Editor's note: This article was last updated on Friday, July 12.

It's day 5 of Beryl's aftermath. About 850,000 Houstonians are still without power on Friday, according to CenterPoint's outage tracker. We're keeping an eye out for essential coverage to help you recover from the storm. Please continue checking back here for updates.

Check out our full list of Houston restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and more open now.

Overnight, we dipped under 1 million CenterPoint power outages for the first time since Beryl hit Houston (yay?). As of noon on Friday, about 853,000 customers were still waiting for the lights to come back on. The company said it expects to restore power to 80 percent of customers impacted by Beryl by the end of Sunday, July 14.

Meanwhile, the Houston Chronicle sat down for an exclusive interview with CenterPoint CEO Jason Wells. Read it here.

Is this CenterPoint's ERCOT moment? That's the question meteorologist Eric Berger tries to answer in this morning's Space City Weather dispatch, referring to the anger Houstonians lobbed at the council that operates the Texas grid after the 2021 freeze.

“Just as ERCOT faced a reckoning after the great freeze, our distributors need a reckoning after Beryl,” Berger writes. “The status quo, and political leaders who enable it going forward, are unacceptable. What we have seen this week is unsustainable for a city that bills itself as the energy capital of the world.”

Read his thoughts here.

Updates from Thursday, July 11

The word of the day? CenterPointless. A frustrated graffiti artist picked up on what we're all thinking and...sprayed it out loud. The tag appeared along I-10 on Wednesday as more than 1 million customers of Houston's main electricity provider remained without power days after Hurricane Beryl hit the city.

As of 11:30am on Thursday, CenterPoint's website is showing just under 1.1 million customers still affected by power outages. The company stated it plans to restore power for another 400,000 customers by end of day Friday, July 12, and 350,000 more by end of day Sunday, July 14. This is going to be a long ride, folks.

Updates from Wednesday, July 10

Late on Tuesday, CenterPoint released a new map that supposedly outlines which properties have power and which do not. However, several people have pointed out that their home is listed as "energized" when it is, indeed, not.

Looking for ways to help? Discovery Green is organizing a volunteer session on Thursday from 8am to noon and asking people to come help clean up the park. The downtown green space was hit hard by Beryl and is littered with debris and downed trees. "Bring water, gloves, sturdy, closed-toe shoes and clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. We’ll have snacks," Discovery Green shared on Instagram. You can RSVP by emailing [email protected].

The Houston Food Bank is still in need of volunteers to help sort and pack food—you can sign up to volunteer here or donate here. The Montgomery County Animal Shelter is open and looking for volunteers to walk dogs, plus help with laundry and cat care. The Southern Smoke Foundation is looking for donations to distribute to restaurant staff unable to work right now. Art League Houston is closed but would love donations to help them clean up.

Need help? Check out the City of Houston's updated list of cooling centers.

The Houston Food Bank and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee are distributing food at four different centers in the city; see locations and hours here. At 2pm, Mayor John Whitmire is distributing food, water, and ice at the Acres Homes Multi-Service Center in partnership with the Houston Food Bank and the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

The Woodlands Methodist Church is handing out free meals on Wednesday from 11am to 6pm.

Updates from Tuesday, July 9

Houston parks are also recovering from the storm, with crews being deployed for clean-up of downed trees and debris. Discovery Green in downtown Houston has canceled all programming through Monday, July 15, including fitness classes and Park After Dark. The bathrooms are closed and the Gateway Fountains are not operating. The park team is urging Houstonians to steer clear of the area until repairs are completed.

At Levy Park, the bathrooms are closed until power is restored and the facilities have been cleaned. The Children's Park and Water Feature will be closed for a couple of days because of tree damage. The dog park will open on Wednesday, July 10 at 7am.

Parts of Buffalo Bayou Park are not accessible because of debris and flooding at the bayou. The crew is asking people be cautious on trails while it works on clean-up. The Cistern is closed on Tuesday but will reopen on Wednesday.

