Ready to Respond No Matter Where YOU Live, Then and Now

As we dealt with the aftermath of Harvey, we kept our sights on Hurricane Irma as it hit parts of Puerto Rico, followed by Hurricane Maria — one of the most devastating storms to date. Striking Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, the storm claimed lives, destroyed homes and left nearly all of the island’s 3.3 million residents without power. While Puerto Rico isn’t home to CenterPoint Energy’s customers, we felt a strong desire to help. By December, widespread outages across the island left Puerto Rican residents still without power. Nearly 140 CenterPoint Energy employees volunteered with thousands of restoration crew members from other utilities across the mainland to help restore power to the devastated island.

DECEMBER 29, 2017

CenterPoint Energy trucks and equipment are driven to Lake Charles, LA, to board the barge

Maximus, which would take them to Puerto Rico by water — a two-week journey.

JANUARY 19, 2018

The first wave of about 70 linemen and restoration crew members fly to Puerto Rico, where they work 16-hour shifts for three weeks in the Arecibo region. The crew faces challenges getting through the terrain, often using machetes to cut their way through the jungle.

FEBRUARY 10, 2018

The first wave of crew members returns while a second wave of 70 employees flies out for another three-week stint of 16-hour days. By the time the crew departed, power was restored to 5,100 households and businesses.

NOW:

Because of the weakened infrastructure, rough terrain and severity of damage, this restoration project was unique. A true mission of humanity, our crews worked long, physically demanding hours to restore power to grateful households. But accomplishing missions like this is part of who we are. We have the resources to provide the service, and we believe in lending our hearts and hands to those who truly need it – no matter where you live.