CenterPoint Energy ramps up preparations for winter weather across eight-state service territory
2021-02-14T06:00:00Z

Houston – Feb. 14, 2021 – CenterPoint Energy continues to monitor weather conditions and prepare for the impact of winter weather across its eight-state service territory. The company has completed systems readiness assessments for inclement weather operations and hundreds of electric and natural gas crews are ready to respond to the potential impact of extremely cold temperatures.

"The safety of our customers and employees is our top priority, and we have plans in place to respond to extreme weather events," said Kenny Mercado, CenterPoint Energy's Executive Vice President, Electric Utility. "Icy conditions and high winds might impact electric equipment and cause outages, so we encourage our customers to prepare to be without power and have an emergency plan in place. We have personnel, resources and equipment ready to restore electricity to our customers as soon as it is safe to do so."

Electric crews, including distribution, transmission, substation, underground, tree trimmers and damage assessors, will be working 16-hour shifts to restore power as safely and quickly as possible. Mercado added, "Our crews may be facing some hazardous road conditions, so we ask for our customers' patience while we work to restore their service."

In addition, CenterPoint Energy is a part of electric utility mutual assistance programs that provide access to thousands of linemen and tree trimmers from around the country to support restoration efforts during widespread power outage emergencies. The company is in close contact with mutual assistance partners in the event additional crews are needed.

CenterPoint Energy is also prepared to meet customers' natural gas demands across its eight-state service territory. Operations personnel are regularly checking and adjusting natural gas pressures at delivery points and remotely monitoring pressures at hundreds of locations across the company's system. The company also continues to respond to customer emergency calls.

"We expect to deliver record amounts of natural gas during this extreme weather event. Our teams are in ongoing communications with our upstream natural gas suppliers to coordinate and maintain reliability," said Scott Doyle, CenterPoint Energy's Executive Vice President, Natural Gas. "Our peak shaving facilities are on standby to provide supplemental supply and we are also prepared to deploy additional staff to respond to any system or customer needs."

The company is also fully utilizing its competitive business, Mobile Energy Solutions (MES), to prevent natural gas service interruption to customers. For more than two decades, MES has been providing portable compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquified natural gas (LNG) to America's businesses. MES currently has 19 temporary gas installations deployed in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas, and additional equipment as needed.   

As the only investor-owned electric and gas utility based in Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is an energy delivery company with electric transmission and distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution operations that serve more than 7 million metered customers in Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas. As of September 30, 2020, the company owned approximately $33 billion in assets and also owned 53.7 percent of the common units representing limited partner interests in Enable Midstream Partners, LP, a publicly traded master limited partnership that owns, operates and develops strategically located natural gas and crude oil infrastructure assets. With approximately 9,600 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.

 Recent News

 

 
Less than 2.5% of CenterPoint Energy customers impacted during midweek storms

Average restoration for a customer was about 54 minutes, with the vast majority of customers restored in 3 hours or less 

 

Essentially all customers impacted by Wednesday afternoon’s storms have now been restored, with crews working diligently to restore remaining 700 customers 

 

 Frontline workers and contractors supported ongoing restoration and continue responding to localized outages 

  

HOUSTON – March 11, 2026 – After Wednesday afternoon’s storms traveled across CenterPoint Energy’s electric service territory, approximately 2.5% of its 2.9 million customers across the Greater Houston area experienced impacts to electric service during the weather event. With more than 70,000 customers impacted since storms started to move through the area around noon, approximately 69,000 customers have been restored since the storms arrived this afternoon. As of 9:45 p.m., approximately 700 customers are currently without power. 

 

The company's Emergency Operation Center was activated ahead of the storms, and more than 1,400 frontline workers and contractor crews were available to respond to isolated outages throughout the company's 12-county service area. The average time to restore customers who experienced storm-related outages was approximately 54 minutes, and the vast majority of customers were restored in 3 hours or less. 

 

The company is expected to return to normal operations tomorrow morning. 

 

“Severe weather and storms are something we prepare for year‑round, and our crews train continuously so we’re ready ahead of the storms reaching our communities,” said Jason Fabre, CenterPoint’s Vice President, Special Response Team and Incident Commander. “We understand how disruptive any outages can be, and our crews work safely and as quickly as possible until every customer is restored. We will monitor the weather the rest of the night and be prepared to respond immediately to any additional outages.” 

 

CenterPoint took the following actions for today’s event: 

 

  • Deployed the company's resources: Had 1,400 personnel ready to respond to outages and support preparedness actions ahead of restoration efforts. 
  • Activated Emergency Operations Center: To coordinate storm response efforts throughout the day, the company proactively activated its Emergency Operations Center on Tuesday and remained ready to respond. 
  • Monitored weather 24/7: The Meteorology team continues to track forecast developments, and the company is updating response plans as conditions evolve. 
  • Pre-positioned resources: Response teams were pre-positioned in areas where storms were forecasted to impact and remain ready to respond to any electric or natural gas service interruptions safely and as quickly as possible. 
  • Coordinated with local officials: The company provided updates to local officials and emergency management partners. 

