Williamson County, like the entire state of Texas, continues to deal with disruptions, but County Judge Bill Gravell wants to remind residents that the county has no control over water or electricity services. (Ali Linan / Community Impact Newspaper)
Williamson County, like the entire state of Texas, continues to deal with disruptions, but County Judge Bill Gravell wants to remind residents that the county has no control over water or electricity services.
“Let me be clear, Williamson County does not control power,” Gravell said in an interview. The newspaper with a community impact.
Gravell said about 40 percent of the county is powerless. Although he said he believes the number of customers affected by outages will decrease in the next few days, the county will continue to face continuous outages for at least the next two to three days.
“I think it will be a matter of days,” Gravell said. “We will have to be patient and work together to get through this difficult time.”
Gravell said the county is working with cities in the area to support services where it can, including opening recharging stations across the county for those who need to recharge oxygen equipment.
Gravell added that while officials are in talks with the opening of heating centers for the powerless, it has been difficult to secure a location that they know will not suffer from disruptions.
“We do not yet have a location where we can put someone [and] make sure there is electricity and, more importantly, heat in that installation, ”Gravell said. “It’s a pretty complicated question, but we’re working with our cities to take that action, if possible.”
Gravell said that in 12 months, the county and Texas have survived the onset of a pandemic, a turbulent political season and will also survive.
“I know people are just exhausted from where we are, but we’re Texans,” Gravell said. “We can do it. We just have to get up, take care of ourselves, take care of our family and take care of our neighbors, because that’s what sets us apart.”
The Texas Electric Reliability Council, or ERCOT, operates the state’s electricity grid and manages about 90% of the state’s electricity load. For more information about water outages and utilities, contact your supplier directly.