IMPORTANT RESOURCES AND INFORMATION ON POWER OUTAGES AND INCLEMENT WEATHER

If you need assistance, call my office at (713) 860-1330 or (202) 225-6565. Call 911 if you are in immediate danger or are having a medical emergency. I have included links below where you can find important updates, shelter information, and other helpful resources. Stay strong, stay warm, and stay safe. We will get through this.

RESOURCES

Warming Shelters in Houston
Power Outage Information
Ready Harris Winter Weather Resources

ERCOT UPDATE
I spoke directly with ERCOT and they are working tirelessly to get more power back on the grid. If you have power, use it minimally. This makes it easier to get power back to your neighbors who don’t have it. The grid itself is stable. Once we get power sources up and running to meet demand, it will flow out quickly. 

UTILITY CONSERVATION
ATTENTION HOUSTON:There is a boil water notice in the Houston area. Check with your local provider to see if you are impacted. If you do not have power to boil water, use bottled water. Please inform your neighbors as well.
 CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

From the City of Houston

Water
Houston’s water and wastewater systems are experiencing low pressure. To help maintain water pressure in the system during this winter weather event, please use water only for essential tasks and help conserve water by not running washing machines, dishwashers, or watering outdoors.

Once temperatures rise above freezing and power is restored, these are the best ways to thaw frozen water pipes:
Open cabinet doors to circulate heatUse hair dryers, heat lamps or portable space heatersDO NOT USE open flames and/or propane torches (fire hazard)Continue to conserve water after pipes have thawed.

Energy
Houstonians among with all of Texas are experiencing power outages. Houston OEM is urging everyone to conserve as much energy as possible. Power outages are expected to continue throughout Monday and Tuesday.

Conserve energy by:
Turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances; and avoid using large appliances (e.g. ovens, washing machines, etc.).Turn down thermostats to 68 degrees or lowerOpen blinds and shades to take advantage of the sun’s natural heat during the dayClose shades and blinds at night to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows.We urge all residents to conserve resources such as electricity and water.

During ERCOT rotating outages this is what you can expect:
Depending on the severity of the power generation shortfall, rotating outages may impact customers more than once.CenterPoint Energy will continue these rotating outages until it receives direction from ERCOT that the electric supply in Texas has stabilized and can resume normal operations.
Click here for more information from the City of Houston.