HOUSTON — Power restoration a big concern after Hurricane Beryl and with something new brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, CenterPoint Energy and Entergy are sending out their plans.
As of 7 a.m., the system had a 90 percent chance of development over the next two days.
"We have a plan to address this potential storm, and we are executing our plan," said Darin Carroll, the company's senior VP of electric business. "Although the exact path and intensity of this potential storm are still unclear, we want to assure our customers that we are preparing for impact."
This comes after CenterPoint was heavily criticized for its response to Hurricane Beryl, which devastated the Greater Houston area in July. Some were without power for weeks after the storm.
Since then, the company said it has bolstered the region's resiliency by installing more than 1,100 stronger fiberglass power poles, trimming more than 2,000 miles of power lines and installing more than 300 automation devices.
CenterPoint said it intends to further bolster its grid by adding more system hardening, strategic undergrounding, self-healing grid technology, and improving its outage tracker.
"We heard the calls for change and to do better, and we have taken the feedback seriously," Carroll said. "We are determined to re-earn the trust of the customers and communities we are privileged to serve."
Entergy, another power company in Southeast Texas, said it's also keeping an eye out for potential development in the Gulf. It encourages customers to download the Entergy app to report and check the status of outages. Entergy also has an outage map for its customers to track the status of outages.
Both companies encourage Texans to take precautions ahead of any potential storm. CenterPoint highlighted some essentials Texans should keep in a storm preparedness kit, including nonperishable food, water, flashlights, batteries, a first aid kit, necessary medications, a battery-powered radio, and a portable charger for your mobile devices.
We have everything you need to know in our KHOU 11 Hurricane preparation guide.