HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) Anger over Texas power grid failing in the face of a record winter freeze mounted Tuesday as millions of residents in the energy capital of the U.S. remained shivering with no assurances that their electricity and heat out for 36 hours or longer in many homes would return soon or stay on once it finally does. I know people are angry and frustrated, said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who woke up to more than 1 million people still without power in his city. So am I.
A notable image of downtown Houston s brightly lit skyline surrounded by homes and businesses plunged into blackness sparked outrage Monday night.
AUSTIN, Texas (KTRK) Governor Greg Abbott says the massive outages leaving millions in the dark Monday were caused by private power companies that fell short, calling it the winter version of Hurricane Harvey. The people who have fallen short with regard to the power are the private power generation companies, Abbott said.
In a call with ABC13, Abbott expressed frustration that power generators hadn t done enough to ensure the flow of electricity would continue. There s a separate part of the system that is not working right now, and those are the private companies that generate the power that goes into ERCOT. And it s those private companies that generate power that are not working, Abbott said. They were working up until about midnight last night, but after midnight, some of them literally froze up, and were incapable of providing power, and some are still incapable of providing power.
A photo posted on social media is sparking outrage as thousands of people across the city of Houston prepare to spend a bitter cold night without power.
President Biden approves Texas emergency declaration amid winter storm
KTRK
Share: President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for the state of Texas and ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from a severe winter storm.
The president s action authorizes the FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures. The declaration covers all 254 Texas counties.
Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures for mass care and sheltering and direct federal assistance will be provided at 75 percent federal funding.
Governor Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration in all 254 counties in response to severe winter weather that is impacting Texas. The Governor is continuing to deploy state resources available to assist local officials in their response efforts.