CenterPoint Energy activated its Emergency Operations Center on Monday ahead of a tropical depression that could impact the southeast Texas coast later this week and weekend.
The depression, which is expected to become Tropical Storm Bertha later Monday, could result in heavy winds and rain in the Houston area, depending on the track it follows. As of 12 p.m. Monday, the depression was expected to bring winds of 30-40 mph and heavy rainfall along the coast, according to a CenterPoint release.
By activating the center, CenterPoint begins preparing for possible storm impacts and coordinating local preparedness efforts. It is also inspecting power lines and electric substations in Greater Houston, clearing “high-risk” vegetation and coordinating with government officials, the release said.
CenterPoint encouraged customers to enroll in its Power Alert Service to receive important power updates in the release.
“With the storm forecast to reach Greater Houston by Friday, if any weather-related outages occur, our crews will be ready to respond and restore power safely and as quickly as possible. We urge customers to stay aware of evolving weather conditions and have a plan to stay safe,” said Nathan Brownell, CenterPoint’s vice president of resilience and capital delivery and incident commander.