HOUSTON —
THIS PAGE WILL NO LONGER BE UPDATED. WE ARE KEEPING POWER UPDATES AND THE UPDATED MAP ON THE PAGE AT THIS LINK
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CenterPoint Energy sent out a new update Sunday morning on progress made to restore power to the hundreds of thousands of customers still in the dark.
By 5 p.m., CenterPoint reported that there were fewer than 300,000 customers without power. The actual number of customers without power, according to their tracker was 298,788. In the previous 24 hours, CenterPoint reported that 273,816 customes had been restored
They still anticipate having power back on to around 80 percent of impacted customers by Sunday evening.
CenterPoint said they are working to have restorations substantially complete by Wednesday for customers who are able to get power.
On Saturday night, CenterPoint sent out a map showing estimated days and times for power restoration. You can get a closer look at it and the latest outage numbers here.
They also said they won’t be able to restore power to customers who had their weatherhead damaged in the storm. Customers who have had their weatherhead damaged will need to contact a qualified electrician for repairs. If you’re not familiar with a weatherhead, it’s the device where power comes into the home through an electrical service drop. It’s often a pipe located on the side of a home or building. Be careful around any wires near your weatherhead.
You can learn more about weatherheads on the CenterPoint Energy website.
For customers who rely on power for potential life-saving equipment, CenterPoint says even when the power comes back, they can’t guarantee there won't be interruptions, so they say to make sure there’s a reliable backup supply or alternate plan.
CenterPoint called in around 5,000 mutual assistance and vegetation management personnel to help restore power. They said they finished their assessment Saturday night and have assigned all crews on Sunday.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Friday that 10 transmission towers were damaged during the storms. She added it could take weeks to restore power in some areas. She suggested seeking out public libraries or other facilities that are open during the day.
The Public Utility Commission of Texas released a statement on the power outages in Southeast Texas:
"The Public Utility Commission of Texas’ top priority at all times is public safety, and our thoughts are with the communities and families throughout Southeast Texas who were impacted by last night’s storms. As utility crews work around the clock to repair damaged infrastructure and restore power, we want to remind all Texans to listen to their local emergency management officials and never approach downed power lines or flood water. Downed power lines can still be energized and electrify objects or water around them.
PUCT staff is in the State Operations Center coordinating closely with electric utilities and partner state agencies to ensure power is restored to all Texans as quickly and safely as possible. For up-to-date information on power outages, contact information for your local utility and other resources, please visit the PUCT's Storm Resources Page."