 

About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.   
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is a multi-state electric and natural gas delivery company serving more than 7 million metered customers across Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas. The company is headquartered in Houston and is the only Texas-domiciled investor-owned utility. As of December 31, 2025, the company had approximately $46.5 billion in assets. With approximately 8,800 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been serving customers for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.  ​

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CenterPoint Energy teams monitoring severe storms forecasted for southwestern Indiana and preparing for potential impacts

The company is executing preparedness actions and mobilizing resources ahead of storms to support restoration efforts

Customers encouraged to stay safe and prepare emergency plans ahead of storms 

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – March 10, 2026 – CenterPoint Energy is monitoring for potentially severe thunderstorm forecasted across the region and preparing for potential impacts from storms expected to move through southwestern Indiana Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday. According to the National Weather Service, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes are possible.

The company has pre-staged crews and equipment across its service territory to respond safely and quickly if needed. CenterPoint is also coordinating with government officials on storm readiness and response and sharing safety and preparedness information directly with customers.

“Our Emergency Preparedness and Response team has been monitoring the potential for severe storms and our teams are fully prepared and stand ready to respond," said Mike Roeder, President of CenterPoint Energy Indiana. “We encourage our customers to stay alert in anticipation of changing weather conditions and take steps now to prepare.

CenterPoint encourages customers to prepare for severe weather:

  • Track outages: Bookmark Outage Tracker (available in English & Spanish and mobile-friendly) to see outage information in your area.
  • Stay safe: Visit Ready.gov for storm safety tips.

Follow us: Real-time updates will be available on X and at CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter.

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Midweek Weather Impacts: CenterPoint Energy actively monitoring and preparing ahead of new wave of severe storm potential across the Greater Houston area; company activates Emergency Operations Center

​HOUSTON – March 10, 2026 – As a new week begins, so does the potential for severe weather impacts and CenterPoint Energy is proactively activating its Emergency Operations Center. The company continues to diligently monitor forecasts, coordinate with emergency management partners and position resources to be prepared to respond to potential impacts to electric and natural gas service.​

“Our Emergency Preparedness and Response team has been monitoring the potential for strong and potentially severe thunderstorms by midweek," said Matt Lanza, CenterPoint's Manager of Meteorology. “We have proactively activated our Emergency Operations Center and crews will be fully prepared for the possibility of another round of severe weather this week and stand ready to respond. We will continue to actively monitor for any severe weather and urge our customers to stay alert in anticipation of quickly changing weather conditions."

Preparing for Severe Weather: Key Actions
As part of its storm preparedness efforts, CenterPoint is taking the following actions:

  • Activating storm readiness plan: CenterPoint's Emergency Preparedness and Response team has activated its storm preparedness efforts.
  • Readying the company's resources: More than 1,400 personnel are executing preparedness actions and will remain ready to support potential restoration efforts throughout the week.
  • Monitoring severe weather 24/7: The Meteorology team continues to track weather forecast developments, and the company is updating response efforts as conditions evolve.
  • Coordinating with local officials: CenterPoint is providing updates to local officials and emergency management partners.

“CenterPoint was prepared to respond to this past weekend's storms, and we are maintaining our readiness posture for this week's forecasted potentially severe weather. We know that any outage is one too many for customers, and we are working hard to pre-position resources across our system to be ready to respond safely and as quickly as possible if outages from weather occur," said Jason Fabre, CenterPoint's Vice President, Special Response Team and Incident Commander. “We're committed to open communication and working safely and quickly to restore service."

What customers should do:

About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.  
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is a multi-state electric and natural gas delivery company serving more than 7 million metered customers across Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas. The company is headquartered in Houston and is the only Texas-domiciled investor-owned utility. As of December 31, 2025, the company had approximately $46.5 billion in assets. With approximately 8,800 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been serving customers for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.

Weekend Storm Wrap-up: More than 97% of CenterPoint Energy customers experienced no impacts during weekend storms; Company monitoring forecast for potential midweek severe weather

​HOUSTON – March 8, 2026 – Following a stormy Saturday and Sunday morning in CenterPoint Energy's electric service territory, more than 97% of its 2.9 million customers across the Greater Houston area experienced no impacts to electric service during the weather event. As of 5 p.m., essentially all customers have been restored from the weekend storms. Approximately 83,500 customers have been restored since the storms arrived at 5 p.m. Saturday evening. ​

Northern areas of the company's electric service territory in Cypress, Humble and Katy experienced thunderstorms with heavy rainfall, flooding, and frequent lightning – approximately 15,800 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were recorded across the Greater Houston area from 12 a.m. on Saturday to 12 p.m. today. The average time to restore customers who experienced storm-related outages was approximately 60 minutes and the vast majority of customers were restored in less than five hours. The company's Emergency Operation Center was activated ahead of the storms, and more than 1,400 frontline workers and contractor crews responded to isolated outages throughout the company's service area.

