## CenterPoint Energy on High Alert as Hurricane Rafael Approaches Gulf Coast
As Hurricane Rafael rapidly intensified into a Category 3 hurricane before making landfall in Cuba on Wednesday, CenterPoint Energy is diligently monitoring weather forecasts and preparing for potential impacts across its Gulf Coast service area. With a focus on Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, the company is implementing comprehensive emergency preparedness plans and deploying enhanced staffing to ensure swift service restoration in the event of outages.
Proactive Measures and Preparedness:
CenterPoint has taken proactive steps to minimize disruptions and support its customers. These include:
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Enhanced Staffing:
The company has mobilized additional personnel to its Gulf Coast service area, ready to respond to any potential outages.*
Mutual Assistance Resources:
Over 13,000 mutual assistance resources have been identified to support emergency response efforts if needed.*
Safety Information Dissemination:
CenterPoint is proactively sharing safety information with customers across its multi-state service area.Suspension of Natural Gas Disconnections:
To alleviate potential hardship for customers, CenterPoint has temporarily suspended natural gas disconnections in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. This measure will remain in effect until next week, allowing the company to assess the storm’s impact and determine necessary restoration activities.
Staying Safe During Outages:
CenterPoint emphasizes the importance of customer safety during power outages. They recommend the following:
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Electric Outages:
Avoid opening freezers and refrigerators unnecessarily to prevent food spoilage. Only use portable generators in well-ventilated areas, never inside or in garages, to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Never connect a portable generator directly to your building’s electrical system during a power outage, as this could back-feed into the power lines and endanger CenterPoint Energy workers.*
Natural Gas Outages:
Leave your natural gas meter on to maintain proper pressure in the piping and prevent water ingress in case of flooding. If you need to discontinue natural gas service, turn it off at each appliance. To restore service, follow the instructions on the appliance, or contact a qualified plumber/technician.Staying Informed and Prepared:
CenterPoint encourages its electric customers to enroll in the Power Alert Service® to receive outage details, estimated restoration times, and personalized updates via phone, text, or email. Customers can also track outages using the company’s new cloud-based Outage Tracker, accessible by county, city, and zip code.
Hurricane Rafael’s Potential Path:
While current forecasts indicate a potential path towards Mexico in the coming days, the storm’s trajectory remains uncertain. CenterPoint Energy is prepared to respond to any potential impacts on its electric and natural gas infrastructure. Their teams will prioritize restoring service to customers as quickly and safely as possible if Hurricane Rafael makes landfall in Texas, Louisiana, or Mississippi.
Safety Information and Resources:
CenterPoint encourages all customers to have a plan in place for staying safe during Hurricane Rafael. Comprehensive storm-related safety tips for electric, natural gas, and flood preparedness are available on CenterPointEnergy.com/StormCenter. Additional preparation best practices can be found at Ready.gov. For real-time updates, follow CenterPoint on X (formerly Twitter). For more information and resources, visit CenterPointEnergy.com/NaturalGasSafety.
About CenterPoint Energy:
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (CNP) is an energy delivery company with electric transmission and distribution, power generation, and natural gas distribution operations serving over 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio, and Texas. The company and its predecessors have been in business for over 150 years, employing approximately 9,000 people. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.
