CenterPoint Energy Mobilizes to Respond to Winter Storm Forecast to Impact Greater Houston Area By Investing.com

Forecasts are approaching freezing precipitation and accumulation

Approximately 1,200 additional aid workers will arrive by Monday

to support potential restoration efforts

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

ERCOT Weather Watch issued for January 20 ” 23 due to extremely cold weather throughout the region

CenterPoint customers are urged to be weather-ready and have a plan to stay safe and warm during freezing temperatures

HOUSTON, January 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — As weather models and forecasts for next week begin to converge, confidence is growing in the potential for significant winter precipitation and accumulation affecting Greater Houston area starting Monday night and continuing into next week. CenterPoint Energy (NYSE: continues to implement the company’s cold weather preparedness plan and actively monitors the development of forecasts. CenterPoint has secured an additional 1,200 mutual aid workers who will arrive on Monday. The company is also setting up three staging locations and pre-positioning crews to support potential restoration efforts.

Forecasts continue to align with a number of potential scenarios early next week across the country Greater Houston area, with most models predicting a sharp drop in temperatures and freezing precipitation overnight Monday and into Tuesday afternoon. CenterPoint’s emergency preparedness and response, meteorology and operations teams remain vigilant and use internal and third-party weather models and historical data from previous weather events to plan for any potential impacts to CenterPoint’s system.

In preparation for a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain expected to affect the region, National Weather Service has now issued a Winter Storm Watch for Southeast Texas starting from 18:00 Monday through 18:00 Tuesday. On Friday, ERCOT issued a Time Watch for January 20 to January 23 due to extremely cold weather throughout ERCOT region, higher demand for electricity and the potential for smaller reserves. At this moment, according to ERCOTnetwork conditions are expected to be normal, but CenterPoint teams remain ready to respond if this changes.

“Our CenterPoint teams have already made numerous cold weather preparations from our winter preparedness plan, and we will continue to diligently monitor the weather and our systems as we set up these landing sites and begin onboarding the approximately 1,200 mutual aid workers who responded to the call to to support potential restoration efforts. We have plans and are deploying crews in the communities we serve so that our teams can address any service issues safely and as quickly as possible. We urge our customers to be aware of the weather, have an emergency plan in place and take steps to prepare,” he said Darin Carrollsenior vice president of CenterPoint’s electrical division.

Cold weather preparations
The company has a Cold Weather Action Plan and has implemented a number of proactive pre-winter preparedness actions to strengthen and prepare its infrastructure for winter across Texasincluding inspection and testing of critical cold weather equipment. In addition to the request for an additional 1,200 mutual aid resources to assist in restoration efforts, CenterPoint is also implementing cold weather mitigation measures in its electric and gas infrastructure, coordinating with relevant local emergency services and government officials and developing plans to mobilize emergency response resources.

Winter energy guide for 2025
CenterPoint recently launched the Winter Energy Guide, a comprehensive online resource center to help customers during the winter heating season. The guide contains practical and important safety, energy saving and bill management tips to help customers stay safe and warm throughout the winter season. To learn more, visit CenterPointEnergy.com/ReadyforWinter.

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 aware of broken lines that may be hidden and treat all broken lines as if they were live.
• Security of the work team: Be careful around work crews and give them enough space to safely assess the damage and make repairs.
• Portable generators: Use the portable generator only in a well-ventilated area and never run it indoors or in a garage to avoid carbon monoxide (CO) fumes, which can be fatal.
• Use space heaters safely: Make sure space heaters have an automatic shut-off and keep children, pets and all objects at least three meters away from them. A space heater that uses , propane or wood should be vented to the outside. Stoves and ovens should never be used for space heating.
• Electrical system safety: Never connect a portable electrical generator directly to a building’s electrical system during a power outage; current could flow back into power lines, potentially endangering CenterPoint workers.
• Storing food during downtime: Avoid opening freezers and refrigerators during outages to preserve food.
• Natural gas safety: Natural gas has a distinctive, strong smell, which is often compared to rotten eggs or sulfur. If you smell natural gas in your house or building, get out on foot immediately. Do not use electrical switches, telephones (including cell phones) or anything that could cause a spark. When you are in a safe place, call both of you CenterPoint Energy and 911. Do not use email or the Internet to report a leak and never attempt to repair a natural gas leak yourself” leave all repairs to trained technicians. In the event of a leak outside, leave the area on foot and move downwind away from the leak or vapor cloud to a place where the smell of gas is gone. Warn others to stay away from the spill and leave all equipment in use in or near the area. When you are in a safe place, call both of them CenterPoint Energy and 911 to report a leak.
• Know the signs of CO poisoning: Early symptoms such as headache and fatigue are similar to the flu, but without the fever. Continued exposure to CO can lead to severe headaches, dizziness, nausea, difficulty thinking clearly, and fainting. If everyone in the household has 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 any large icicles that hang over the meter and appliance vents. Use a broom “not a shovel” to clean the snow from the meter. If the gas meter is ice-bound, do not attempt to melt and/or break the ice as this may damage the meter. Let the ice melt on its own.
• Call before digging: Call 811 to locate utility lines before digging on property.

Electricity customers are encouraged to enroll in the Power Alert Service ® ​​and monitor their CenterPoint Texas X bill
While CenterPoint continues to provide information about this weather event, including issuing standby notices to critical care customers, the company also encourages all electric customers to enroll in the company’s Power Alert Service ® ​​​​to receive winter storm outage details, estimated times renewals and customer-specific information renewal updates by phone call, SMS or email.

Customers can also follow @CenterPoint_TX to get 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 Greater Houston area, see updates from the National Weather Service Forecast Office at Houston/Galveston at www.weather.gov/hgx.

For more information, please contact
Communications
Media.Relations@CenterPointEnergy.com