CenterPoint Energy : restores power to more than 630,000 customers impacted by severe storm

CenterPoint Energy restores power to more than 630,000 customers impacted by severe storm Sunday-May-19-2024

​Houston - May 19, 2024 - CenterPoint Energy today announced that more than 630,000 impacted customers have been restored in the 72 hours since severe weather devastated parts of the company's Greater Houston service territory on Thursday, May 16.

• Company continues to be on track for substantial completion of restoration by Wednesday evening
• Company provides updated and more detailed restoration map
• Approximately 280,000 customers restored in the past 24 hours; company plans to provide further updates on today's restoration efforts and current and planned percentages of completed restorations later this evening​

"While we have made solid restoration progress over the past 72 hours, it is important to remember that we have a lot of hard work ahead and the more difficult restorations are still to come. In fact, our crews encountered a lot of additional damage in the field today," said Lynnae Wilson, Senior Vice President, Electric Business. "We continue to move forward with our restorations as safely and quickly as possible, with a strong understanding that a lot of people who have been without power are counting on us to get the lights and air conditioning back on."

More than 7,000 workers, including lineworkers and vegetation management professionals participating through mutual assistance, are deployed across the company's service territory focusing on around-the-clock restoration efforts. With safety as a top priority, mutual assistance crews were onboarded and deployed to assist CenterPoint's employees and contractors.

CenterPoint is also utilizing seven temporary mobile generation units to serve some cooling centers, first responder locations, healthcare facilities, schools, and senior living facilities. To help get students back to school tomorrow morning, the company has already restored power in Klein, Crosby, Tomball and several other school districts.

The company has posted an updated and more detailed customer restoration map by area on its website. It can be accessed at CenterPointEnergy.com/StormCenter. CenterPoint is also utilizing its Power Alert Service tool to provide targeted restoration updates to customers.

As crews continue their work, power restored to some customers may be temporarily interrupted as the company brings additional customers back on. In addition to damaging CenterPoint's electric infrastructure and equipment, severe weather may have caused damage to customer-owned equipment. Customers should check their weatherhead, the point where power enters the home through an electric service drop, which is often a pipe located on the side of the residence or building. If the weatherhead is damaged, customers will need to contact a qualified electrician to make repairs before the company can restore service to them.

CenterPoint urges customers to always stay at least 35 feet away from downed power lines and damaged electric utility equipment. Treat all down and damaged equipment as energized and report them to the company at 713-207-2222. In addition, CenterPoint reminds customers to only use a portable generator in a well-ventilated area and never run it inside, or in a garage, to avoid carbon monoxide fumes, which can be deadly. Never connect a portable electric generator directly to your home or building's electrical system during a power outage; electricity could backfeed into the power lines and potentially endanger CenterPoint Energy employees, fellow lineworkers or members of the public.

For the latest information on power outages:

• Follow @CenterPoint; and
• Visit https://www.centerpointenergy.com/StormCenter or electric and natural gas safety tips and other resources.
  

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