Houston — May 18, 2024 — CenterPoint Energy's damage assessment continues, and restoration efforts are ramping up today following Thursday evening's severe weather event. Answering the request for assistance, approximately 2,200 lineworkers and vegetation professionals arrived overnight and have joined the restoration efforts.
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Company is working to have restorations substantially complete to customers who are available to receive service by end of day Wednesday
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More than 400,000 customers restored since Thursday evening
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Company working to address slower-than-normal performance of Outage Tracker tool
As of 10:30 a.m., more than 82% of CenterPoint customers, or 2.3 million, currently have power. The company is working to have restorations substantially complete by the end of the day Wednesday to customers who are available to receive service. As crews continue to assess damage and encounter new challenges while making repairs, restoration times could shift. In addition, power restored to some customers may be temporarily interrupted as the company brings additional customers back on. As more details are gathered, CenterPoint will provide localized restoration updates.
“Since the storm's devastating impact on parts of our area on Thursday night, we have worked tirelessly to safely restore service to our customers," said Lynnae Wilson, Senior Vice President, Electric Business. “Our crews' visual inspections and damage assessments of our infrastructure yesterday showed that we have a lot of hard work ahead in the coming days. The team at CenterPoint and the mutual assistance teams supporting our efforts are committed to the restoration of service to our customers as safely and quickly as possible."
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 equipment is damaged, customers will need to contact a qualified electrician to make repairs before the company can restore service to them.
Those customers who depend on electricity for life-sustaining equipment (such as a chronic health condition or critical care customers) are encouraged to have an emergency plan in place as CenterPoint cannot ensure an uninterrupted power supply. If electricity is a necessity, customers should make alternate arrangements for on-site back-up capabilities or other alternatives in the event of loss of electric service.
Portable generators should only be used in a well-ventilated area and never run inside or in a garage to avoid carbon monoxide fumes, which can be deadly. Never connect a portable electric generator directly to your building's electrical system during a power outage; electricity could backfeed into the power lines, potentially endangering CenterPoint workers and members of the public.
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.
While conducting clean-up, CenterPoint reminds customers to call 811 and locate utility lines prior to digging on their property. The company also urges customers to identify the location of their homes' natural gas meter, and place debris for heavy trash pick-up away from the meter. In some areas the meter may be located near the curb, and trash collectors using mechanized equipment could pull up the meter and damage it, causing a potentially hazardous situation. If this does happen, please leave the area immediately and call CenterPoint. In addition, if you smell natural gas, get to a safe area and call both 911 and CenterPoint at 800-752-8036.
The company is experiencing slower-than-normal system performance from the Outage Tracker tool on its website. CenterPoint will continue to share updates on its Power Alert System and on X at @CenterPoint as the information becomes available.
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