AUSTIN, Texas — Austin Energy is doing its part to help restore power to Houston after damage from severe weather there interrupted electricity service to nearly 922,000 customers.
Early Saturday morning, 21 lineworkers and other employees from Austin Energy left for Houston with bucket trucks and support vehicles to restore power to parts of the city.
The utility provider said the team is prepared to help for up to two weeks.
Austin Energy said it received the request for mutual aid from CenterPoint Energy, which was among the companies that sent mutual aid crews to Austin in the aftermath of the 2023 ice storm.
“Providing mutual aid in natural disasters is a tradition among public utilities and this will offer tremendous training opportunities for our crews,” Elton Richards, Austin Energy's vice president of electric system field operations, said. “I am honored to work with such caring individuals who work not only on behalf of the Austin community but are also willing to help others in need.”
CenterPoint requested 4,000 lineworkers and 1,000 vegetation professionals for mutual assistance support, Austin Energy said. According CenterPoint’s website, a strong storm system with winds topping 85 mph caused significant damage to the company's electric system, including Bellaire, Cypress, Baytown, Greenspoint, Humble and Spring Branch.
Restoration efforts in hardest-hit areas are expected to take several days or longer.
As of 9:30 a.m. Saturday, more than 72% of CenterPoint Energy's customers, or 2 million, had power.