'Joke of a state': Texans resorting to fast food app to track outages slam utility company

Carl Gibson | Source: AlterNet | Posted 07/10/2024

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Some Texans frustrated with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and main power company CenterPoint Energy (formerly Reliant Energy) not providing residents with an outage tracker found a better alternative — the app for Texas-based fast food chain Whataburger. X/Twitter account @BBQBryan posted a viral tweet Monday night showing a screenshot of the Whataburger app's locations in the Houston Metro area, with locations that were open colored in orange and the ones that were still closed colored in grey.

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Hurricane Beryl left millions of Texans without power, facing delays in restoration and communication from utility companies. Frustrated residents turned to the Whataburger app as an alternative outage tracker, using its location statuses to navigate power outages in Houston Metro area.

The app's usefulness as a power outage tracker sparked social media discussions criticizing the lack of reliable infrastructure in Texas. Former employees and activists highlighted the inefficiencies of utility companies like ERCOT and CenterPoint Energy, praising Whataburger for its effective outage tracking, reminiscent of FEMA's use of the "Waffle House Index" to gauge storm impact.

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Source Link: https://www.alternet.org/texas-fast-food/

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'Joke of a state': Texans resorting to fast food app to track outages slam utility company

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