Texans have resorted to using the app of a popular fast food chain to track power outages across the state as a result of Hurricane Beryl.
Hurricane Beryl, which caused devastation in Mexico and Caribbean nations before reaching the Texas coastline, provoked tornado warnings last weekend.
Over 1 Million Still Without Power
The effects of Hurricane Beryl are still being felt, days after it first made landfall in the US.
As of the early hours of Wednesday, more than 1 million people remained without power in the state.
Hurricane Season Hits Early
Hurricane Beryl was an uncharacteristically powerful storm for this early period of the year.
It was the earliest Category 5 hurricane in recorded history when it developed the requisite wind speeds to hit that category in the Caribbean last week.
Tornado Warnings
By the time Hurricane Beryl reached the US mainland, its wind speeds classified it as a less severe, but still dangerous, category 1 hurricane.
However, several regions of eastern Texas were still put under tornado watch due to accumulating lightning storms.
Hurricane Fatalities
The hurricane was also severe enough that it has been linked to several deaths in the US.
The state officially announced 3 fatalities on Tuesday, but AP News have reported the number could be as high as 11.
Texans’ Innovative Solution
A viral solution swept Texas as locals discovered they could use the Whataburger app to more precisely track district power cuts.
The app shows a map of Whataburger branches, displaying clearly which are open and closed, which can be taken as evidence of whether the area of the branch has power or not.
Millions Without Power at One Point
The power provider Centerpoint at one point reported widespread power outages among its customers.
They reported that 2.26 million customers had been without power at one point or another.
Power Access Difficult to Track
Power outages and returns have proven difficult for Texans to precisely track during the storm.
Technical issues have meant that the online maps state residents had been relying on have been unreliable.
What a Solution
Residents turning to the app were able to see, on Whataburger’s in-app map, which Whataburger outlets were open or not.
The stores that were open could be easily discerned by whether they were colored or in gray.
Viral X Post
The solution may have been revealed through a viral X post on social media.
X user, BBQBryan, posted: “The Whataburger app works as a power outage tracker, handy since the electric company doesn’t show a map,” along with a map clearly demonstrating the usefulness of the stop-gap solution.
