Houston weather: CenterPoint reports 1 million outages; map, tracker

HOUSTON - Nearly 1 million people were left without power across the Houston area after severe weather moved through on Thursday evening, officials said.

According to CenterPoint, at the peak, the outages impacted nearly 922,000 customers.

On Sunday, as of 10 a.m., less than 350,000 customers were still without power, CenterPoint said. The company anticipates about 80% of impacted customers' power will be restored by Sunday evening.

Since the first 48 hours of storm response, more than 550,000 customers have had power restored.

On Friday, hundreds of thousands of people were still without electricity. As of Saturday, more than 400,000 customers have had their power restored since Thursday.

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On Saturday morning, CenterPoint reported more than 82% of their customers, or 2.3 million, currently have power as of 10:30 a.m. They are working to have restorations complete by the end of the day on Wednesday for customers who are available to receive service.

CenterPoint said there was damage to several of their facilities in the area. The company said they would begin restoration efforts on Thursday night, and it would ramp up in the morning when damage became more visible in the daylight hours.

On Friday around 5 p.m., CenterPoint gave this update:

Currently, we have restored power to more than 300,000 customers, and we have approximately 600,000 customers who are still waiting for service to be restored. At peak, we had 920,000 customers out, so we have been making some steady progress over the last 24 hours.

Here's how many outages have been reported, how to view the outage map, and how to report an outage at your home.

CenterPoint Energy Outages

SUNDAY

As of 7:30 p.m., there were 264,448 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

As of 6:45 p.m., there were 280,641 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

As of 5:09 p.m., there were 297,228 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

As of 4 p.m., there were 306,225 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

As of 12:35 p.m., there were 327,536 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

As of 12:04 a.m., there were 334,391 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

SATURDAY

The CenterPoint outage map was briefly taken down, so we were unable to give an updated number for outages. As of 6:15 p.m., a new tracker was up on the website without a map.

As of 6:15 p.m., there were 437,168 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

As of 6:30 p.m., there were 425,476 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

FRIDAY

As of 9:12 p.m., there were 535,007 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

As of 7:50 p.m., there were 568,339 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

As of 2:38 p.m., there were 639,165 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

As of 9:15 a.m., there were 726,548 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

As of 7:30 a.m., there were 728,745 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

As of 6:15 a.m., there were 731,906 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

THURSDAY

As of 8:53 p.m., there were 893,182 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

As of 8:41 p.m., there were 896,558 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

As of 8:11 p.m., there were 898,270 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

As of 7:30 p.m., there were 879,228 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

As of 7:05 p.m., there were 781,155 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

As of 6:50 p.m., there were 632,226 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

As of 6:44 p.m., there were 477,207 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

As of 6:40 p.m., there were 342,577 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

As of 6:30 p.m., there were 195,902 customers affected by outages in the Houston area.

CenterPoint provided this update on Friday morning:

"CenterPoint Energy’s damage assessment and restoration efforts are continuing to ramp up this morning following yesterday evening’s severe weather event. Crews began efforts overnight to restore power to affected customers as safely and quickly as possible. There are currently more than 2,000 employees and contractors deployed, with approximately 4,000 lineworkers and 1,000 vegetation professionals requested for mutual assistance support.

While there is still extensive damage to assess, crews made progress overnight restoring more than 180,000 customers in the last 12 hours. As of 9:30 a.m., more than 72% of CenterPoint Energy’s customers, or 2 million, currently have power. Damage from the severe weather resulted in electric service interruptions peaking at nearly 922,000 customers.

"In certain parts of our service area where the damage to our infrastructure was significant, our restoration efforts are expected to take several days, and some of the hardest hit areas could take longer," said Lynnae Wilson, Senior Vice President, Electric Business. "We are mobilizing all our available resources, as well as mutual assistance resources from nearby utility companies, to begin the process of quickly and safely restoring power to our customers. We appreciate our customers’ patience and understanding as we focus on the important work ahead."

Wilson added, "Due to the extent of the damage to our transmission system, we are also deploying mobile generation resources at certain substations that will enable us to temporarily restore power to certain areas of our service territory."

The storm system caused extensive damage to the company's transmission and distribution electric systems. Wind gusts between 65-85 mph and sustained winds equivalent to a tropical storm, or a Category 1 Hurricane, were seen downtown and eastward toward northern Galveston Bay. The hardest-hit area was likely over the 290 corridor from Jersey Village to Waller (e.g., North region west of I-45) where there was strong evidence of a tornado based on Doppler radar data. Restoration work is expected to continue through the weekend and into early next week. As repairs begin, information on particular areas will be provided to customers.

CenterPoint Energy has also requested mutual assistance to receive additional resources to assist with restoration efforts. The company is part of electric utility mutual assistance programs that provide access to thousands of line workers and vegetation crews from around the country to lend a hand during widespread power outage emergencies.

