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As temperatures drop, CenterPoint Energy continues mobilizing response efforts for Winter Storm Enzo projected to impact the Greater Houston area Monday evening

News Provided by PR Newswire2025-01-20

As temperatures drop, CenterPoint Energy continues mobilizing response efforts for Winter Storm Enzo projected to impact the Greater Houston area Monday evening

[19-January-2025]

Forecasts converge on freezing precipitation and accumulation across Greater Houston as National Weather Service upgrades advisory to a Winter Storm Warning

Three staging sites set-up and approximately 1,200 additional mutual aid workers set to arrive tomorrow to support potential restoration efforts

CenterPoint to activate its emergency operations center Monday afternoon ahead of the projected start of precipitation

CenterPoint urges customers and the public to be weather alert and have a plan to stay safe and warm through freezing temperatures and precipitation

HOUSTON, Jan. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- CenterPoint Energy continues to execute its cold weather readiness plan and actively monitor the weather for new developments. Weather forecasts continue to converge on a major winter storm, now named Enzo, impacting the Greater Houston area beginning Monday evening, with wintry precipitation and significant accumulation forecasted across the region this week.

The company has secured an additional 1,200 mutual aid workers to support potential restoration efforts. CenterPoint's emergency operations center will be activated Monday evening ahead of the projected arrival of wintry precipitation and the company is standing up three staging sites and pre-positioning crews across its service territory to respond, if needed, as safely and as quickly as possible.

CenterPoint's Emergency Preparedness and Response, Meteorology and Operations teams will remain on alert throughout the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend and continue to utilize in-house and third-party weather modeling and historical data from previous weather events to plan for all potential impacts to CenterPoint's system.

In preparation for the mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain anticipated to impact the region, the National Weather Service has upgraded the Winter Storm Watch to a Winter Storm Warning for Southeast Texas beginning at 6 p.m. Monday through 6 p.m. Tuesday.

On Friday, ERCOT issued a Weather Watch from Monday to Wednesday 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, but CenterPoint teams remain ready to respond if that should change.

"As our CenterPoint teams stand up these staging sites and begin onboarding approximately 1,200 mutual assistance workers who've answered the call to support potential restoration efforts, we continue to diligently monitor the weather and our systems and prepare for potential impact. We want our customers to be confident in the numerous cold weather preparations CenterPoint has already executed from our winter readiness plan and to know we have plans in place to support their communities during this week's forecasted severe weather. We also want to urge our customers to stay weather alert, have an emergency plan in place and take steps now to prepare, especially customers who rely on life-sustaining equipment," said Darin Carroll, Senior Vice President of CenterPoint's Electric Business.

Cold weather preparations
The company has a cold weather readiness 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 securing an additional 1,200 mutual aid resources to assist with restoration efforts, additional call center resources have been secured in anticipation of call volume rising and support platforms have been load-tested to meet higher demand as customers seek information during and after the storm. CenterPoint is also deploying cold weather mitigations across its electric and natural gas infrastructure, coordinating with relevant local emergency responders and government officials and making plans to mobilize emergency response resources.

Stay informed before, during and after the storm with CenterPoint's Storm Center, Power Alert Service® and the CenterPoint Texas X account
CenterPoint is encouraging all customers to prepare and have a plan to stay safe during Winter Storm Enzo. Customers can read the latest news on CenterPoint's preparedness and response efforts, view important safety tips and access the company's 2025 Winter Energy Guide by visiting CenterPointEnergy.com/StormCenter.

While CenterPoint continues to provide information around this weather event to its 2.8 million electric customers, including those designated as critical care, the company also encourages all electric customers 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 the latest weather information for the Greater Houston area, see updates from the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Houston/Galveston at www.weather.gov/hgx.

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 (CO) 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 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.