Evansville – Aug. 2, 2022 – CenterPoint Energy has issued the following update as restoration efforts continue in southwestern Indiana:
CenterPoint Energy and contract crews have made significant progress restoring 60% of the 30,000 customers left without power after Monday evening and Tuesday morning storms.
As of 6:00 p.m., there are 370 outages with less than 12,000 total estimated electric customers without power. Currently, more than 45 restoration and 12 tree-trimming crews are working those outages.
"Our crews have been working around-the-clock and through challenging conditions to restore power as safely and quickly as possible. Severe vegetation damage through our service territory has made it difficult for our crews to remove debris, address energized and downed lines to make necessary repairs, and restore service," said Richard Leger, Senior Vice President of Indiana Electric. "Since 7 a.m. this morning, nearly 800 work orders have been called in and completed."
Leger added, "We have secured additional contract crews to assist in restoration efforts and anticipate making significant additional progress through the night."
CenterPoint Energy is in the process of reaching out directly to customers by phone who are experiencing extended outages to discuss the steps the company is taking to restore their service. As always, CenterPoint Energy encourages all our customers to prepare now and have a back-up plan in place in the event they should experience an unexpected extended outage.
The restoration process begins with facilities vital to safety, health and welfare, such as hospitals, water treatment plants and public service facilities. After key facilities, the company follows its priority restoration process by making repairs to electrical facilities that will return power to the largest number of customers first, then continue the restoration process by prioritizing repairs to benefit the greatest number of customers until power is returned to everyone.
CenterPoint Energy reminds customers if they have experienced damage to the weatherhead – the point of entry from the service drop to the home – a licensed electrician will need to make necessary repairs before power can be restored.
CenterPoint Energy also reminds all customers to:
- Stay away from downed power lines. Be especially mindful of downed lines that could be hidden and treat all downed lines as if they are energized.
- Be cautious around work crews and give them distance to assess damages and make repairs.
- If you smell gas, get to a safe area and call both 911 and CenterPoint Energy at (800) 227-1376.
- Don't open freezers and refrigerators any more than absolutely necessary. Opening these appliances will allow food to thaw more quickly.
- Consider checking with others who may benefit from your assistance.
- Report any downed lines or damage to 800-227-1376.
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