Power outages in Houston: CenterPoint takes stock Wednesday

HOUSTON — CenterPoint Energy released a new update Wednesday evening on progress in restoring power to the thousands of customers who have been without power since a deadly and destructive storm hit the Houston area last week.

As of 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, CenterPoint announced it had restored 97%, or more than 890,000 customers affected by the storm. The number of customers without electricity is just under 30,000.

RELATED: Homeowners are responsible for repairing some equipment before CenterPoint can reconnect, electricians say

The company said the remaining outages would mostly be isolated cases in certain locations where there is a lot of damage or customers cannot receive power.

“We believe it is a privilege to serve our customers and communities,” said Lynnae Wilson, senior vice president of electrical, in a statement. “That’s why we’re so committed to working around the clock to get the lights and air conditioning back on for customers who have had to endure six difficult days without power, and we won’t stop until every customer is will not have been restored. »

CenterPoint will not be able to restore power to customers whose weather heads were damaged in the storm. Customers whose weather head has been damaged will need to contact a qualified electrician for repairs.

If you’re not familiar with a weather head, it’s the device by which electricity comes into the home through an electrical service cutoff. This is often a pipe located on the side of a house or building. Be careful around wires near your weather head.

You can learn more about weather heads on the CenterPoint Energy website.

For customers who rely on electricity for their potentially life-saving equipment, CenterPoint says that even when power returns, they cannot guarantee that there will be no interruptions, so they advise ensure there is reliable backup power or an alternative plan.

CenterPoint also said it donated about 20 tons of ice and 20,000 bottles of water to nonprofits, low-income senior facilities and schools in the Houston area.

“As our communities have shown time and time again in the wake of natural disasters, the response by Houstonians and others in the wake of the devastating storm on May 16 has been nothing short of extraordinary,” Wilson said in the release.

• Stay at least 35 feet from downed power lines and damaged utility equipment. Pay particular attention to downed lines that may be hidden and treat all downed lines as if they were energized.
• Be careful with work crews and give them enough space to assess damage and complete repairs safely.
• Use a portable generator only in a well-ventilated area and never operate it indoors or in a garage to avoid carbon monoxide fumes, which can be deadly.
• Never connect a portable electric generator directly to your building’s electrical system during a power outage; electricity could be fed back into power lines, potentially endangering CenterPoint workers, aid workers or members of the public.

You can take a closer look and latest trouble numbers here. An interactive map can be found here.

RELATED: Many of you have told us that the CenterPoint Energy map is not accurate. Here’s what CenterPoint told us.

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