Company continues monitoring the evolving
weather situation over the MLK Jr Holiday weekend and is activating
nearly 1,200 additional mutual aid workers to help execute
potential restoration work
ERCOT has issued a Weather Watch for
January 20-23 due to extreme cold
weather across its region, meaning higher electrical demand, and
the potential for lower reserves
CenterPoint urges customers to have a plan and
make winter weather preparations to stay safe and warm
In the event of ice or freezing precipitation
early next week causing outages, the expanded workforce will be
utilized to restore service safely and as quickly as
possible
HOUSTON, Jan. 17,
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With weather models and
forecasts staring to align and show a strong chance of severe cold
weather and icy precipitation and even snow impacting the
Greater Houston area over the
Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday weekend and into next week,
CenterPoint Energy is preparing for potential impacts by readying
work sites, staging crews and equipment, and securing an additional
430 vegetation management workers and 750 line workers to support
potential restoration efforts.
Forecasts continue to show a range of potential scenarios early
next week across the Greater
Houston area, with ERCOT issuing a Weather Watch for
Jan. 20 though Jan. 23 due to extreme cold weather across the
ERCOT region, higher electrical demand and the potential for lower
reserves. At this time, according to ERCOT, grid conditions are
expected to be normal.
CenterPoint's Emergency Preparedness and Response, Meteorology
and Operations teams remain on alert and are actively preparing to
support safe and reliable energy delivery during potential extreme
cold and icy conditions. Teams are utilizing in-house weather
modeling and historical data from previous weather events to
consider and plan for all potential impacts to CenterPoint's
system.
"If forecasted icy conditions materialize, we will likely see
outages related to the extreme weather across the Greater Houston area. That's why we've made
the call to proactively bring on approximately 1,200 additional
mutual aid personnel, to help us meet the potential restoration
need and handle any service issues as quickly and safely as
possible. Mutual aid is a hallmark of our industry, and we want to
thank these additional crews for their help to support our local
communities," said Darin Carroll,
Senior Vice President of CenterPoint's Electric Business.
"We want our customers to have confidence in the cold
preparations we've already executed and know that we are actively
monitoring the weather and our systems. We also want to urge them
to take this storm seriously, prepare for it and have an emergency
plan in place," Carroll added.
Cold weather preparations
The company has a cold
weather action plan in place and has performed a series of
proactive pre-winter preparedness actions to strengthen and
winterize its infrastructure across Texas, including inspecting and testing
cold-weather critical equipment. In addition to requesting an
additional 1,200 mutual aid resources to assist with restoration
efforts, CenterPoint is also deploying cold weather mitigations
across its electric and gas infrastructure, coordinating with
relevant local emergency responders and government officials and
making plans to mobilize emergency response resources.
2025 Winter Energy Guide
CenterPoint recently launched
its Winter Energy Guide, a comprehensive online resource hub that
helps customers throughout the winter heating season. The guide
features practical and important safety, energy savings and bill
management tips to help customers stay safe and warm throughout the
winter season. To learn more, visit
CenterPointEnergy.com/ReadyforWinter.
Safety reminders
CenterPoint reminds customers to stay
safe during and after winter storms:
- Downed power lines: Stay at least 35 feet away from
downed power lines and report them to CenterPoint at 713-207-2222.
Be especially mindful of downed lines that could be hidden and
treat all downed lines as if they are energized.
- Work crew safety: Be cautious around work crews and give
them plenty of room to safely assess damage and make repairs.
- Portable generators: 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.
- Use space heaters safely: Make sure space heaters have
an automatic shut-off, and keep children, pets and all items at
least three feet away from it. A space heater that uses natural
gas, propane or wood should be vented to the outside. Stoves and
ovens should never be used for space heating.
- Electric system safety: Never connect a portable
electric generator directly to a building's electrical system
during a power outage; electricity could back-feed into the power
lines, potentially endangering CenterPoint workers.
- Preserving food during outages: Avoid opening freezers
and refrigerators during outages to preserve food.
- Natural gas safety: Natural gas is odorized with a
distinctive, strong odor, often compared to rotten eggs or sulfur.
If a natural gas odor is detected inside a home or building, leave
immediately on foot. Do not use electric switches, telephones
(including cell phones), or anything that could cause a spark. Once
in a safe location, call both CenterPoint Energy and 911. Do not
use email or the Internet to report the leak and never attempt to
repair a natural gas leak yourself—leave all repairs to trained
technicians. For leaks outside, leave the area on foot and move in
an upwind direction away from the leak or vapor cloud to a location
where the smell of gas is no longer present. Warn others to stay
away from the leak and abandon any equipment being used in or near
the area. Once in a safe location, call both CenterPoint Energy and
911 to report the leak.
- Know the signs of CO poisoning: Early symptoms such as
headache and fatigue are similar to the flu, but without a fever.
Continued CO exposure can lead to more severe headaches, dizziness,
nausea, difficulty thinking clearly and fainting. If everyone in a
household is experiencing these symptoms, it could be CO poisoning.
If symptoms suggest CO poisoning, leave the area immediately, get
fresh air and call 911.
- Gas meter maintenance: Remove large icicles hanging over
meter assemblies and appliance vents. Use a broom – not a shovel –
to clear snow from the meter. If the gas meter is encased in ice,
do not attempt to melt and/or chip the ice, as this could cause
damage to the meter. Allow the ice to melt on its own.
- Call before digging: Call 811 to locate utility lines
prior to digging on a property.
Electric customers encouraged to enroll in Power Alert
Service® and follow CenterPoint Texas X
account
CenterPoint electric customers are encouraged to
enroll in the company's Power Alert Service® to receive winter
storm outage details, estimated restoration times and
customer-specific restoration updates by phone call, text or email.
Customers can also follow @CenterPoint_TX to receive the most
up-to-date information on the company's operations in the
Greater Houston area and across
Texas.
For more information, contact
communication
Media.Relations@CenterPointEnergy.Com
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SOURCE CenterPoint Energy