At KPRC 2, we’re dedicated to keeping Houstonians informed. As part of our new Ask 2 series, the newsroom will answer your questions about all things Houston
Question: Why do my neighbors have their power on, but people on my street don’t?
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Answer: KPRC 2 contacted CenterPoint and spoke with Michelle Hundley from CenterPoint Media Relations. She said one common reason is a situation known as a “nested outage.”
“This occurs when, even after fixing the main issue, smaller problems still cause outages in specific areas. These secondary issues can arise from unseen damage or overloaded systems,” Hundley explained. “Another reason could be that customers on the same street might be on different electrical circuits.”
Customers on different circuits can experience varied restoration times because each circuit may have different levels of damage or may be repaired in a different sequence.
“This means that while one circuit is fully restored, another might still be undergoing repairs,” Hundley said. “They may also be impacted by a more localized issue, such as damage to fuses, transformers, meters, electric lines or other electric infrastructure.”
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Hundley said it is important that customers check for damage to their equipment to ensure that they are able to 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,” she explained. “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.”