'A complete calamity': Neighbors work to help Spring woman with power line issue

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Neighbors of an 80-year-old woman reached out to Eyewitness News for help.

They're trying to fix what they believe is a dangerous power line in her yard on Nottinghill Drive in Spring.

They say the problem started this spring when Xfinity crews came out to work on Joyce Kiker's yard but accidentally cut a CenterPoint Energy electrical line that goes into her neighbor's home on the other side of the fence.

"If it's fixed before Christmas, we can call it a Christmas miracle. That's what we're hoping for," Kiker says with a laugh. "I keep asking them who needs to come out. 'Well, you've gotta call Xfinity.' Xfinity says you need to talk to CenterPoint.'"

Kiker's 80-year-old neighbor, Janice Brightwell, lives behind her.

The broken electrical line meant she had no power.

Brightwell's son hired somebody to put in a temporary power line to get them through the summer.

But he died soon afterward, and Veronica Barone took over as a caregiver.

"I was completely appalled. Xfinity cut the powerline to a person's home, didn't do anything about it, and then her son had to get a temporary power line, and since he's recently passed, I didn't know anything about it," she said.

Barone and Kiker said they have been calling CenterPoint and Xfinity for months.

"I was given date after date after date. 'We're coming. We're coming.' Well, so is snow in Houston, I guess," Barone said. "It's a complete calamity, almost an act of congress to get a power line installed to an 80-year-old woman's home."

Eyewitness News has reached out to both CenterPoint and Xfinity by Comcast.

A CenterPoint representative told Eyewitness News:

"Our operations team has confirmed that the customer needs to have a qualified electrician repair this customer-owned equipment. Once repairs have been made, the customer can contact CenterPoint, and our team will remove the bypass equipment that is currently serving the customer's home with electricity. Per our conversation, for underground electric service, like this home, the service drop connecting our electric infrastructure to a home is the responsibility of the homeowner."

ABC13 also reached out to Comcast/ Xfinity for further review to determine who is ultimately responsible for the replacement and repair of the service drop. Once repairs to the service drop have been made, the customer can contact CenterPoint, and our team will remove the bypass equipment that is currently serving the customer's home with electricity.

A Comcast spokesperson told us the company is communicating with Centerpoint and organizing a crew to get out to the location to assess.

"We are sending a crew to investigate the issue on Monday morning. Our crew will assess the situation, and if Comcast or a business partner is responsible, we will have an electrician make repairs. At that point, Centerpoint can return to complete the connection to the home and restore permanent service. I will update you after Monday's evaluation, and we will work to get this issue resolved in coordination with Centerpoint," the Comcast spokesperson said.

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