City of Houston work crew damages power lines, leaving homeowner without A/C

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- It is 86 degrees inside Patience Kern's home in west Houston. The rising temperature is doing little to calm her frustration over her air conditioning, which has not worked since Saturday.

Kern says the city of Houston replaced sewer lines in her backyard several weeks ago. But the problem did not start then. Early Saturday morning she says they had a power fluctuation at her home. Ever since, she tells us her A/C has not functioned and there has not been enough power in parts of her home to operate certain appliances.

Kern's husband says the city acknowledged that work crews damaged underground power cables in their yard, but claims they've kept passing the buck as far as who is responsible for repairs.

That frustrated the couple, as they had nothing do to with the work being done, except for the fact that it passed through their back yard.

CenterPoint Energy says it cannot help because it does not own the lines. A spokesperson says the homeowner does.

An electrician has been brought in to help figure out what's going on. A spokesperson for the city of Houston's Public Works Department tells us the subcontractor which is handling it is liable for the repairs. Crews are now working to resolve the problem.