Alvin Williams checks on his smartphone while taking a shelter at Gallery Furniture store which opened its door and transformed into a warming station after winter weather caused electricity blackouts in Houston, Texas, on February 17, 2021. Reuters
Alvin Williams checks on his smartphone while taking a shelter at Gallery Furniture store which opened its door and transformed into a warming station after winter weather caused electricity blackouts in Houston, Texas, on February 17, 2021. Reuters
Alvin Williams checks on his smartphone while taking a shelter at Gallery Furniture store which opened its door and transformed into a warming station after winter weather caused electricity blackouts in Houston, Texas, on February 17, 2021. Reuters
Alvin Williams checks on his smartphone while taking a shelter at Gallery Furniture store which opened its door and transformed into a warming station after winter weather caused electricity blackouts

The Americas

No end in sight as millions in Texas brave record cold without power and water

Second largest US state prepares for another icy storm

Patrick deHahn
Patrick deHahn

April 22, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

Texas Governor Greg Abbott held his first briefing on the winter weather crisis three days after millions lost power and access to running water, as a large weekend storm swept through the south-east.

More than 2.6 million residents of the second largest American state were without electricity as of Wednesday afternoon, electricity tracker PowerOutage.US said.

Mr Abbott said 1.2 million Texans had their electricity restored and hundreds of thousands more would soon come back "online".

The freezing weather led to the bursting of pipes not built to withstand such temperatures, leaving many with damaged and flooded homes and a lack of running water.

More than 30 deaths have been linked to the events after the storm that hit the south-east, bringing extremely low temperatures, ice and snow.

Some include deaths caused by carbon monoxide poisoning from attempts to stay warm.

And Texas and the south-eastern region are not yet in the clear.

"Another round of precipitation will be coming across the state in the next 24 hours," Mr Abbot said.

The National Weather Service issued another winter storm warning, saying there may be ice accumulating on Wednesday night into Thursday, adding to the crisis.

Frigid temperatures are forecast to continue for a couple days into the weekend. Mr Abbott said they might rise above freezing some time on Saturday.

It is rare for severe cold weather to hit the southern state. Many of its largest cities have recorded their lowest temperatures in decades.

The wind chill in some instances has knocked temperatures below zero in the northern part of the state.

Homes and buildings are generally not built with insulation to fend off freezing temperatures, leading to increased pressure on electricity systems and to power cuts.

There is growing criticism against grid operator Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or Ercot, which controls 90 per cent of the state's power.

Ercot does not know when full power will be restored across the state, The Dallas Morning News  reported.

"We know millions of people are suffering," Bill Magness, Ercot's president and chief executive, said on Wednesday.

"We have no other priority than getting them electricity. No other priority."

The White House said Federal Emergency Management Agency agents were travelling to the state with generators and fuel.

"It has supplied generators to Texas and is preparing to move diesel into the state to ensure the continued availability of backup power which, of course, is a major issue on the ground, to key critical infrastructure including communications, hospitals and water," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

President Joe Biden also made an emergency declaration over the situation in Texas this week.

Meanwhile, Mr Abbott is facing backlash over comments he made on Tuesday night.

On Fox News, he falsely blamed clean energy for the power cuts, after telling a local radio station that natural gas was frozen in pipelines.

“Every source of power the state of Texas has access to has been compromised because of temperature or equipment failures," Mr Abbott clarified on Wednesday.

Ercot said all energy sources were suffering because of the historically low temperatures.