Those customers who depend on electricity for life-sustaining equipment (such as chronic condition or critical care customers) are encouraged to have an emergency plan in place as CenterPoint Energy cannot ensure an uninterrupted power supply. If electricity is a necessity, customers should make alternate arrangements for on-site back-up capabilities or other alternatives in the event of loss of electric service.

In addition to damaging CenterPoint Energy's electric infrastructure and equipment, severe weather may have caused damage to customer-owned equipment. Customers should check their weatherhead, the point where power enters the home through an electric service drop, which is often a pipe located on the side of the residence or building. If the equipment is damaged, customers will need to contact a qualified electrician to make repairs before the company is able to restore service to them.

CenterPoint Energy urges customers to always stay at least 35 feet away from downed power lines and damaged electric utility equipment. Treat all down and damaged equipment as energized and report them to the company at (713) 207-2222."

Keep track of the outages using the map below.

*Note: CenterPoint has experienced issues with their outage tracker on Friday*

Click here to view the Centerpoint Energy outage map or to report an outage at your home.

Entergy Outages

SATURDAY

As of 12:42 p.m., 3,163 customers are affected.

FRIDAY

As of 9:52 p.m., 4,170 customers are affected.

As of 7:51 p.m., 5,047 customers are affected.

As of 12:20 p.m., 9,866 customers are affected.

As of 6:20 a.m., 17,032 customers are affected.

THURSDAY

As of 8:50 p.m., 39,091 customers are affected.

As of 8:11 p.m., 42,285 customers are affected.

As of 7:05 p.m., 34,350 customers are affected.

As of 6:44 p.m., 25,967 customers are affected.

As of 6:33 p.m., 22,292 customers are affected.

In an update on Saturday, Entergy said:

Entergy Texas crews continue to make progress restoring power after tornadoes, heavy rain, and strong winds caused widespread outages across the region Thursday. As of 9:30 a.m., approximately
4,500 customers are without power, down from a peak of 44,500 customers at 8 p.m. Thursday night.

All customers who can safely receive power are expected to be restored by the end of the day Saturday. Special equipment and a workforce of more than 900 people are being used to assist with restoration efforts.

Damage assessments are still ongoing, but initial reports indicate damage to 63 poles, 28 transformers, 41 crossarms, and approximately 155,000 feet of wire needing replacement. Crews will continue working throughout the weekend to make repairs and safely restore power as quickly as possible.

In an update on Friday, Entergy said:

"Entergy Texas crews worked throughout the night to safely restore power to 66% of customers impacted by severe thunderstorms that moved through the region Thursday. As of 9:30 a.m., approximately 14,800 customers are without power, down from the peak of approximately 44,500 at 8 p.m. on Thursday.

High winds and downed trees caused significant damage to Entergy Texas transmission and substation equipment. Damage assessments are ongoing, and restoration crews from other states and high-water equipment have been requested to safely restore power to our communities as quickly as possible. Majority of customers are expected to be restored before the end of day Friday, but customers are still encouraged to visit the View Outage map for the most up-to-date information.

Crews will continue to work around the clock to restore power, only when and where conditions are safe and secure to do so. More severe weather and rain are forecasted for parts of our service area on Friday, so customers are encouraged to stay weather aware.

Important safety tips to keep in mind before, during and after a storm:

Stay away from downed power lines and areas of debris. Energized power lines may not be visible among the rubble. Report downed lines immediately to Entergy at 1-800-9OUTAGE (1-800-968-8243), and call your local police station or fire department.
Return home only when authorities advise and drive only on roadways and bridges that have been declared passable.
If a power line falls on your vehicle while driving, continue to drive away from the line.
Don’t walk in flooded areas or standing water. Remember that wet tree limbs can conduct electricity.
Keep your distance from working crews. Work sites can have any number of hidden dangers for the public, and distracting crews can cause accidents to happen.

Stay informed:

Keeping customers informed before, during and after a storm is important to Entergy Texas. Here are some of the platforms we use to provide updates:

Download the Entergy App at entergyapp.com. Customers can use the app to report outages or check on the status of power at their home or business.
Entergy’s View Outages website includes maps that show where outages are located and gives information about restoration progress.
Register for outage text alerts through myEntergy. Customers should update their notification preferences to participate in text alerts. Customers also can sign up for text messages about storm and restoration efforts by texting REG to 36778.
The Entergy Storm Center website has storm safety, preparation and restoration information that is updated throughout the day.
Operation: Storm Ready Guide is a free downloadable guide that helps customers plan and prepare for weather emergencies.
Social media plays an important role in keeping customers informed. Follow Entergy Texas on Twitter at @EntergyTX and Facebook.com/EntergyTX. "