The company will return to normal operations at 8 p.m.

“We are committed to restoring service safely and as quickly as possible to those remaining customers who experienced power interruptions from the lightning and storms. We know that any outage is one too many for customers, and we won't stop until all customers are restored," said Jason Fabre, CenterPoint's Vice President, Special Response Team and Incident Commander. “We will continue to quickly address any additional outages that may occur as a result of Sunday's ongoing weather activity."

CenterPoint took the following actions for this weekend's event:

  • Deployed the company's resources: More than 1,400 personnel responded to outages and supported preparedness actions ahead of restoration efforts.
  • Activated Emergency Operations Center: To coordinate storm response efforts throughout the weekend, the company proactively activated its Emergency Operations Center on Friday and remains ready to respond.
  • ​ Monitored weather 24/7: The Meteorology team continues to track forecast developments, and the company is updating response plans as conditions evolve.
  • Pre-positioned resources: Response teams were pre-positioned in areas where storms were forecasted to impact and remain ready to respond to any electric or natural gas service interruptions safely and as quickly as possible.
  • Coordinated with local officials: The company provided updates to local officials and emergency management partners.

Monitoring mid-week for next wave of potentially severe weather

CenterPoint's Emergency Preparedness and Response and Meteorology teams continue to diligently monitor remaining Sunday storm activity and the potential of another wave of severe weather forecasted for midweek. The company remains positioned to support restoration efforts and respond to potential impacts to electric and natural gas service safely and as quickly as possible.

“For the last several days, our Emergency Preparedness and Response team has been monitoring the potential for another spring storm system that could bring another chance of strong and potentially severe thunderstorms to the area in the middle of the week," said Matt Lanza, CenterPoint's Manager of Meteorology. “Our crews will be fully prepared for the possibility of another round of severe weather this week and stand ready to respond. We will continue to actively monitor for any severe weather and urge our customers to stay alert in anticipation of quickly changing weather conditions."

What customers should do:

About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.  
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is a multi-state electric and natural gas delivery company serving more than 7 million metered customers across Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas. The company is headquartered in Houston and is the only Texas-domiciled investor-owned utility. As of December 31, 2025, the company had approximately $46.5 billion in assets. With approximately 8,800 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been serving customers for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com. 

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CenterPoint Energy continues preparedness actions and positions resources ahead of potential severe weather in the Greater Houston area beginning Saturday afternoon and into Sunday

HOUSTON – March 7, 2026 – CenterPoint Energy's Emergency Operations Center remains activated today as the company continues executing preparedness actions ahead of potential severe weather across the Greater Houston area Saturday afternoon and evening, including scattered showers, thunderstorms and lightning. The company is monitoring forecasts, coordinating with emergency management partners and positioning resources to be prepared to respond to potential impacts to electric and natural gas service safely and as quickly as possible.

“We've been actively monitoring the weather models all week and are prepared to respond to potential impacts to our system," said Matt Lanza, CenterPoint's Manager of Meteorology. “Though the greatest potential for thunderstorms and severe weather appears to be to the north of our electric service territory on Saturday, we will continue tracking forecasts and adjusting our response plans. We urge customers to stay aware of evolving weather conditions and have a plan to stay safe."

What CenterPoint is doing:

  • Readying the company's resources:More than 1,400 personnel continue executing preparedness actions and will remain ready to support potential restoration efforts through Sunday.
  • Activated Emergency Operations Center: To coordinate storm response efforts throughout the weekend, the company proactively activated its Emergency Operations Center yesterday and remains ready to respond.
  • ​ Monitoring 24/7: The Meteorology team continues to track forecast developments, and the company is updating response plans as conditions evolve.
  • Pre-positioning resources: Response teams are developing plans to pre-position crews across the area to respond to any electric or natural gas service interruptions safely and as quickly as possible.
  • Coordinating with local officials: The company is providing updates to local officials and emergency management partners.

“Our crews are pre-positioned and ready to safely and quickly restore service in the event the forecasted severe weather has an impact on our system," said Jason Fabre, CenterPoint's Vice President, Special Response Team and Incident Commander. “We are committed to keeping our customers aware and informed, especially during potentially severe weather events. We urge all customers to register for Power Alert Service®, so that if outages from weather occur they can receive restoration updates directly via phone, text and email."​

What customers should do:

  • Sign up for Power Alert Service®: Get outage updates and restoration times.
  • Track outages: Bookmark our new Outage Tracker (available in English & Spanish and mobile-friendly) to see outage information in your area.
  • Stay safe: Visit Ready.gov for storm safety tips.
  • ​ Follow us: Real-time updates will be available on X and at CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter.

About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.  
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is a multi-state electric and natural gas delivery company serving approximately 7 million metered customers across Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas. The company is headquartered in Houston and is the only Texas-domiciled investor-owned utility. As of September 30, 2025, the company had approximately $45 billion in assets. With approximately 8,300 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been serving customers for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com. ​