Pump jacks operate in the Permian Basin in Midland, Texas. The Arctic freeze gripping the central US is raising the spectre of power cuts in the state and placing pressure on energy already trading at record prices. Bloomberg
Pump jacks operate in the Permian Basin in Midland, Texas. The Arctic freeze gripping the central US is raising the spectre of power cuts in the state and placing pressure on energy already trading at record prices. Bloomberg
Brett Archibad entertains his family as they try to stay warm in their home the Blackhawk district in Pflugerville, Texas. Anger about the state’s power grid failure mounted on Tuesday. AP
Brett Archibad entertains his family as they try to stay warm in their home the Blackhawk district in Pflugerville, Texas. Anger about the state’s power grid failure mounted on Tuesday. AP
Howard and Nena Mamu eat dinner at their home in the Glenwood district in Hutto, Texas. AP
Howard and Nena Mamu eat dinner at their home in the Glenwood district in Hutto, Texas. AP
People queue to buy food at a petrol station in Pflugerville, Texas. Most homes in the area had been without electricity for nearly eight hours. Power companies performed rotating cuts to protect the grid. AP
People queue to buy food at a petrol station in Pflugerville, Texas. Most homes in the area had been without electricity for nearly eight hours. Power companies performed rotating cuts to protect the grid. AP
People queue to fill their empty propane tanks in Houston. The temperature stayed below freezing on Tuesday. AP
People queue to fill their empty propane tanks in Houston. The temperature stayed below freezing on Tuesday. AP
Christopher Harris, left, his wife Novi and their daughter Keeva occupy an office suite at a pop-up warming centre in Richardson, Texas. It is one of seven such places in the city, offering a place to keep warm and charge devices. AP
Christopher Harris, left, his wife Novi and their daughter Keeva occupy an office suite at a pop-up warming centre in Richardson, Texas. It is one of seven such places in the city, offering a place to keep warm and charge devices. AP
Freezer sections are closed off at Fiesta supermarket on February 16, 2021, in Houston, Texas. Winter storm Uri brought historic cold weather, power cuts and traffic accidents to Texas as storms swept through 26 states. AFP
Freezer sections are closed off at Fiesta supermarket on February 16, 2021, in Houston, Texas. Winter storm Uri brought historic cold weather, power cuts and traffic accidents to Texas as storms swept through 26 states. AFP
Shell Timewise service station in Pflugerville, Texas, turned away people who needed petrol. Most homes in the area were without power for nearly eight hours. AP
Shell Timewise service station in Pflugerville, Texas, turned away people who needed petrol. Most homes in the area were without power for nearly eight hours. AP
The grounds of the Capitol in Austin, Texas, are covered in snow. AP
The grounds of the Capitol in Austin, Texas, are covered in snow. AP
A car park is covered in snow at DIY store Home Depot in the Westbury district in Houston. A winter storm that is making its way from America’s southern plains to the northeast is affecting air travel. AP
A car park is covered in snow at DIY store Home Depot in the Westbury district in Houston. A winter storm that is making its way from America’s southern plains to the northeast is affecting air travel. AP
The Trinity River is mostly frozen after a snow storm in Fort Worth. A frigid blast of winter weather across the US has left more than two million people in Texas without power. AP
The Trinity River is mostly frozen after a snow storm in Fort Worth. A frigid blast of winter weather across the US has left more than two million people in Texas without power. AP
Annie Boon, 5, creates a snow angel while sledging with her family in Austin. AP
Annie Boon, 5, creates a snow angel while sledging with her family in Austin. AP
People play in the snow in Butler Park in Austin. AP
People play in the snow in Butler Park in Austin. AP
A worker clears snow from a car park in Midland, Texas. Blackouts triggered by frigid weather have spread to more than four million homes and businesses across the central US and parts of Mexico. Bloomberg
A worker clears snow from a car park in Midland, Texas. Blackouts triggered by frigid weather have spread to more than four million homes and businesses across the central US and parts of Mexico. Bloomberg
Francisco Sanchez wipes snow off his car with a boogie board before going out sledging with his kids at Memorial Park in El Paso, Texas. Reuters
Francisco Sanchez wipes snow off his car with a boogie board before going out sledging with his kids at Memorial Park in El Paso, Texas. Reuters
Horses wait for the ice in their trough to be broken in Bastrop county, near Austin, Texas. Reuters
Horses wait for the ice in their trough to be broken in Bastrop county, near Austin, Texas. Reuters
Mia Donjuan, 4, falls off her sledge as she slides down a hill in the Elmwood district of Dallas. AP
Mia Donjuan, 4, falls off her sledge as she slides down a hill in the Elmwood district of Dallas. AP
Baylor University students enjoy their snow day without classes while posing near a fountain on campus in Waco, Texas. AP
Baylor University students enjoy their snow day without classes while posing near a fountain on campus in Waco, Texas. AP
Pedestrians walk on along a snow-covered street in Austin. Winter storm Uri has brought unusual cold to Texas, causing traffic delays and power cuts. Storms have swept across 26 states. AFP
Pedestrians walk on along a snow-covered street in Austin. Winter storm Uri has brought unusual cold to Texas, causing traffic delays and power cuts. Storms have swept across 26 states. AFP
Honey Russell clears the pavement outside her home after heavy snowfall in Fort Worth, Texas. Winter storm Uri has brought freezing weather to Texas. AFP
Honey Russell clears the pavement outside her home after heavy snowfall in Fort Worth, Texas. Winter storm Uri has brought freezing weather to Texas. AFP
People push a car free after spinning out in the snow in Waco, Texas. A winter storm that brought snow and ice across the southern Plains stretched its frigid fingers down to the Gulf Coast. AP
People push a car free after spinning out in the snow in Waco, Texas. A winter storm that brought snow and ice across the southern Plains stretched its frigid fingers down to the Gulf Coast. AP
A woman walks through falling snow in San Antonio. AP
A woman walks through falling snow in San Antonio. AP
Two people play in the snow in San Antonio. AP
Two people play in the snow in San Antonio. AP
Snow ploughs clear a lane of the I-30 motorway in Dallas. The Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars NHL hockey game on Monday was postponed at the request of Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson owing to a power shortage. AP
Snow ploughs clear a lane of the I-30 motorway in Dallas. The Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars NHL hockey game on Monday was postponed at the request of Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson owing to a power shortage. AP
The sun sets as a lone vehicle sits in a snow-covered parking garage at American Airlines Centre. AP
The sun sets as a lone vehicle sits in a snow-covered parking garage at American Airlines Centre. AP
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