CenterPoint Energy provides update on restoration efforts

HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – Officials say following Tuesday’s severe weather that impacted CenterPoint Energy’s southwestern Indiana territory, CenterPoint Energy’s electric system experienced extensive damage resulting in approximately 33,000 total customer outages.

Officials say throughout the day, CenterPoint will have more than 400 line-skills and vegetation management professionals restoring power to impacted customers. When restoring power, CenterPoint says it prioritizes facilities vital to safety, health and welfare, such as hospitals, water treatment plants and public service facilities. Crews then make repairs to electrical facilities that will return power to the largest number of customers first, continuing the process until power is fully restored to everyone.

According to CenterPoint, with hot and humid conditions expected to continue Wednesday, CenterPoint is working closely with local emergency management, public officials and the American Red Cross of Southwest Indiana to provide resources and cooling shelters for those in need.

Officials explain the city of Evansville has activated its temporary cooling shelter at the C.K. Newsome Center. In Warrick County, a cooling shelter has been activated in Newburgh at the Castle High School gym. Additionally, a cooling shelter has been opened at the Main Street Methodist United Methodist Church in Boonville. Customers should be prepared for the heat and take necessary precautions to stay safe.

“Our crews have made significant progress overnight restoring impacted customers, and we have brought in additional resources to assist with our efforts,” said Shane Bradford, CenterPoint’s Vice President, Indiana Electric. “We understand how challenging this situation is for everyone, especially with the extreme heat. We appreciate your patience and understanding as our crews work tirelessly to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.”

CenterPoint reminds customers if they have experienced damage to the weatherhead – the point of entry from the service drop to the home – a licensed electrician will need to make necessary repairs before power can be safely restored.

Additionally, CenterPoint reminds customers to remain safe and:

• Stay at least 35 feet away from downed power lines and report them to CenterPoint at 800-227-1376. Be especially mindful of downed lines that could be hidden and treat all downed lines as if they are energized.
• Use caution when approaching flood waters, which can be hazardous.
• Be cautious around work crews and give them plenty of room to safely assess damages and make repairs.
• If the power is out, don’t open freezers and refrigerators any more than necessary. Opening these appliances will allow food to thaw more quickly.
• Only use a portable generator in a well-ventilated area and never run it inside or in a garage to avoid CO fumes, which can be deadly.
• Never connect a portable electric generator directly to the building’s electrical system during a power outage; electricity could back-feed into the power lines, potentially endangering CenterPoint workers.
• If anyone smells natural gas, they should get to a safe area and call both 911 and CenterPoint at 800-227-1376.
• While conducting clean-up, call 811 to locate utility lines prior to digging on your property.

Officials say for the latest information on power outages, follow CenterPoint’s social media pages, sign up for CenterPoint’s Power Alert Service and visit the Electric Outage Center for the outage map, electric safety tips and other resources.

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