SAN ANTONIO – Thousands of Houston residents sat in the dark and unbearable heat for days after Hurricane Beryl passed through in July.

Experts cite tree pruning as one of the reasons.

Whether it’s a hurricane, ice or strong wind, experts say if trees grow in your power lines, there’s a higher risk of power outages and longer interruptions.

“A simple question that we take for granted in this life is: Are the lights on, when do they come on, and do they stay on?” State Senator Paul Bettencourt said in July at a heated hearing on the response to Hurricane Beryl.

Many of these questions were directed to CenterPoint Energy, one of Houston’s major utilities.

San Antonio is often hit by the remnants of hurricanes when they pass through, so the I-Team wanted to know what resources CPS Energy has dedicated to handling these cases to keep you safe during the next weather event.

Here’s what we found out.

In recent years, CPS Energy has invested more money in trimming trees near power lines.

The company has budgeted $20.6 million for the current fiscal year.

Records show that the number of miles in which trees were trimmed nearly doubled between FY 23 and FY 24.

A spokesperson also said CPS Energy is allocating additional resources for emergency vegetation management during severe weather events to handle the estimated 2,000 emergency requests it receives each year.

According to the company, this was a priority in the event of a freeze in 2022.

In a virtual press conference in February 2022, CPS Energy CEO Rudy Garza said there was a need to “put more money into tree trimming in the coming year.”

“We still have work to do there, but we are up to the challenge,” Garza told the city’s other leaders.

CPS Energy’s most recent data for fiscal year 2025 shows that the company will spend approximately $21.68 per customer on tree trimming that fiscal year.

As we told you, a total of $20.6 million, divided among the company’s more than 950,000 customers.

We compared this with CenterPoint’s recent filings with the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

The company reported spending $16.64 per customer.

CPS Energy appears to be spending more, even though the company has fewer customers and fewer trees overall.

Experts say they wouldn’t be surprised if more Texas cities prioritize tree trimming in this way in the future.

“You have a power system where you’re on your own, you’re not connected to the national grid,” explained Chris Larson, a master arborist. “This puts even more emphasis on being able to handle these outages quickly and easily.”

A CPS Energy spokesman said they are already looking at the budget for next year and hope to be able to maintain this level of tree trimming.

If you have a tree near you that needs care, you can fill out this form on their website.

You can also call 210-353-2222.

Click on the company’s tree trimming page to learn more about their procedures.

CPS Energy follows a strict vegetation management schedule. Unfortunately, there are several factors that can cause schedule delays, including severe weather and customer requests for unscheduled tree trimming.

CPS Energy contractors follow proper tree trimming procedures to maintain adequate distance from our infrastructure while not damaging the tree.

Only tree service companies that meet OSHA qualifications are permitted to prune trees near power lines. These tree service professionals must follow all applicable safety codes and take appropriate precautions.

A customer may trim their trees themselves if they are interfering with the utility line, which is the power line from a power pole to the house. We ask that the customer call us 5 business days before the tree trimming work begins so that we can temporarily remove the utility line to allow for safe trimming.

Governor Greg Abbott also stressed the importance of pruning trees before natural disasters.

In a letter to CenterPoint, he asked the company to remove all vegetation problems by August 31. That’s about two weeks away.

CenterPoint responded that they expected to be able to meet the deadline.