Storm & Outage Center

Hurricane Ike Update

Hurricane Ike was a devastating storm that caused power outages to more than 2 million customers in CenterPoint Energy's Houston/Galveston service territory, to all 115,000 customers in the Texas-New Mexico Power Company's (TNMP) Gulf Coast service territory, and to more than 100,000 customers in Oncor Electric Delivery's East Texas service territory. The hurricane damaged much of the electric delivery infrastructure including poles, transformers, wires and other facilities.

Status of Restoration Efforts Please visit your TDSP's website for up-to-date outage restoration efforts: CenterPoint Energy - Storm Center Power Outage Tips Frequently Asked Questions News & Announcements Here are some recent press releases from TXU Energy and area TDSPs (Transmission Distribution Service Providers): 10-2-08 CenterPoint Energy concludes emergency operations 9-29-08 CenterPoint Energy completes major line repairs, begins final restoration phase 9-27-08 TNMP Completes Power Restoration After Hurricane Ike 9-23-08 CenterPoint Energy restores power to 75% of its customers 9-24-08 TNMP Completes Repairs in Eight Communities 9-22-08 TXU Energy Announces Customer Assistance in the Aftermath of Hurricane Ike 9-20-08 Oncor Completes Hurricane Ike Restoration 9-16-08 Energy Future Holdings and Its Companies Pledge $1 Million to Aid Hurricane Relief Efforts

Stay Informed Visit your local news media stations for the most up-to-date information on conditions in your area.  ABC Channel 13  (Houston) News Radio KTRH, AM740 (Houston)  News Radio WBAP, AM820 (Dallas)  Chron.com - Houston Chronicle The Weather Channel Safety Messages Severe weather can cause power lines to snap or poles to come down. If you encounter fallen wires, stay away from them and immediately contact your TDSP. Stay away from power lines; all downed lines should be considered dangerous.  If a person or object comes in contact with a power line, don't touch the person, object or line. Call 911 immediately! If your vehicle comes in contact with a power line, stay inside the vehicle, and warn others not to touch the vehicle or the downed line. If you must leave your vehicle, jump clear to avoid being in contact with the vehicle and the ground at the same time. If you choose to use a portable generator during a power outage, make sure the main circuit breaker in the electric service panel box is in the OFF position or, in older electric service panel boxes, that the main fuse block is removed. This is necessary to prevent your generator's electricity from going back into the TDSP's power lines and potentially endangering the lives of line crews and other emergency workers. Portable generators should always be placed outdoors and away from windows and doors when running. DO NOT OPERATE A GENERATOR INDOORS! Getting Help Customers who have been affected by Hurricane Ike and are in need of assistance may contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at www.fema.gov/assistance/index.shtm or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362).   How Can I Help? Find a Volunteer Opportunity in the Hurricane-Affected Area