As the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season officially gets underway, CenterPoint Energy is making clear it is not waiting for a storm to strike before taking action.
The Houston-based energy company is showcasing its ongoing resiliency efforts this week, inviting media to an active pole replacement worksite to see firsthand the infrastructure upgrades designed to keep the lights on when severe weather hits.
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68,000 stronger poles, major upgrades underway
Since 2024, CenterPoint has installed more than 68,000 stronger, storm-resilient poles across the Greater Houston area as part of its Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative, known as GHRI. The work is part of a broader push to build what the company calls the most resilient coastal grid in the nation.
The upgrades go beyond pole replacements. CenterPoint says it has also been clearing higher-risk vegetation, undergrounding power lines and deploying advanced technology to improve system reliability year-round — not just during hurricane season. The company projects these efforts will prevent 150 million customer outage minutes by the end of 2026.
Tracking progress, staying transparent
For customers wanting to follow along, CenterPoint has introduced a new online Community Progress Tracker, giving residents a way to monitor GHRI upgrades and enhancements in their area.
The company also opened a new Emergency Operations Center designed to support year-round situational awareness and coordinate closely with emergency response partners, local and state officials and media during major weather events.
Weather monitoring, workforce expansion
CenterPoint is also investing heavily in storm prediction technology, adding 150 new advanced weather stations and state-of-the-art forecasting models to sharpen its storm preparedness capabilities.
When a major storm does hit, the company says it can expand its frontline workforce by up to 20 times through mutual assistance and vendor partnerships. That surge capacity is backed by improved damage assessment tools, better crew resource management and advanced damage modeling to help restore power faster after a storm.
Training, exercises, readiness
Preparation has extended to the people behind the grid as well. More than 800 CenterPoint employees have completed more than 25,000 hours of FEMA training. The company also executed a full-scale emergency exercise simulating a response to a Category 3 hurricane, with more than 400 CenterPoint team members participating and approximately 100 state and local officials in attendance.