As temperatures drop, CenterPoint Energy continues to mobilize efforts to respond to Winter Storm Enzo, which is forecast to impact the greater Houston area Monday night

Forecasts are approaching freezing precipitation and accumulation across the board Greater Houston as National Weather Service winter storm warning advisory updates

Three checkpoints have been set up and approximately 1,200 additional aid workers will arrive tomorrow to support potential recovery efforts

CenterPoint will activate its emergency operations center Monday afternoon ahead of the expected start of the rainfall

CenterPoint urges customers and the public to be aware of the weather and have a plan to stay safe and warm during freezing temperatures and precipitation

HOUSTON, January 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — CenterPoint Energy continues to execute its cold weather preparedness plan and is actively monitoring weather conditions for new developments. Weather forecasts continue to close in on a major winter storm, now named Enzo, affecting the Greater Houston area beginning Monday night, with wintry precipitation and significant accumulation forecast across the region this week.

The company has secured an additional 1,200 mutual aid workers to support potential rebuilding efforts. CenterPoint’s Emergency Operations Center will be activated Monday evening before the expected arrival of winter precipitation, and the company is setting up three landing sites and pre-deploying crews across its service territory to respond, if needed, as safely and as quickly as possible.

CenterPoint’s emergency preparedness and response, weather and operations teams will remain alert over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend and continue to 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 upgraded the Winter Storm Watch to a Winter Storm Warning for Southeast Texas starting from 18 hours Monday through 6 pm Tuesday.

On Friday, ERCOT has issued a weather watch for Monday through Wednesday for extremely cold weather across the board 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.

“As our CenterPoint teams ramp up these deployment sites and begin onboarding the approximately 1,200 mutual aid workers who have responded to support potential recovery efforts, we continue to diligently monitor the weather and our systems and prepare for the potential impact. We want our customers to be confident in the many cold weather preparations that CenterPoint has already made from our winter preparedness plan and knowing that we have plans in place to support their communities throughout this week We also want to encourage our customers to stay prepared for weather conditions, have an emergency plan in place and take immediate steps to prepare, especially clients who rely on life support equipment,” he said. Darin Carrollsenior vice president of CenterPoint’s electrical division.

Preparations for cold weather
The company has a cold weather preparedness plan and has taken a number of proactive preparedness actions ahead of winter to strengthen and prepare its infrastructure for winter across Texasincluding inspection and testing of critical cold weather equipment. In addition to securing an additional 1,200 mutual aid resources to assist in recovery efforts, additional call center resources have been secured in anticipation of the surge in calls, and support platforms have been stress-tested to meet increased demand as customers seek information during and after the storm. . CenterPoint is also implementing cold weather mitigation measures in its electrical and infrastructure, coordinating with relevant local emergency services and government officials and developing plans to mobilize emergency response resources.

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

While CenterPoint continues to provide information about 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 details about winter storm outages, estimated restoration times, and customer-specific restoration updates by phone call, text, 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.

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 natural gas, 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 them CenterPoint Energy (NYSE: 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. Once you are in a safe place, call 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 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.

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