What is an indirect death? For example, if someone needed a nebulizer for a respiratory condition, but couldn’t run it because the power is out, resulting in that person’s death. There was an article published in May 2021 by BuzzFeed discussing indirect deaths from the event. Interestingly, according to Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon, the Oklahoma City area had more extreme temperatures and weather than Texas that week, but the area had less power outage issues due to being connected with the national power grid. Some people went without power for up to five days. More than two-thirds of Texans (roughly 69%) lost power during the week of the storm, for an average of 42 hours, according to a University of Houston study. Areas would then alternate being on and off power to prevent the entire grid from collapsing and sending the state into a blackout. “ initiated rotating outages at 1:25am on February 15” to avoid overwhelming the power grid. Our state’s power grid is, in addition, not equipped to deal with prolonged cold and ice, and thus resulted in the power failures. ERCOT power officials did not expect the level of demand that occurred when temperatures plummeted to the lowest recorded since the 1980s. ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council Of Texas) manages the Texas power grid that runs separately from the national grid that runs all other 47 contiguous states. Pipes in the region are not properly insulated and so many homes had burst pipes and thus no running water until the pipes could be repaired. My parents, living in Fort Bend County near Houston, had a power outage for three days straight. As a result, millions of Texans lost access to electricity and running water. "We will have staff available to meet that challenge.This, understandably, was a major shock to Texas residents, as many of us have never experienced a Minnesota winter and had no idea how to prepare for such an event. "Texas is open 24/7, and staff has to be available and will be available 24/7, whatever challenges may arise," Abbott said. "I think trust will be earned over the next few days as people see that we have ultra-cold temperatures and the grid is available to perform with ease."Ībbott also said the state is working with local officials who plan to established so-called warming centers for people experiencing homelessness or whose homes might lose electricity because of downed power lines caused by falling tree limbs.Īlso, he said, emergency workers and first responders at every level of government are expected to be on duty or on call through the storm and even on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. "Trust has to be earned, and we earned that trust and part by going through this past summer with 11 new all-time records for power demand and being able to meet that power demand with ease," he said. Reserves of natural gas, which powers more electric plants than any other fuel source, are being brought in, he said.Īsked if Texans can trust the optimistic assessment of the grid's reliability given the failure that claimed the lives of as many as 700 people in 2021, Abbott said yes. Pablo Vegas, president of the grid-managing Electric Reliability Council of Texas, said as many as 200 power plants have been inspected for proper weatherization and that all of the fuel supplies - natural gas, coal, nuclear, wind and solar - are expected to be available. "And maybe up to minus 30 in the Panhandle. Minus 10 degrees is the wind chill in the Dallas-Fort Worth area (that) is expected," he said. The temperatures will be extremely cold and the winds will be high, which will generate some very dangerous wind chills," said Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. "This is a dangerous storm coming our way. That means solar power plants will be up and running, and roads should be passable, even as outdoor activity is inadvisable. The bright spot - literally and figuratively - Abbott said, is that no rain, sleet, snow or even cloud cover is expected in much of the state. More: Flight cancellations expected to mount as winter storm moves across the Plains and Midwest The cold front is expected to barrel into Texas on Thursday and keep temperatures and wind chills well below freezing across much of the state into the Christmas weekend. His remarks came after Abbott presided over an extended closed-door meeting with state agency officials who will be tasked with managing the fallout of what is forecast to be a nationwide deep freeze.
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