CenterPoint Energy Outage Alert: Real-Time Map, Restoration Timeline & Money-Saving Tips for Customers

HOUSTON — A new University of Houston Hobby School survey reveals that 69 percent of registered Harris County voters are “very or moderately” worried about losing electricity for more than 24 hours this summer, eclipsing concerns over wind (54 percent) and flood damage (44 percent). The findings come as hurricane season peaks and CenterPoint Energy faces heightened public scrutiny over grid reliability. CenterPoint customers’ frustration is reflected in the survey’s 63 percent unfavorable rating for the utility giant. Only 7 percent believe the company has made “a great deal” of progress hardening the grid since back-to-back disasters—Hurricane Beryl and the June derecho—knocked out power to more than two million Houston-area residents in 2024. CenterPoint counters that it has poured more than $3 billion into its Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative. According to company data, outage minutes fell 45 percent in the first half of 2025 versus the same period last year. Key upgrades include: • 32,000 storm-resistant poles rated for 150-mph winds • 400+ miles of undergrounded distribution lines • 5,150 automated switching devices that isolate faults in seconds • 7,000 miles of proactive vegetation clearing • 100 hyper-local weather stations feeding a new cloud-based Outage Tracker that offers bilingual real-time restoration ETAs Despite the investment, a companion KHOU 11 report notes that fewer than one in five residents trust the system to withstand a Category 3 storm. Why the skepticism? Energy analysts say years of repeated blackouts have conditioned consumers to rely on generator rentals, whole-home battery storage and solar micro-grids. Google searches for “CenterPoint Energy outage map,” “CenterPoint reimbursement for food spoilage” and “portable power station for hurricane” have spiked since July, underscoring a shift toward DIY resilience. What homeowners can do now • Bookmark the CenterPoint Energy Outage Map and enable Power Alert Service texts for street-level updates. • Photograph major appliances and keep receipts handy to streamline insurance or CenterPoint claims. • If you use medical equipment, register with 211 Texas and CenterPoint’s Critical Care program to prioritize restoration. • Test generators monthly; store at least 72 hours of fuel and follow carbon-monoxide safety guidelines. • Review your homeowner’s policy—many standard plans exclude food-spoilage claims under 24 hours. Looking ahead, the Public Utility Commission will vote this fall on CenterPoint’s request to securitize $1.2 billion in new grid-hardening bonds—a proposal consumer advocates argue could add $2–$3 to monthly bills. Meanwhile, state lawmakers are studying whether to require investor-owned utilities to bury more lines in densely populated corridors. Bottom line: CenterPoint Energy insists that reliability is improving, yet a clear majority of Houstonians remain unconvinced. With the most active stretch of hurricane season still to come, the gap between corporate assurances and customer anxiety continues to power the debate—and search traffic—around Texas’s largest electric utility.