CenterPoint Energy mobilizes to respond to winter storm set to impact Greater Houston area By Investing.com

The weather forecast is mixed with cold showers and accumulations

About 1,200 additional workers will arrive on Monday

to support possible restoration efforts

National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for the entire region

An ERCOT Weather Watch has been issued for January 20th 23 due to severe cold throughout its area

CenterPoint customers are advised to be weather aware and have a plan to stay safe and warm due to the cold weather

HOUSTON, January 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — As weather models and forecasts for next week begin to converge, confidence is growing about the potential for heavy winter rains and associated accumulations. Houston is great site starting Monday evening and continuing into next week. CenterPoint Energy (NYSE: continues to implement the company’s cold weather preparedness plan and is actively monitoring changing forecasts. CenterPoint has hired an additional 1,200 support workers who will arrive on Monday. The company has also set up three staging areas with front-line workers to support possible restoration efforts.

The forecast continues to adjust for a number of possible conditions early next week Houston is great in the area, with many forecasting a sharp drop in temperatures and freezing rain Monday through Tuesday afternoon. CenterPoint’s Emergency Preparedness and Response, Meteorology and Operations teams are constantly vigilant and use in-house and third-party weather modeling and historical data from past weather events to plan for all possible outcomes. present in the CenterPoint system.

In preparation for the mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain expected to affect the area, the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for Southeast Texas to begin with 6:00 pm Monday with 6:00 pm Tuesday. On Friday, ERCOT issued a Weather Watch for January 20 to January 23 due to very cold weather across the country ERCOT in the area, high demand for electricity and the possibility of saving low resources. At this time, it follows ERCOTInternet conditions are expected to be normal, but CenterPoint teams are always ready to respond if that changes.

“Our CenterPoint teams have already made many cold weather preparations from our winter preparedness plan and we will continue to monitor the weather and our operations as we go along.” We stopped these platforms and began boarding about 1,200 workers who helped respond to the call. emergency and take steps to prepare,” it said Darin CarrollSenior Vice President of CenterPoint Electrical Business.

Cold weather preparations
The company has a cold weather operational plan and has implemented a series of intensive pre-winter preparation measures to strengthen and maintain its winter services during the winter. Texasincluding inspection and testing of critical cold weather equipment. In addition to requesting an additional 1,200 units of aid to aid in recovery efforts, CenterPoint is also using cold weather mitigation throughout its electric and gas utilities, coordinating with emergency responders in the area. and government officials and make plans to mobilize emergency response resources.

2025 Winter Energy Guide
CenterPoint recently launched its Winter Energy Guide, an online resource that helps consumers throughout the winter heating season. The guide contains practical and important safety, energy saving and debt management tips to help consumers stay safe and warm throughout the winter season. To learn more, visit CenterPointEnergy.com/ReadyforWinter.

Safety reminders
CenterPoint reminds customers to stay safe during the storm and after winter:

• Downed power lines: Stay at least 35 feet away from downed power lines and report them to CenterPoint at 713-207-2222. Pay particular attention to hidden downlines and treat all downlines as reinforced.
• Employee safety: Be careful around workers and give them enough space to assess the damage and repair it.
• Portable generators: Use the portable generator only in a well-ventilated area and do not move it indoors or in a garage to avoid carbon monoxide (CO) fumes, which can be fatal.
• Use space heaters safely: Make sure space heaters are turned off, and keep children, pets, and other objects at least three feet away from them. A space heater that uses , propane or wood should be installed outside. Stoves and ovens should not be used for space heating.
• Electrical system safety: Never plug a portable power generator directly into a building’s electrical system during a power outage; Electricity can penetrate power lines, putting CenterPoint employees at risk.
• Saving food during a break: Avoid opening refrigerators and freezers while the freezers are off to store food.
• Natural gas safety: Natural gas has a distinctive, strong odor, often compared to rotten eggs or sulfur. If the smell of natural gas is detected inside the house or building, leave immediately on foot. Do not use electrical switches, telephones (including cell phones), or anything that could cause a spark. Once you are in a safe place, call both CenterPoint Energy and 911. Do not use email or the Internet to report the leak and never attempt to repair a gas leak yourself” leave all repairs to trained professionals. For external leaks, leave the area on foot and walk uphill from the leak or vapor cloud to an area where the smell of gas is gone. Warn others to avoid leaking and discarding any materials used in or near the area. Once you are in a safe place, call both CenterPoint Energy and 911 to report a leak.
• Know the symptoms of CO poisoning: Early symptoms such as headache and fatigue are flu-like, but not fever-like. Exposure to CO can lead to severe headaches, dizziness, nausea, difficulty thinking and fainting. If everyone in the family has these symptoms, it could be CO poisoning. If symptoms indicate CO poisoning, leave the area immediately, get fresh air and call 911.
• Gas meter maintenance: Remove large icicles hanging from meter assemblies and instrument windows. Use a broom “not a shovel” to remove snow from the yard. If the gas meter is blocked with ice, do not try to melt and / or break the ice, as this can cause damage to the meter. Allow the ice to melt on its own.
• Call before you dig: Call 811 for utility directions before digging on the property.

Electric customers are encouraged to sign up for the Power Alert Service ® ​​and track their CenterPoint Texas X account
While CenterPoint continues to provide information about this weather event, including providing preparedness talks to critical care customers, the company is also encouraging all electric customers to register to the company’s Power Alert Service ® ​​for winter storm outage information, estimated restoration times and customer specials. return updates by phone, text or email.

Customers can also follow @CenterPoint_TX to get the latest information on the company’s operations Houston is great space and beyond Texas.

For the latest weather information for Houston is great instead, see updates from the National Weather Service’s National Weather Service Houston/Galveston at www.weather.gov/hgx.

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