Houston – May 20, 2024 – As of 9 p.m. CT, CenterPoint Energy has restored approximately 210,000 customers in the past 24 hours as restoration efforts continue. More than 770,000 customers, or approximately 85% of customers who were impacted, have been restored since Category 2 hurricane-like winds and tornadoes impacted the Greater Houston area on May 16.
- Company restores approximately 85% of those impacted by last week's severe weather event
- Restoration efforts continue on the most difficult outages; company expects approximately 90% of customer outages restored by Tuesday
- CenterPoint remains on target to substantially complete restorations by Wednesday evening
- Houston Permitting Center provides fast-track process for restoration of customer-owned equipment
CenterPoint expects approximately 90% of customer outages to be restored by Tuesday evening. The company remains on track to be substantially complete with restoring the remaining 150,000 customers without power by Wednesday evening, even with the most difficult outages left to restore.
“While the efforts by our crews have resulted in steady progress on our restoration goals, we know there is still a lot of hard work ahead to restore our customers still impacted by last Thursday's storm," said Lynnae Wilson, Senior Vice President, Electric Business. “To this end, we continue to have our significant vegetation management workforce addressing extensive tree damage."
Wilson added, “We understand how difficult it has been for our customers who are going on five days without power. We will not stop until we get the job done."
To provide continued information on the status of restoration, the company is posting additional progress and updates on its website. Customers will now have access to a guide for identifying their service area on the company's website. As previously announced, CenterPoint has posted an enhanced outage map with address search capabilities for more detailed customer restoration information. Both the map and service area updates can be found at CenterPointEnergy.com/localupdates.
As the company gets further into the recovery process, customers must check for equipment damage to ensure they can receive service as soon as the system is energized. This will prevent further delays to restoration. Specifically, 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, we cannot safely restore service to the home until a licensed electrician has made the necessary repairs. Customers who are served by an underground service will not have a weatherhead, but there may still be damage to their equipment that could require servicing.
To help expedite the restoration process for customers with damaged weatherheads, the Houston Permitting Center is providing a fast-track process for restoring electrical service for “like-for-like repairs only, no improvement." To participate, follow these steps:
- Verify your Electrical Contractor by calling 832-394-8860. Only a registered City of Houston Electrical Contractor can repair your electrical service.
- Have your registered Electrical Contractor purchase your Temporary Cut (TCI)\Reconnect Permit using the iPermits system. Visit: the City of Houston > Online Permits (houstontx.gov)
- The registered contractor will contact the Houston Permitting Center Electrical Inspections section to request an emergency release to CenterPoint.
- For after-hours work, please use the numbers located in your electrical registration packet for the City of Houston.
- Then the homeowner needs to contact the Electrical Service Provider (ex., Green Mountain, TXU, Reliant) to obtain a release of electrical service.
- Once all necessary releases have been obtained and processed, a requisition will be created to restore power. If you have any questions, please contact:
- Learn More About Reconnect or Temporary Cut In | TPI Permits:
For the latest information on power outages: