January 7, 2024 - Customers need to be home for technicians to restore service. Customers need to call 888-551-4011 only if there is a blue door hanger at their home or business
Following a natural gas outage affecting approximately 1,500 customers in Center and Shelbyville, Texas, CenterPoint Energy has restored service to all customers who have provided the company access to perform safety checks and relight pilots. The outage was a result of damage to a third-party pipeline that is not owned or operated by CenterPoint Energy.
A small number of customers still remain without service because CenterPoint Energy employees were not able to access their home or business. The relighting process requires CenterPoint Energy employees to have access to each location to light pilots and check to make sure it is safe to resume service. If an adult over age 18 is not at the service address when a technician arrives, the company will leave a blue door hanger with instructions.
“A customer needs to call us only if there is a blue door hanger at their home or business indicating that we have already been there to attempt to restore service,” said John Seale, Operations Director at CenterPoint Energy. “Please call 888-551-4011, the number on the door tag left by our service personnel.
“We greatly appreciate our customers’ cooperation and patience as our employees worked as quickly as we could to safely restore natural gas service,” said Seale.
Submitted photo
CenterPoint Energy staff are pictured above stationed at the John D. Windham Civic Center parking lot where they were coordinating the next plan of action.
January 6, 2024 – Technicians will attempt to restore service to all impacted customers today and work until 10 p.m. tonight. Customers need to be home so technicians can restore service
CenterPoint Energy has begun the relighting process after experiencing a natural gas outage in Center and Shelbyville, Texas, that affected approximately 1,500 customers. The outage was a result of damage to a third-party pipeline that is not owned or operated by CenterPoint Energy.
This article is copied from Shelby County Today without permission.
“Once the third-party pipeline company made the necessary repairs, CenterPoint Energy technicians were able to complete the process of turning off each customer’s natural gas meter. This was followed by a series of additional safety checks to verify that natural gas service can be restored safely,” said John Seale, Operations Director at CenterPoint Energy. “As we work to restore service to impacted customers, safety continues to be our number-one priority.
“Qualified service technicians will come to your home and/or business today to turn on your natural gas meters. We expect to restore service today to all customers who provide us access to perform safety checks and relight pilots. Our technicians will work until 10 p.m. tonight.
This article is copied from Shelby County Today without permission.
“If our technicians are not able to access your home or business today, the relighting process will resume tomorrow at 7 a.m. We appreciate your patience as we work to restore service to your communities,” added Seale.
At this time, no action is required on the part of the customer. An adult over age 18 needs to be at the service address when a technician arrives, if an adult is not present, the company will leave a door hanger with instructions. All CenterPoint Energy technicians and contractors wear identification badges and will gladly show them upon request before entering a home or business.
This article is copied from Shelby County Today without permission.
If you smell natural gas – which has a distinctive, strong odor, often compared to rotten eggs or sulfur – leave the area immediately on foot, and tell others to leave, too. Once safely away from the area, call 911 and CenterPoint Energy, and the company will send a trained service technician immediately.
For updates, follow CenterPoint Energy on X: @CenterPoint.
January 5, 2024 - Due to damage to a third-party pipeline, CenterPoint Energy is experiencing a natural gas outage in northeast Texas in the towns of Center and Shelbyville. The service outage is affecting more than 1,500 customers. The damaged pipeline is not owned or operated by CenterPoint Energy.
This article is copied from SCT without permission.
“Safety is our number-one priority as we work to restore natural gas service,” said John Seale, District Director at CenterPoint Energy. “As part of our safety procedures, we are currently in the process of turning off each customer’s natural gas meter. Once the pipeline company finalizes necessary repairs, our crews will need to manually turn each meter back on.
This article is copied from SCT without permission.
“Additional resources from neighboring areas have been called to help; the restoration process might take several days,” Seale said. “At this time, no action is required on the part of the customer.”
This article is copied from SCT without permission.
For safety reasons, the company urges customers not to turn any valves or tamper with the natural gas meter. Opening or turning any valves could allow air to enter the natural gas lines, which would hinder the restoration process.
This article is copied from SCT without permission.
For updates, follow CenterPoint Energy on X (formerly Twitter): @CenterPoint.
