Weather in Houston: CenterPoint mobilizes 4,000 workers, preparing for infrastructure damage

Houston winter storm: Drone video shows CenterPoint crews staging ahead of storm

Dozens of vehicles that are part of CenterPoint's staging efforts ahead of the Houston winter storm are seen on Saturday before the storm begins.

HOUSTON - CenterPoint Energy has mobilized a massive workforce of 3,300 line workers and 700 natural gas personnel as Southeast Texas prepares for a significant winter storm expected to bring ice and freezing winds Saturday night.

Houston power outages

The company announced that 100% of its crews and contract resources were pre-positioned at strategic staging sites by noon Saturday. In response to shifting forecasts, CenterPoint has concentrated its materials and personnel at two staging areas in north Houston, where the highest probability of ice accumulation is expected.

What they're saying:

"Prioritizing our customers and communities is central to how we plan and prepare for severe weather," said Nathan Brownell, Vice President of Resilience and Capital Delivery. "We’ve reallocated people, materials, and supplies to the two north Houston staging areas which are expected to see the most significant impacts."

The company’s Emergency Operations Center has been fully staffed since Wednesday. To prepare for potential infrastructure damage, CenterPoint has pre-staged:

9,200 distribution poles
11,500 transformers
100,000 cable splices

Additionally, gas crews have inspected nearly 200 natural gas regulator stations and installed heaters on equipment to prevent ice-related failures. Seventeen compressed natural gas (CNG) trailers are also on standby to supplement supply if needed.

Houston road conditions

CenterPoint echoed the pleas of local officials for residents to stay off the roads from Saturday night through Monday. The company issued a critical safety reminder regarding downed power lines, which may be hidden by ice or fallen trees.

"Always assume downed lines or wires are energized and potentially dangerous," the company stated, advising residents to stay at least 35 feet away and report any fallen wires immediately.

What's next:

The utility is currently monitoring more than 100 weather stations across the Greater Houston area and remains in coordination with the Public Utility Commission of Texas and ERCOT.

Customers are encouraged to enroll in the Power Alert Service to receive text or email updates on restoration times and to use the company’s Outage Tracker for real-time maps of service interruptions.

The Source: Information in this article is from CenterPoint Energy.

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