Texas officials call on residents to report any price crush incident amid food and water shortages following a widespread power outage after a winter storm stormed the state this week.
Residents of the Houston area have filed complaints for offering bottled water and hotel rooms for excessive prices, according to Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, Texas’s largest county attorney, and County Judge. Harris, Linda Hidalgo.
“We have seen anecdotal evidence of outrageous prices on items needed such as food and water, basically price reductions,” Hidalgo told a news conference.
“Whether it’s raising the price of basic necessities or posting an Airbnb with energy for $ 1,000 a night, we can’t imagine anything more cruel than taking advantage of the people who are suffering right now in this disaster and who have been suffering for days,” added Hidalgo, who urged residents to report cases of abuse.
Within 20 hours of setting up an information system Wednesday, Hidalgo and Harris County attorney Christian Menefee said more than 450 price rejection complaints had been filed.
Dallas resident Dashawn Walker, 33, searched in and booked a hotel room Tuesday night after his apartment lost electricity during the storm. He was forced to drive 30 miles north to an extended hotel in the suburb of Lewisville, where a one-night stay cost him $ 474.
“It’s crazy,” he said. “I mean, why would you go up to hotels in the middle of a crisis? Like now, buddy, come now. Everyone is just trying to do it and capitalizing on a crisis, and it’s so unfair people that you really can’t afford it.” .
An increase in the cost of basic items such as food, fuel, shelter, drugs, or building materials at an “excessive or exorbitant price” is illegal in Texas after a federal or state emergency is declared. Violators can receive fines of up to $ 250,000.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton made a similar appeal, urging residents to report price scams or other storm-related scams on the state’s consumer protection hotline.
Adding insult to injury, approximately 27,000 Houston area residents received a $ 202,102.16 bill this week from CenterPoint Energy, according to NPR. But the emailed bill was a mistake, the natural gas supplier said.
“You don’t owe that amount,” CenterPoint he tweeted, fixing the error on a “technical problem” caused by the power outage in Houston. The recognition was received with humor and mockery on social media, and one person responded, “I’m not willing to pay a penny more than $ 100,000.00 for my gasoline this month. Adjust the bill accordingly.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.