Power still out for thousands after Houston storm

Hundreds of thousands of Houston residents are still without power following Thursday's deadly storm .

The big picture: The sweeping, short-lived storm has left a lasting impact on the Houston area, including at least seven deaths across the region and damage already predicted to be in the billions of dollars .

The latest: CenterPoint Energy reported 281,000 customers were without power as of 6:45pm Sunday.

• The utility says power will be "substantially" restored by the end of Wednesday, leaving many uncertain as to when their lights — and their air conditioning — will be back on.
• Several Houston-area schools remained closed Monday, including Spring Branch ISD , Cy-Fair ISD and some Houston ISD campuses .

Meanwhile, FEMA crews and other resources are deploying into the hardest-hit communities to assess the damage and offer assistance.

• President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration Saturday that opens up applications for grants for housing and home repairs, loans to cover uninsured losses, and relief for small businesses in Harris, Montgomery, Liberty, Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity and Walker counties.

The intrigue: Houston starts this week with high temperatures in the low 90s — including heat index values close to 100 degrees — as crews work to restore power.

• The City of Houston and Harris County commissioners have set up several cooling centers throughout the city for people seeking relief from the heat.

Dig deeper: The high winds, known as a derecho , had their origins in an intense heat dome currently situated in central Mexico, which is seeing hotter temperatures thanks to a warming planet .

• The global effects from that heat dome, coupled with atmospheric instability in Southeast Texas, helped make Thursday's straight-line winds so catastrophic, Axios' Andrew Freedman reports .

What's next: Houston is entering a dry spell with no rain in the forecast through at least the weekend.

• Sunny skies will prevail with high temperatures in the low 90s and heat index values in the upper 90s.

Worthy of your time: Check out how to help those affected by the storm.