CenterPoint Energy Preparing for Impacts from Tropical Storm Francine Across Gulf Coast Service Area

Core Viewpoint - CenterPoint Energy is actively preparing for and responding to the impacts of Tropical Storm Francine across Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, mobilizing resources and coordinating with emergency partners to ensure customer safety and service restoration. Group 1: Emergency Preparedness - Emergency Operations Centers are activated in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi to respond to Tropical Storm Francine [2] - The company has mobilized over 1,300 vegetation management crews to clear hazardous vegetation in the Greater Houston area [2][3] - CenterPoint has prepared 1,850 local frontline workers and identified 500 mutual assistance workers for storm response, with an additional 1,000 mutual aid workers available to assist other utilities [6] Group 2: Customer Communication and Safety - CenterPoint is urging over 2.25 million natural gas customers to take proactive safety measures ahead of the storm [2] - The company is conducting outreach to over 3,000 identified Critical Care Residential and Chronic Care electric customers to ensure their safety [6] - Customers are encouraged to enroll in the Power Alert Service® for real-time outage updates and to utilize the new cloud-based Outage Tracker for outage information [10] Group 3: Operational Readiness - The company is coordinating with local, state, and federal officials to provide updates on pre-storm activities and readiness [6] - Additional call center staff have been secured to manage increased call volumes during the storm [6] - CenterPoint crews will assess damage and shut off natural gas in areas of severe flooding for safety [7][8] Group 4: Safety Tips - Customers are advised not to turn off natural gas service at the meter to prevent water from entering gas lines during flooding [9] - Safety precautions include being alert for the smell of natural gas and knowing how to respond if detected [9] - CenterPoint encourages customers to have a safety plan and provides resources for storm-related safety tips [11]