Texas Grid Prepared for Winter Storm, Governor Abbott Assures

State Grid Readiness

• ⚡ Governor Greg Abbott has issued disaster declarations for 134 counties in anticipation of a winter storm.
• 💡 He expressed confidence that the state power grid is stronger and more prepared than ever and capable of handling the storm.
• ⚠️ There is no expectation of widespread power loss from the state grid itself.

CenterPoint Energy's Preparations

• 👥 CenterPoint Energy is increasing staffing, with 3,300 electric workers and 700 gas workers on standby.
• 🌳 Significant focus has been placed on vegetation management, with 8,000 miles of trimming done in the last two years.
• 📍 Three staging sites have been established in northern Houston to pre-position crews and equipment.
• 📞 The company has doubled its call center staff and urges customers to sign up for power alerts and use the outage tracker.

Potential Localized Outages

• ⚠️ Officials acknowledge that localized outages could still occur due to ice accumulation on tree limbs and power lines.
• 🔌 While the city of Houston receives transmission from multiple locations, potential icing north of the area could impact the transmission system.
• 💬 Daily briefings will continue through the weekend to monitor the situation.