“We have a plan to handle this potential storm and we are executing that plan,” said Darin Carroll, CenterPoint’s senior vice president of power operations.
HOUSTON — With power restoration a major concern in the wake of Hurricane Beryl and new developments in the Gulf of Mexico, CenterPoint Energy and Entergy are announcing their plans.
As of 7 a.m., there was a 90 percent chance the system would develop over the next two days.
“We have a plan to handle this potential storm and are executing on that plan,” said Darin Carroll, the company’s senior vice president of electric operations. “While the exact path and strength of this potential storm is still unknown, I want to assure our customers that we are prepared for impact.”
The move comes after CenterPoint was heavily criticized for its response to Hurricane Beryl, which devastated the Houston metropolitan area in July and left some areas without power for weeks.
Since then, the company said it has made the region more resilient by installing more than 1,100 stronger fiberglass poles, streamlining more than 2,000 miles of power lines and installing more than 300 pieces of automated equipment.
CenterPoint said it plans to further strengthen the grid by hardening systems, strategically undergrounding power, adding self-healing grid technology and improving outage tracking capabilities.
“We have heard the calls for change and improvement and are taking that feedback seriously,” Carroll said. “We are determined to once again earn the trust of the customers and communities we are honored to serve.”
Entergy, another Southeast Texas utility, said it is also keeping an eye on possible developments along the Gulf Coast. The company is encouraging customers to download the Entergy app to report and track outages. Entergy also has an outage map to help customers track outages.
Both companies are urging Texans to take proactive precautions to prepare for potential storms, with CenterPoint listing essential items Texans should have in their storm preparedness kits, including non-perishable food, water, flashlights, batteries, a first aid kit, essential medications, battery-powered radios and portable chargers for mobile devices.
The KHOU 11 Hurricane Preparedness Guide has everything you need to know.