Hermann Park is closed all day Tuesday, including the McGovern Centennial Gardens, the choo-choo train, the gift shop, the pedal boats, the carousel, the Play Gardens, and the McWilliams dog park.

"For safety reasons, we strongly advise all visitors to refrain from entering the park as many areas remain hazardous, particularly due to unsecured trees," Memorial Park wrote on Instagram.

Beryl has truly come for us all. Tony Buzbee, the bombastic lawyer and politician, shared on Instagram that his boat, which is called The Patriot, sunk during the hurricane. "All in all, I'll consider us lucky," he wrote. No kidding.

As always, Houstonians are quick to help their neighbors in times of disaster. Street to Kitchen, the award-winning Thai restaurant in the East End, is distributing meals to-go today until 8pm on a pay-what-you-can basis. The restaurant is also serving a limited drinks menu at the bar, but there's no AC. It was chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter's birthday yesterday, so make sure to wish her a happy birthday while you're there. Check out more restaurant updates here.

Killen's Barbecue in Pearland was also handing out free barbecue sandwiches on Tuesday; they sold out within an hour, but may resume tomorrow.

Little Rey is handing out two free breakfast tacos to all first responders on Wednesday from 8 to 11am.

According to the Houston Chronicle, a Kroger in the East End left out carts in the parking lot with perishables for anyone in need. Note: This was reported around noon; supplies may be depleted.

The majority of Houston is out of commission, but apparently the Astros are not. Baseball is happening this evening, with the 'Stros playing the Miami Marlins as scheduled at 7:10pm Tuesday at Minute Maid Park. The MLB team urges caution for anyone traveling downtown for the game, as clean-up efforts are still underway.

Update: The Astros are offering $5 tickets for the entire series against the Marlins July 9 through 11.

What about all the trash? As expected, the City of Houston's Solid Waste Management Department (SWM) is operating on a delayed schedule. All recycling and yard waste services are suspended for the rest of the week. Monday's trash and heavy tree waste will be collected on Tuesday, Tuesday's will be collected on Wednesday, and starting Thursday SWM said collections should resume as normal. All six neighborhood depositories are open as of Tuesday.

Boil water notices have been issued for Harris County Municipal Utility District 421, Harris County Fresh Water Supply District 45, and the Western Trails Subdivision. Refer to this TCEQ map to know if your neighborhood is affected.

The Houston Food Bank is open on Tuesday and working with its partners to do deliveries across the region. The nonprofit is looking for volunteers to help sort and pack food—you can sign up to volunteer here or donate here.

Many nonprofits in town are providing shelter for Houston's unhoused population, including the Houston Area, Fort Bend County, Montgomery County Women's Centers; the Campus of Hope Shelter for Men; Bay Area Turning Point; Sarah's House; the Star of Hope locations on Ruiz and Reed streets; the Salvation Army locations on Austin and McGowen streets.

Food Not Bombs is asking volunteers to drop off essentials at 550 McKinney Street at 6:15pm on Tuesday. The organization is looking for bread, nut butters, honey, Ziplock bags, bottles of water, paper bags, single-serving chips, shelf-stable drinks, contractor trash bags, self-adhesive bandages, sterile gauze pads, adhesive tape, elastic bandage wrap, instant cold packs, disposable gloves, tweezers, safety pins, hand sanitizer, Ibuprofen, antibiotic ointment, and alcohol wipes.

Lakewood Church famously caught a lot of flak during Hurricane Harvey for initially refusing to open up the megachurch for shelter. Every time a storm comes through, the incident is resurfaced on social media—often in the form of memes.

Houston won't let him live it down, but Joel Osteen and co. have learned their lesson. Starting Tuesday at 8am, Lakewood opened as a cooling and water distribution center for anyone in need.

