CenterPoint Energy activates emergency operations center as Invest 97L nears Houston

CenterPoint Energy switched on its Emergency Operations Center Monday morning, putting crews and contractors on standby across the Houston area as a tropical disturbance in the Gulf moves toward the Southeast Texas coast.

The system, known as Invest 97L, is expected to strengthen into Tropical Storm Edouard by Monday night or Tuesday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center. It's forecast to make landfall Tuesday morning or early afternoon, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds to part of Southeast Texas, including CenterPoint's service territory.

The National Weather Service has issued a Tropical Storm Warning for Chambers County, including the Bolivar Peninsula, where wind gusts could reach 39 to 57 mph. The agency has also issued a Flood Watch for the eastern half of Southeast Texas starting late Monday and running through Wednesday morning. The National Weather Service expects 3 to 5 inches of rain across the area, with isolated totals of 6 to 9 inches possible, and the heaviest amounts most likely falling east of Interstate 45.

"Our Emergency Operations Center is monitoring the potential impacts from Invest 97L to the Greater Houston area Tuesday and Wednesday," said Jason Fabre, CenterPoint Energy's Vice President of Special Response & Distribution Operations and Incident Commander. "We have activated our preparedness plans, and our crews and contractors stand ready to respond to any service impacts for our customers. We are closely monitoring the weather models as conditions continue to evolve and urge our customers to stay alert in anticipation of quickly changing weather conditions."

CenterPoint said its frontline personnel are being readied for potential restoration work, with teams inspecting power lines and electric substations across Greater Houston and local crews clearing vegetation that could interfere with lines during high winds. The company's meteorology team is tracking the storm around the clock and adjusting response plans as forecasts change. CenterPoint is also coordinating with local officials and emergency management agencies and said it will send updates to customers by email, phone, text and social media as the storm approaches.

The activation follows a pattern CenterPoint adopted after Hurricane Beryl knocked out power to millions of Houston-area customers last year and drew sharp criticism from residents and city officials over the pace of restoration. The company has since emphasized pre-storm inspections and faster deployment of crews as part of its response protocol.

CenterPoint is urging customers to enroll in its Power Alert Service, which sends outage details and estimated restoration times by phone call, text or email. Customers can also check real-time outage information through the company's Outage Tracker, available in English and Spanish, which breaks down outages and restoration estimates by county, city and ZIP code. The company is asking customers who depend on electricity for medical equipment or other life-sustaining needs to have a backup plan in place before the storm arrives, with safety guidance posted at CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter.

The National Hurricane Center is also watching a separate system, the remnants of Tropical Storm Dolly, which broke apart Friday after forming a day earlier. That system has a chance to redevelop as it tracks west into the Bahamas and could push additional moisture into the Gulf later in the week. Its longer-term path is not yet clear.

For now, the immediate concern for Houston is Tuesday and Wednesday, when Invest 97L is expected to cross the coast and move inland. CenterPoint said its crews will remain in place through the storm and into the following days to respond to any outages and begin repairs as conditions allow.