CenterPoint Energy continues to prepare for weekend winter weather and secures 600 additional frontline workers to support emergency response efforts as ERCOT issues Weather Watch and Texas Governor declares State of Emergency
Approximately 3,300 CenterPoint employees and contract workers supporting storm preparation and potential restoration efforts across Houston and parts of Southeast Texas
State of Texas emergency response resources activated ahead of potential impacts
ERCOT Weather Watch issued for Saturday to Tuesday; grid conditions expected to be normal
Customers urged to have a plan and prepare now for freezing temperatures, high winds and potential ice accumulation
HOUSTON, Jan. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- To support its customers and communities, and following several days of actively preparing for this weekend's forecasted severe winter weather system, CenterPoint Energy secured over 600 additional frontline workers for an expanded workforce of 3,300 workers to address the approaching winter storm. Additionally, the company is standing up three staging sites Thursday at strategic locations across the northern portion of the Greater Houston area to pre-position resources to support potential restoration efforts.
In addition to CenterPoint's Emergency Operations Center staff of 200 personnel and on-system workforce of approximately 2,500 internal line workers, local contractors and vegetation management resources, the company has secured an additional approximately 600 frontline workers including more line workers, vegetation management resources, and damage assessors. The company's Emergency Operations Center was activated this morning and will remain activated through the weekend as CenterPoint continues executing its cold weather action plan.
CenterPoint continues to work closely with government officials and emergency agencies to prepare for the approaching winter weather system and continues to diligently monitor weather models and deploy cold weather mitigations across its electric and gas infrastructure.
"We know how important it is for homes and businesses to have the electric and natural gas service they expect and deserve, especially when severe weather is forecasted to impact our region. Our teams are mobilized across the area now, performing pre-storm checks, conducting additional tree trimming, and preparing to respond to any impacts on our system from the forecasted winter weather conditions, including icy weather, strong winds, and wintry precipitation. We will remain alert and continue to coordinate with local officials, and we urge our customers to stay weather alert, take steps to prepare now and have an emergency plan in place," said Don Daigler, CenterPoint's Senior Vice President, Emergency Preparedness and Response.
Staging sites
The company's three staging sites will be strategically placed, with two located across the northern portion of CenterPoint's Greater Houston service area where impacts are forecasted at this time to be the strongest. The staging sites will host the approximately 3,300 workers and help pre-position crews, vehicles, equipment and materiel needed for restoration across its service territory to be able to respond to service issues safely and as quickly as possible.
Cold weather preparations
The company is prepared to respond to cold weather and has performed a series of proactive pre-winter preparedness actions to strengthen and winterize its electric and natural gas infrastructure across Texas, as well as inspect and test cold-weather critical equipment ahead of potential severe cold weather. CenterPoint is also actively working plans to mobilize emergency response resources and coordinating with relevant local emergency responders and government officials in preparation.
The pre-winter safety and readiness actions taken by CenterPoint include:
- Activating its Emergency Operations Center to coordinate response and restoration efforts;
- Coordinating with the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) about statewide energy needs;
- Communicating with customers to provide safety and preparedness information directly via email and help keep customers informed and prepared;
- Conducting outreach to critical care customers by email, phone or text;
- Inspecting and testing critical electric equipment, including all 270 electric substations, executing enhanced tree trimming and conducting inspections to prepare for wintery precipitation and cold temperatures;
- Positioning Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks at 14 strategic locations to be deployed to supplement the natural gas system, if needed;
- Monitoring more than 100 weather stations across the Greater Houston area to enhance situational awareness and storm preparation;
- Donated and installed more than 20 emergency backup generators at key locations across Greater Houston to improve local emergency preparedness and response efforts; and
- Conducted more than 19,000 total hours of emergency training in 2025 for hundreds of operational, emergency response and other personnel and contractors to strengthen severe weather preparation and response efforts.
The current weather forecast for CenterPoint's Houston electric service territory indicates the potential for ice accumulation this weekend, subject to updated forecasts. The company reminds customers and community members to always assume downed lines or wires are energized and potentially dangerous if contacted. Stay at least 35 feet away from downed power lines or fallen wires and keep a safe distance from objects touching downed lines (tree limbs, vehicles, fences, etc.) and immediately report downed power lines to CenterPoint.
Supporting community preparedness
As part of its ongoing commitment to supporting community preparedness and resilience, the CenterPoint Energy Foundation awarded a $1 million, five‑year grant to The Salvation Army last year to support disaster response capabilities across the Greater Houston area. This grant supports operations at The Salvation Army's Multi‑Purpose Distribution Center in Houston, a critical regional hub that coordinates emergency relief efforts and delivers essential services to vulnerable populations — including families, youth, seniors, and individuals experiencing homelessness — during hurricanes and other severe weather events. Funded separately and financially independent from the utility, the CenterPoint Energy Foundation continues to serve as a catalyst for good by leveraging its resources to enhance the safety, resilience and vibrancy of the communities CenterPoint Energy serves. Learn more at CenterPointEnergy.com/Foundation.
Stay informed with Power Alert Service®
CenterPoint electric customers are encouraged to enroll in the company's Power Alert Service® to receive winter storm outage details, estimated restoration times and customer-specific restoration updates by phone call, text or email.
Have a plan and stay safe
CenterPoint encourages customers to prepare and have a plan to stay safe during severe winter weather. Customers can get storm-related safety tips at CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter — available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
Customers can also stay up to date on outages with CenterPoint's Outage Tracker, available in English and Spanish. The Outage Tracker is built to handle increased traffic during storms, is mobile-friendly, accessible for those with disabilities and allows customers to see outages by county, city and zip code.
For the latest updates, follow CenterPoint on X and visit CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter.
About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
As the only investor owned electric and gas utility based in Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) is an energy delivery company with electric transmission and distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution operations that serve more than 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Texas. As of September 30, 2025, the company owned approximately $45 billion in assets. With approximately 8,300 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.
For more information, contact:
Communications
[email protected]
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/centerpoint-energy-continues-to-prepare-for-weekend-winter-weather-and-secures-600-additional-frontline-workers-to-support-emergency-response-efforts-as-ercot-issues-weather-watch-and-texas-governor-declares-state-of-emergency-302667477.html
SOURCE CenterPoint Energy