Anatomy of a historic blackout: Decoding spatiotemporal dynamics of power outages and disparities during Hurricane Beryl

Abstract

Power outages are a significant consequence of natural hazards, severely disrupting communities' restoration and recovery processes. Despite the increasing frequency and impact of hazard-induced power outages, empirical studies examining their spatial and temporal characteristics across impacted regions remain limited. This dearth of empirical insights inhibits the ability to quantify impacts and examine vulnerability and equity issues for effective resilience investments. This study investigates the spatial patterns and temporal variations in outage duration, intensity, and restoration/recovery following the 2024 Hurricane Beryl in Houston, Texas. This historic blackout caused widespread power disruptions across the Houston metropolitan area, leaving more than 2 million customers without power over several days, resulting in more than 143 million total customer-out hours. By examining the dynamic interplay between outage impact, recovery features, and socioeconomic and infrastructural factors, the analysis identified key determinants contributing to disparities in power outage impacts and recovery efficiency delineated by ZIP Code across Houston. The findings reveal that areas with higher population density and proximity to the hurricane's path experienced more severe initial impacts. Regions with higher median income showed faster recovery, while lower-income areas exhibited prolonged restoration periods, even with favorable infrastructural conditions, suggesting disparities in restoration speed. The study also highlights how urban development features, such as road density and land elevation, explain spatial disparities in power outage impacts and recovery. This research advances the understanding of power outage dynamics in large metropolitan regions through four key contributions: (1) empirical characterization of outages from a historic hurricane, highlighting infrastructure vulnerabilities in a high-density urban context; (2) comprehensive analysis using multiple metrics to capture spatiotemporal dynamics of outages and restoration; (3) leveraging of high-resolution outage data at fine geographic scales and frequent intervals to quantify and reveal previously masked spatial disparities; and (4) systematic examination of socioeconomic, urban development, and environmental factors in shaping disparities in outage impacts and recovery timelines. These findings provide infrastructure managers, operators, utilities, and decision-makers with crucial empirical insights to quantify power outage impacts, justify resilience investments, and address vulnerability and equity issues in the power infrastructure during hazard events.