Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

The Capitol grounds are covered in snow in Austin, Texas Jay Janner/PA Images

'Unprecedented' snowstorms in Texas as wintry weather sweeps across the US

“Things will likely get worse before they get better,” officials near Houston said.

WINTER WEATHER ACROSS the US is likely to blame for the deaths of two people in Texas, where an unusually snowy emergency knocked out power for more than four million people, shut down grocery stores and air travel and closed schools ahead of frigid days still to come.

As nightfall threatened to plummet temperatures again into single digits Fahrenheit, officials warned that homes still without power would likely not have heat until later today at the earliest, as frustration mounted and the state’s electric grid came under growing demand and criticism.

“Things will likely get worse before they get better,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the top elected official in the county of nearly five million people around Houston.

Law enforcement reported two men were found dead along Houston-area roadways.

Causes of death were pending, but officials said the subfreezing temperatures were likely to blame.

2.58107596 Residents walk through snow in San Antonio

The toll of the worsening conditions included the delivery of new Covid-19 vaccine shipments, which were expected to be delayed until at least midweek.

Massive power outages across Houston included a facility storing 8,000 doses of Moderna vaccine, leaving health officials scrambling to find takers at the same time authorities were pleading for people to stay home.

Temperatures nosedived into the single-digits as far south as San Antonio, and homes that had already been without electricity for hours had no certainty about when the lights and heat would come back on, as the state’s overwhelmed power grid began imposing blackouts that are typically only seen in 38 Celsius summers.

The storm was part of a massive system that brought snow, sleet and freezing rain to the southern Plains and was spreading across the Ohio Valley and to the Northeast.

The Southwest Power Pool, a group of utilities across 14 states, called for rolling outages because the supply of reserve energy had been exhausted.

Some utilities said they were starting blackouts, while others urged customers to reduce power usage.

“We’re living through a really historic event going on right now,” said Jason Furtado, a professor of meteorology at the University of Oklahoma, pointing to all of Texas under a winter storm warning and the extent of the freezing temperatures.

State officials said surging demand, driven by people trying to keep their homes warm, and cold weather knocking some power stations offline had pushed Texas’ system beyond the limits.

“This weather event, it’s really unprecedented.

“We all living here know that,” said Dan Woodfin, senior director of system operations at the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.

He defended preparations made by grid operators and described the demand on the system as record-setting.

“This event was well beyond the design parameters for a typical, or even an extreme, Texas winter that you would normally plan for.

“And so that is really the result that we’re seeing,” Woodfin said.

More than 500 people were hunkering down at one shelter in Houston, but Mayor Sylvester Turner said other warming centres had to be shut down because those locations, too, lost power.

The largest grocery store chain in Texas, H-E-B, closed locations around Austin and San Antonio, cities that are unaccustomed to snow and have few resources to clear roads.

The slow thaw and more frigid lows ahead was also taking a toll on Texas’ distribution of Covid-19 vaccines.

State health officials said Texas, which was due to receive more than 400,000 additional vaccine doses this week, now does not expect deliveries to occur until at least Wednesday.

President Joe Biden declared an emergency in Texas in a statement on Sunday night.

The declaration is intended to add federal aid to state and local response efforts.

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

View 14 comments
Close
14 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Anthony Hilton
    Favourite Anthony Hilton
    Report
    Aug 16th 2021, 3:40 PM

    When will people realise that the government don’t care about the people

    154
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Larsen Cib
    Favourite Larsen Cib
    Report
    Aug 16th 2021, 3:45 PM

    @Anthony Hilton: why not? Leonardo and Martin said thank you didnt they?
    Now you can store a big thank you in your fridge and pay for your transport to work.

    Just let them know that you are paying with the governments ” thank you “

    50
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Colm OS
    Favourite Colm OS
    Report
    Aug 16th 2021, 4:52 PM

    Without doubt Healthcare workers deserve recognition and reward but it wasn’t just Healthcare workers who put themselves at risk. All the supermarket, pharmacy and non hse Healthcare staff (as a few examples) all took on risk which they deserve to be rewarded for

    71
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Niamh Hughes
    Favourite Niamh Hughes
    Report
    Aug 16th 2021, 11:57 PM

    @Colm OS: Dunnes stores employees got a 10% raise and a 20% discount card for their shopping. I stand to be corrected but I also think Tesco rewarded their employees too. Healthcare workers got a round of applause.

    12
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Fagan
    Favourite John Fagan
    Report
    Aug 16th 2021, 5:10 PM

    The problem with this is that if you give to one in the union, you have to give it to the lot of them. This includes managers who sat at home during the pandemic, administration staff who worked from home and people who just didn’t bother coming in because they didn’t want to catch covid. Plus the fact that every other public servant will want it. Who decides who deserves it?

    63
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Niall Lee
    Favourite Niall Lee
    Report
    Aug 16th 2021, 5:22 PM

    @John Fagan: every single one of them

    8
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Garreth mc mahon
    Favourite Garreth mc mahon
    Report
    Aug 16th 2021, 3:51 PM

    These unions need separation from influence of government, if they are unhappy, go to LRC or labour court for each law broken if any. The days of ministers showing up at conventions also need to stop. The unions have never helped to fix the issues and it’s amazing how many pay rises fix the issues in the HSE

    62
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute GrumpyAulFella
    Favourite GrumpyAulFella
    Report
    Aug 16th 2021, 3:40 PM

    The demand doesn’t seem to be very clear. Are the unions looking for compensation for all workers in the health sector, front line workers or what exactly? How many staff are they seeking compensation for? The HSE employees about 70,000 alone, throw in all the voluntary hospitals, care workers…. They must be able to put a number on it.

    55
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Derek Moean
    Favourite Derek Moean
    Report
    Aug 16th 2021, 4:10 PM

    Leo will give them around of applause…

    29
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ian Breathnach
    Favourite Ian Breathnach
    Report
    Aug 16th 2021, 9:01 PM

    @Derek Moean: he’ll give them a pay rise, then claim he too is a Doctor and take said pay rise himself.

    11
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Margaret Kane
    Favourite Margaret Kane
    Report
    Aug 17th 2021, 12:34 PM

    TDs certainly don’t suffer hardships they’ve no problems robbing the taxpayers money to give themselves big rises

    3
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel

 
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds