always do better than Oncor in these areas. Oncor couldn’t find my address or account for days. They kept telling me it didn’t exist, so I don’t believe their numbers,” one user complained.
The app allows customers to search for any Whataburger restaurant and find out which areas are still experiencing power outages.
Whataburger President and CEO Ed Nelson also issued a statement and “encouraged residents to call local units as well.”
Whataburger President and CEO Ed Nelson also released a statement and “encouraged residents to call local units as well.”
‘We’re glad that the Whataburger app has been helpful in helping Houston residents understand where power is available in the city.
‘Please note that the app should only be used as a general idea of power availability. We encourage residents to call local units to see if they are open and operational. Please everyone be careful if you leave your homes.’
Some Houston hospitals also sustained damage during the storm and were forced to close their doors to non-emergency cases on Tuesday. At least one is running on generator power.
Beryl made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane, strengthening from a tropical storm over the Gulf of Mexico. It later weakened and became tropical. depression with maximum wind speeds of approximately 35 mph.
The storm, which was expected to weaken rapidly as it moved inland, devastated Jamaica, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines last week. It killed at least 11 people in Mexico and the Caribbean before reaching Texas.