Crosby Community Center (Crosby), Big Stone Lodge (Spring), Trini Mendenhall Community Center (Spring Branch), Juergen's Hall Community Center (Cypress), Bayland Community Center (Braeburn), Radack Community Center (northwest Houston), and Weekley Community Center (Cypress) are also operating as cooling centers on Tuesday. See full addresses and hours here.

Updates from Monday, July 8

The rain began around 3:30am; then came the howling. Beryl made landfall near Matagorda on July 7 as a Category 1 hurricane with 85mph winds, pushing through the Houston area as we all tried to get a few more hours of shut-eye (so much for that).

“Let the record reflect that I did not taunt Beryl,” wrote meteorologist Eric Berger in Space City Weather at 5pm the day before. See, Beryl had been a little disorganized as she swirled around in the Gulf. This is a good thing, Berger explained: she would likely not have time to intensify much more before arriving ashore, but he didn’t want to push our luck. Had Beryl spent another 12 or 24 hours out there, we would be facing a much more dire situation than the one we woke up to on Monday morning.

Still, it ain't pretty out there. Here’s how Hurricane Beryl has impacted Houstonians.

The state of things: More than 2.2 million CenterPoint customers in the Houston area lost power on Monday—an all-time record, according to the Houston Chronicle. The energy company’s outage tracker indicates more than 2 million people are still waiting for the lights to be turned back on.

If you’re wondering when power at your home will be restored, just visit CenterPoint’s power alert service and...oh no wait, the site is down.

There have been four confirmed fatalities in the Houston region from the storm, according to city officials: two were struck by fallen trees, one died in a related house fire, and another drowned in a car submerged by floodwaters.

Emerging: After around noon on Monday, as the wind finally died down, Houstonians ventured outside to survey the damage. Some areas suffered extensive street flooding, and many major highways were impassable all day. Neighborhoods across the city were littered with leaves, branches, and other debris; downed trees weighing on power lines or sprawled out on lawns; and the occasional succumbed fence.

The sun came out in the late afternoon—not necessarily a welcome sight for the millions of residents currently without air conditioning. Streets were quiet save for the shuffles of neighbors cleaning out their yards and the gentle rumble from the generators of a lucky few.

Where the boys at: Senator Ted Cruz is not in Cancún, according to a video the politician posted on X where he’s standing next to a completely flooded stretch of I-10. "Houston will come through," he concludes after a brief update on the situation.

Governor Greg Abbott, meanwhile, is in Taiwan on an economic development mission, leaving Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick in charge of the state’s emergency management.

Show must go on: Holler Brewing in Sawyer Yards announced it’s throwing a hurricane party running from noon to 10pm on Monday. The brewery has power, internet, AC, and water—the holy foursome, one might say. The invite did come with a warning: “I-10 and the service road are currently auditioning for The Little Mermaid, so tread lightly!”

11 Below Brewing joked on Instagram that they’re now called 1 Below after Beryl whisked away the second 1 in the brewery’s sign.

The following restaurants and bars were open on Monday:

• Axelrad Beer Garden in Midtown had power and welcomed locals in to charge their electronics, use the WiFi, and enjoy 20 percent off beer.
• The Burger Joint locations in Montrose and the Heights opened at 5pm with a limited menu.
• Camerata opened at 5pm.
• Coltivare is open to-go only with a limited menu from 5 to 8pm; phone orders or walk-ins only.
• EZ’ Liquor Lounge will be open from 5pm to midnight.
• Henderson & Kane opened at 4pm and has already sold out of brisket, but still has ice, milk, and most importantly, power.
• Gold Tooth Tony’s opened at 4pm.
• Goode Co. BBQ’s Kirby location opened at 5pm, while the Memorial restaurant is closed until further notice.
• Los Tios in West U is open on Monday evening.
• Moon Rabbit is open for dinner on Monday.
• Poison Girl is open on Monday evening.
• Rudyard’s opened at 4pm.
• The new Tacos Doña Lena location in Timbergrove opened at 4pm, but the Spring Branch restaurant is closed.

Check out our full list of Houston restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and more open now.