As the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season officially gets underway, CenterPoint Energy is talking about the resiliency work the company says it has been focused on.
The company calls the plan the Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative—a sweeping effort to reinforce critical infrastructure across the region. It includes four pillars: trimming trees, installing new poles and equipment, adding automation and intelligence devices, and placing more underground power lines.
68,000 stronger poles, major upgrades underway
Since 2024, CenterPoint says it has installed more than 68,000 stronger, storm-resilient poles across the Greater Houston area.
CenterPoint says it has also been clearing higher-risk vegetation, undergrounding power lines and deploying advanced technology to improve system reliability year-round. The company projects these efforts will prevent 150 million customer outage minutes by the end of 2026.
Want to track CenterPoint’s work in your neighborhood?
For customers who want to follow along, CenterPoint has introduced a new online Community Progress Tracker. The company says it allows residents to monitor GHRI upgrades and enhancements in their area.
The company also opened a new Emergency Operations Center, which it says will support year-round situational awareness and coordination with emergency response partners, local and state officials, and media during major weather events.
Weather monitoring, workforce expansion
CenterPoint says it has also added 150 new advanced weather stations and state-of-the-art forecasting models to help with storm preparedness.
When a major storm does hit, the company says it will now be able to expand its frontline workforce by up to 20 times through mutual assistance and partnerships.
Staff training
CenterPoint says more than 800 employees have completed more than 25,000 hours of FEMA training.