In the aftermath of a destructive storm that struck Houston last week, CenterPoint Energy has been diligently working to restore power to thousands of Houstonians who still find themselves in the dark. Despite making significant progress overnight, approximately 145,000 customers remain without power for the fifth consecutive day, according to the CenterPoint Energy Outage Tracker.

CenterPoint Energy has been successful in restoring power to around 197,000 customers in the past 24 hours alone. Since the storm hit on Thursday, over 770,000 customers have had their power restored, bringing much-needed relief to affected areas.

To assist customers, CenterPoint Energy has launched an interactive, color-coded map where users can zoom into different areas and even enter specific addresses to view the estimated date of power restoration. This useful tool provides visibility and hope for those eagerly waiting to regain electricity.

While progress has been made, CenterPoint Energy has encountered significant damage in certain areas such as Bellaire, the Heights, Lazybrook-Timbergrove, Cottage Grove, and Spring Branch, which has slowed down the restoration process. However, the company aims to continue restoration efforts until the end of the day Wednesday for customers who are available to receive service.

CenterPoint Energy expects to restore approximately 90% of the outages by Tuesday evening, offering a glimmer of hope for those still without power. However, the process may extend into Wednesday due to the extent of the damage and the complexity of repairs.

As power restoration continues, several school districts have once again announced closures on Tuesday. Channelview, Cy-Fair, Galena Park, and Spring Branch ISDs, along with Houston ISD, which has closed 38 schools, are among the districts affected by the ongoing power outages.

One of the closed schools, Heights High School, faced additional challenges on Monday when its air conditioning system malfunctioned, leading students to be dismissed early. Pictures and videos circulating on social media showed windows opened and students desperate to find relief from the intense heat. Concerned parents even reached out to the Heights High School PTO, requesting fans be brought to the front office.

Furthermore, Houston ISD reported that three schools, including Heights High School and Reynolds Elementary in Sunnyside, had to close early on Monday due to air conditioning issues, while Lamar High School in Upper Kirby had to close due to a gas leak.

Despite the discomfort and inconvenience faced by students, Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles deemed the day as "successful." He assured that the maintenance team had been monitoring the temperature inside the school and that if it exceeded a certain level, the decision to close the school would be implemented.

CenterPoint Energy and other authorities are relentlessly working to restore power to Houstonians affected by the recent storm. Houstonians are encouraged to utilize the interactive map provided by CenterPoint Energy to gain insight into the expected date of restoration for their specific addresses.