CenterPoint Energy Taking Safety Actions to Address Increased Wildfire Risk in Parts of the Greater Houston Area

Rhea-AI Summary

CenterPoint Energy (CNP) is implementing precautionary measures to address elevated wildfire risks in the Greater Houston area during a Red Flag Warning from noon to 9 p.m. on March 15, 2025. The company has mobilized approximately 1,000 line and vegetation workers to respond to potential emergencies.

Key actions include inspecting power lines and natural gas facilities, clearing hazardous vegetation, adjusting power line safety settings in high-risk areas, and proactively communicating with 330,000 customers in the Cypress, Fort Bend, and Katy areas about possible temporary safety outages. The company has enhanced its emergency response capabilities and is coordinating with local emergency partners.

Customers are encouraged to enroll in the Power Alert Service® for real-time updates and can track outages through CenterPoint's improved cloud-based Outage Tracker, available in English and Spanish.

Positive

• Proactive risk management with 1,000 workers deployed
• Comprehensive emergency response system in place
• Enhanced customer communication infrastructure with bilingual outage tracking

Negative

• Potential temporary power outages affecting 330,000 customers
• Increased operational costs due to emergency preparedness measures

Red Flag Warning in effect for large portions of Texas and the Greater Houston area from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday; high wind gusts, low humidity and fire risk anticipated

CenterPoint has taken a series of actions to prepare equipment and approximately 1,000 workers ready to respond today 

Company continues to communicate with customers about the potential for temporary outages in some areas due to wildfire conditions 

HOUSTON, March 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- CenterPoint Energy is taking a series of precautionary actions to help protect customers and communities and address elevated wildfire risk in parts of the Greater Houston area, as the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning from noon until 9 p.m. today. CenterPoint has actively prepared for potentially dangerous weather conditions, including high wind gusts, dry fuels and low humidity, by conducting pre-inspections of electric and natural gas equipment, adjusting power line safety settings in higher-risk areas, communicating with customers and working closely with local emergency agencies. Today, CenterPoint has approximately 1,000 line and vegetation workers prepared to respond to the evolving weather conditions.

Over the last day, CenterPoint has notified customers in the Cypress, Fort Bend and Katy areas through the company's Power Alert Service about the possibility that extreme weather and wind conditions could result in some temporary safety outages this afternoon or tonight.

"While we have had some precipitation with the passing front this morning, we must remain vigilant. As fire weather conditions quickly evolved and escalated across the state, CenterPoint has been actively preparing for potential impacts to the system and is ready to respond to the heightened risk today. Over the last several days, our teams have completed a series of actions to help protect our customers and communities, including inspecting critical equipment, clearing hazardous vegetation near power lines, adjusting safety settings in higher-risk areas and pre-positioning crews to quickly restore power if temporary safety outages occur. We will continue to keep customers informed of our efforts and how they can stay prepared before and during extreme weather," said Don Daigler, Senior Vice President, Emergency Planning & Response.

Key Actions to Help Keep Customers Safe
CenterPoint's safety preparations over the last several days include the following key actions:

• Inspecting and Hardening Key Power Lines: Inspecting power lines in areas of heightened fire risk, clearing hazardous vegetation near power lines and conducting repairs where needed, ahead of potential extreme weather.
• Inspecting Natural Gas Facilities: Inspecting gas facilities in areas of heightened fire risk and clearing hazardous vegetation near facilities ahead of potential extreme weather.
• Adjusting Safety Settings: Adjusting the settings on some power lines for safety between noon and 9 p.m. today.
• Bringing on Additional Crews to Respond: Positioning CenterPoint crews and additional contractors to respond to any power outages or natural gas service interruptions that may occur. Additional resources will be utilized to safely restore service as quickly as possible when conditions allow.
• Coordinating with Local Emergency Partners: Proactively sharing information with state, county and local leaders.
• Communicating with Customers: Proactively communicating with approximately 330,000 customers in the Cypress, Fort Bend and Katy areas by phone, text or email about the potential for temporary safety outages due to high fire danger.

Important Safety Tips for Customers

CenterPoint encourages all customers to stay informed about weather conditions and make a plan to stay safe, including during a potential power outage. Customers can also get the latest information on CenterPoint's preparedness and response efforts and view important safety tips by visiting CenterPointEnergy.com/StormCenter. Additional preparation and safety tips are available at Ready.gov. 

How to Stay Informed: Sign Up for PAS
CenterPoint electric customers are encouraged to enroll in the company's Power Alert Service® to receive outage details, estimated restoration times and customer-specific restoration updates by phone call, text or email. Customers can also stay up to date with CenterPoint's new and improved, cloud-based Outage Tracker, available in English and Spanish, which allows customers to see outages by county, city and zip code.

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

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

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SOURCE CenterPoint Energy

FAQ

What areas are affected by CenterPoint Energy's (CNP) wildfire safety measures on March 15, 2025?

The Cypress, Fort Bend, and Katy areas in Greater Houston are affected, with approximately 330,000 customers being notified of potential temporary safety outages.

How many workers has CenterPoint Energy (CNP) deployed for wildfire risk response?

CenterPoint has deployed approximately 1,000 line and vegetation workers to respond to evolving weather conditions.

What specific safety measures is CenterPoint Energy (CNP) implementing during the Red Flag Warning?

CNP is inspecting power lines and gas facilities, clearing vegetation, adjusting power line safety settings, and positioning crews for rapid response to outages.

How can customers stay informed about CenterPoint Energy (CNP) power outages during the wildfire risk period?

Customers can enroll in Power Alert Service® for notifications, use the cloud-based Outage Tracker, and follow @CenterPoint_TX for updates.