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Company expands community outreach, strengthens vegetation management workforce, and enhances grid readiness as season begins

Texas-New Mexico Power (TNMP) announced that its crews, equipment, and emergency response systems are fully prepared for the start of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season on June 1. The company emphasized its year‑round commitment to grid reliability, storm readiness, community partnerships, and customer safety.

“Hurricane season may officially begin on June 1, but our preparation never stops,” said Keith Nix, VP of Operations. “We work throughout the year to strengthen the grid, train our crews, and coordinate with emergency partners so we can respond quickly and safely when severe weather impacts our communities.”

Year‑Round Preparation

TNMP’s storm readiness efforts include:

  • Grid‑hardening projects such as pole replacements, equipment upgrades, and system modernization
  • Vegetation management to reduce tree‑related outages, supported by a significantly expanded workforce
  • Crew training and storm simulations
  • A recently completed full‑scale drill exercise to test the company’s Emergency Operations Plan, specifically focused on hurricane response readiness
  • Pre-staged materials and equipment for rapid deployment
  • Coordination with mutual‑aid partners across Texas and the region

With the System Reliability Plan, the company is now targeting a four‑year vegetation management cycle across the Gulf Coast—an accelerated schedule designed to reduce outage frequency and improve storm resilience.

To support this expanded maintenance program, TNMP’s Gulf Coast operations have grown substantially:

  • Since the end of 2025, TNMP’s Gulf Coast region has now employed four full‑time Vegetation Management Specialists and one VM Field Supervisor
  • The VM contractor workforce has increased four to five times to meet higher workloads and more frequent cycle maintenance
  • Additional statistics on miles trimmed will be provided following the latest PUCT report filing

“These investments allow us to complete more proactive work, reduce vegetation‑related risks, and respond more efficiently when storms occur,” Nix said.

Community Outreach and Education

In addition to operational readiness, TNMP works closely with local communities, nonprofits, schools, and emergency organizations to help residents prepare before storms form. These efforts include:

  • Providing educational materials on storm safety and outage preparedness
  • Partnering with community centers and nonprofits to distribute preparedness kits
  • Supporting local events and workshops focused on emergency planning
  • Sharing multilingual safety resources to reach diverse communities
  • Collaborating with local emergency managers to align messaging and response plans
  • Participating in municipal hurricane‑preparation meetings across the Gulf Coast to ensure coordinated readiness

“Our goal is to make sure every community we serve has access to clear, reliable information before severe weather arrives,” said Nix. “Preparedness is a shared effort, and we’re proud to support local organizations that help families stay safe.”

Customer Preparedness Encouraged

With the season underway, TNMP encourages customers to take simple steps to stay safe:

  • Build an emergency kit with water, food, medications, flashlights, and batteries
  • Update contact information to receive outage alerts
  • Review generator safety guidelines
  • Bookmark the TNMP outage map for real‑time updates

“Early preparation is one of the most effective ways to stay safe during hurricane season,” Nix added. “We want every customer to have the information and tools they need before storms develop.”

Clear Communication During Storms

During severe weather, TNMP provides updates through:

  • The online outage map
  • Outage alerts
  • Social media channels
  • Coordination with local emergency officials

For more information on hurricane preparedness, visit Power Outages | Texas-New Mexico Power.

Media Contact:

Sara Yingling

mediarelations@tnmp.com

About TNMP

Texas‑New Mexico Power (TNMP) is a transmission and distribution service provider that delivers electricity to more than 275,000 homes and businesses across Texas. TNMP is committed to safety, reliability, and serving the communities where its employees live and work.