Paxton said the probe will examine power outages, emergency plans, energy pricing and other issues that came up during the disaster. Meanwhile, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday announced plans to open an investigation into the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which supplies power to more than 26 million people in the state, and other power companies over what happened. Our state agencies are working around the clock to restore power and water, and to ensure Texans have food and supplies,” he said. “We know that this past week has been challenging for far too many Texans. Support local officials to restore waterĤ. The State is working around the clock to address four immediate winter weather priorities:Ģ. The state is also working to provide food and supplies to residents and to help refineries get back up and running to provide fuel, Abbott said in a statement. He said three mobile water testing labs have been set up, while authorities consulted with a plumbing board to quickly repair burst pipes. On Friday, Abbott said the state’s main priority remained restoring power to homes, followed by restoring clean water access. The news outlet said about half the state was dealing with water problems after pipes and water lines burst. Power has been restored to many across the state, with just under 56,000 households still without electricity as of just before 22:00GMT on Saturday, according to PowerOutage.US, which tracks power outages across the country.īut the “disaster has firmly transitioned into a water crisis”, the Texas Tribune reported on Friday. “While this partial approval is an important first step, Texas will continue to work with our federal partners to ensure all eligible Texans have access to the relief they need,” Abbott said in a statement. Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Saturday thanked Biden for approving the disaster declaration.Ībbott said he had requested individual and public assistance in all 254 Texas counties and that the Biden administration approved individual assistance in 77 counties and public assistance in 254 counties. Houston resident Jay Farrell uses water from his hot tub to flush his toilet as people across the city are without running water after pipes ruptured due to freezing temperatures īiden said this week he is weighing a trip to Texas, if it would not create a burden on local authorities. Millions of Texans have suffered power outages and water service interruptions after a severe winter storm hit the state on February 11.ĭozens of people have died as a result of the storm and subzero temperatures, including many who reportedly died as a result of hypothermia. “Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster,” the White House statement reads. In a statement on Saturday morning, the White House said Biden declared “a major disaster exists” in the US state and authorised federal funding and other forms of assistance to aid state and local authorities. Phillip / APĪbilene, a city of about 170,000 residents, shut off its water services as a result of power outages at all three of its water treatment plants, it tweeted.United States President Joe Biden has approved a disaster declaration for the state of Texas, where a major winter storm has left millions without power and water. People seeking shelter from below freezing temperatures rest inside a church warming center in Houston on Tuesday. In a note to subscribers, the newspaper said that didn't happen even when the city was battered by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The Houston Chronicle was forced to stop printing after its plant lost power at 2 a.m. There were also fears of power outages and failures of backup generators at public health departments in Texas, where thousands of coronavirus vaccines are being held in cold storage.Įlsewhere in the state, San Antonio International Airport canceled all flights Tuesday, and the Dallas Stars delayed a National Hockey League game against the Nashville Predators, in an effort to conserve energy. "It's going to be a long recovery process." Pedestrians walk on an icy road in East Austin, Texas, on Monday. A lot of destruction," the county's sheriff, John Ingram, said Tuesday at a news conference. "It's something like I have never seen before.
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