 The city's main utility has tried to harden the power grid, but has faced pushback. Experts say CenterPoint, Houston's main utility company, needs to install more resilient distribution poles. But the process has been expensive and controversial. University of Houston Energy Fellow Ed Herz points to community backlash last year when the company installed weather-hardened poles in a West Houston neighborhood. Residents complained about blocked sidewalks and argued the poles were eyesores.