CenterPoint Energy expects to have power back on to just about everyone by Wednesday evening.
- As of 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, 30,839 customers did not have power
- More than 890,000 customers who lost power last Thursday have had it restored
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The company’s Wednesday evening update had these three key messages:
- 97% of customers impacted by severe storm restored
- Company stays laser-focused on returning service to remaining customers
- CenterPoint committed to helping neighbors in need
UPDATE: As of 9:30 p.m. CT, the company has restored 97% or more than 890,000 customers impacted by the May 16 severe storm across its service territory, which represents 99% of all customers. Any remaining outages after this evening will be predominantly isolated instances in certain locations where there is substantial damage or where customers are unable to receive power. CenterPoint has and will continue to have the workers and resources needed to address these remaining outages as safely and quickly as possible.
In some cases, new outages may be attributable to service issues that periodically occur on CenterPoint’s system and are unrelated to the May 16 weather event, such as a vehicle accident resulting in a downed pole and wires. In the past 24 hours, CenterPoint has experienced more than 5,000 customer outages associated with these types of incidents, which were not related to the storm and add to the company’s overall outage count on its website. Crews are also addressing these outages.
UPDATE: As the restoration process continues, CenterPoint will update its website. The company’s website now offers a guide to help customers identify their service area. The CenterPoint outage map has been enhanced with address search capabilities for more detailed information about customer restoration. Both the map and service area updates can be found below. The company’s website now features a guide for identifying your service area, allowing you to view storm updates in your area.
SEE ALSO: Ask 2: Why are there inaccuracies in the CenterPoint outage map?
According to CenterPoint, approximately 90% of customer outages will be resolved by Tuesday evening. The company remains on track to restore power to the remaining 150,000 customers by Wednesday evening.
“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 said in a press release. “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.”
CenterPoint announced they have posted an enhanced outage map with address search capabilities for more detailed customer restoration
Here’s a look at some of the latest updates from CenterPoint:
- 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 Energy will continue to work day and night to restore service to our impacted customers,” said Lynnae Wilson, Senior Vice President, Electric Business in a press release. “We understand the higher temperatures we are experiencing across Houston and surrounding communities make getting the lights and air conditioning back on even more important. Our customers should know that we appreciate their continued patience. Getting our jobs done as safely and quickly as possible is our top priority.”
RELATED: CenterPoint Energy aims to complete power restorations by Wednesday
Since the severe weather impacted the company’s service area, CenterPoint said it is confident that its customer restoration expectations will be met. A comprehensive restoration plan is being developed to restore service to key facilities vital to public safety, health and welfare, including hospitals, police and fire departments, and water treatment plants, as well as conducting damage assessments to determine the impacts on the system.
“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,” the company said.
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:
- Electrical Inspections:
- Phone: 832-394-8860
- Learn More About Reconnect or Temporary Cut In | TPI Permits:
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