CenterPoint Energy sent more than 500 contract workers from 9 states to help areas hit hardest by the winter storm while keeping its Houston service stable. "As of 4 p.m. today, CenterPoint Energy has determined the company has the resources necessary to continue supporting its severe weather response efforts in the Greater Houston area. The company has released more than 500 contractors from 9 states to support response efforts in states more heavily impacted by yesterday evening’s winter weather system and will continue collaborating on meeting additional needs from other utilities through mutual aid," the company said. In Houston, about 2,000 customers, less than 1% of its 2.9 million, experienced outages, according to Click2Houston.
At a news conference on Sunday, Richard Leger, vice president of the gas division, thanked staff, saying, "I want to take some time to say thank you to our frontline employees." CenterPoint Energy maintained service for most customers despite severe weather, including freezing temperatures, high winds, and icy precipitation.
Nathan Brownell, VP of Resilience and Capital Delivery, noted, "Our system continues to perform well, but tonight and tomorrow are forecasted to be hard freezes, hovering around 20 degrees, which may impact our equipment in some places," as reported by KHOU. The company urged residents to stay safe around downed power lines and emphasized its ongoing efforts to monitor and quickly respond to any outages during the challenging winter conditions.
