HOUSTON -- A loud zapping sound brought electricity back to dozens of homes earlier than expected, as CenterPoint teams moved into a mode of "neighborhood sweeps," Local 2 reported Friday night.

"A sweep is picking up everything," said CenterPoint Head Lineman Melvin Hicks as his team restored power to a neighborhood near Sharpstown Mall. "Whatever it takes to get people's lights on," he said.

Hicks said sweeps are "a lot more work" than the earlier task of only focusing on major high-power lines immediately after Hurricane Ike because, "We're in and out of almost every yard."

On Friday night, CenterPoint reported 1.03 million of its affected customers had their lights back on, meaning 50.4 percent of its customers now have power. That left 1.12 million still in the dark, or 49.6 percent of its customers.

Brock Mackin, whose lights flickered back on, said, "I've been watching the trucks in the neighborhood the last couple of days and watching lights come on in the neighborhood and wondering when is my turn. Now it's my turn and I'm glad."

He focused on closing doors and windows, along with closing his refrigerator.

Neighbor Chris Martin shut off the generator that had kept his family eating and sleeping comfortably. He flipped his ceiling fan on, saying, "That's a nice feeling. That means I can sleep with the windows closed and the A/C on, which is nice, and life goes back to normal.”

Martin’s neighborhood had been projected for restoration after Monday of next week, so the early return to life with electricity was a bonus.

Mackin said he'd need to bring back his previous life's routine, adding, "Not having lights has gotten us to bed earlier, so I actually got a little more sleep than usual." He said he'd be fine with losing a few winks each night as long as his kids and his family could enjoy power in their home once again.