Texas Winter Storm: In Search of Heat as Falling Temperatures Shut Off Utilities and Cellular Services

by

The cold is believed to have contributed to at least three deaths in the Houston area alone, the police said. That includes a woman and girl who died of carbon monoxide poisoning after a car drove into their garage to create heat because the power was out, Houston police said Tuesday morning
The record-breaking freezer that engulfs much of the US isn't over yet. Here's what to expect

The insidious circumstances have led to more than 550 car accidents in the area since Sunday, Houston police chief Art Acevedo said.

“Our roads are still very freezing. Avoid traveling unless absolutely necessary,” Acevedo said on Twitter on Tuesday
Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott has said the power of some utility companies to generate the power has been frozen – including the natural gas and coal generators. The Texas Electric Reliability Council, a grid operator that controls about 90% of the state’s electrical load, said deliberate power outages will occur in parts of the state to balance massive demand with a difficult supply.
On cell towers in Fort Bend County, southwest of Houston, the generators froze, ran out of fuel, or both, interrupting service in parts of the county, County Judge KP George wrote. Twitter
“Conditions on all roads are getting worse. Roads are impassable. Don’t travel. Stay at your location,” George tweeted early Tuesday
A truck braves the frozen roads in Houston on Monday, February 15.
Temperatures are expected to be below freezing in about the northern half of the state on Tuesday, and they could be just above freezing in Houston and San Antonio, according to a forecast from the National Weather Service.
While snow has fallen across much of Texas, more snow and ice is expected from Tuesday afternoon or evening through Wednesday to much of the state as part of a larger storm system.
These American cities had the coldest morning in decades - and some hit all-time record lows

Up to six inches of snow can fall in the Dallas / Fort Worth area, while icy rain is forecast for Austin, San Antonio and Houston.

The cold weather has led to widespread power outages in more than a dozen other states. There may be more outages, including in Nebraska, where a utility company in Hastings on Tuesday asked residents to prepare for ongoing power outages to meet “unprecedented energy demand.”
Southwest Power Pool, which manages power grid operations in North Texas and 16 other states, said Monday it asked affiliated utilities to implement rolling blackouts

Relying on fireplaces and generators

Barbara Martinez has a mission on Tuesday that she normally wouldn’t take: to find more wood for the fireplace that is her home’s only heat source in freezing weather.

Her home in the suburb of Jersey Village in Houston has been largely out of power since 3 a.m. on Sunday, she told CNN Tuesday morning.

She, her elderly parents and her two dogs are sitting together in a room with a fireplace.

“We have several layers of clothing and it’s cold,” said Martinez. “We’ve been using our cars to charge phones, and (the) signal here is nearly impossible to use.”

“We hope the power will return soon, because the firewood is running out,” she said. “My goal today is to find more firewood.”

A fireplace is Barbara Martinez's only source of heat at her home in a Houston suburb.

In the Fort Worth suburb of Watauga, Elijah Dorminy’s family depend on their generator to weather the deadly cold – and he soon fears even that won’t be an option.

Dorminy, his wife and their four children were concerned about what would happen if they had to refill their generator with gas. Only one gas station had fuel left in Watauga, Dorminy told CNN Monday night.

“Pray for us, this is going to be tough,” he told CNN.

Water cut off in Abilene

The Texas town of Abilene said it was forced to shut off its water mains on Monday evening due to a power outage at three water treatment plants.

The city of about 120,000 inhabitants is located about 150 miles west of Fort Worth.

“It is not known exactly when the power and subsequent water supply will be returned to Abilene water buyers,” a statement by city officials said.

Frozen wind turbines contribute to power outages across Texas

When service is restored, a water boil warning will be in effect and customers must bring the water to a vigorous boil at least two minutes before consumption, the statement said.

Texans with electricity are being asked to save as much as possible in an effort to ease the demand for the state’s power grid and help restore service, “the city statement said.

Fort Worth has extended a water boil warning for residents of the northern half of the city. According to the city, the ongoing power outages affected the ability to handle water and move it to customers.

The state’s largest school district is closed

Several of the state’s school districts have announced that classes – both in-person and virtual – will be canceled due to weather.

The Houston Independent School District, the largest in the state, will be closed Tuesday due to freezing weather, according to a report on the district’s website.

In the north, the The Dallas Independent School District, as well as the adjacent Arlington and Fort Worth Independent School Districts will also be closed Tuesday, according to statements on the district’s websites.

Fort Worth closings run through Wednesday, while Dallas schools are closed through Thursday.

Covid-19 vaccines and appointments at risk

The storm has complicated vaccinations against Covid-19, postponing appointments and jeopardizing supplies.

According to a press release from the city, due to winter weather, no first-dose vaccines will be shipped to Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health District Monday and Tuesday due to winter weather.
San Antonio has postponed vaccination appointments scheduled at Alamodome Stadium on Tuesday to Saturday, according to a press release from the city.
Cities and states are beginning to delay distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine due to winter storms

“With the current icy conditions expected to last into at least tomorrow, we want to ensure the safety of the public. are within CDC guidelines to ensure that the vaccine will still work without problems, “the release stated.

After the power went out in the Harris County Public Health Department Building and the backup generators failed, officials had to race to allocate and rescue 8,400 vaccines before they went bad, Harris County Judge Lena Hidalgo said Monday.

Harris County officials settled in Ben Taub, Lyndon B. Johnson and Methodist Hospitals in Houston, as well as Rice University and the Harris County Jail as the locations to receive the vaccine at night, Hidalgo said.

CNN’s Alisha Ebrahimji, Keith Allen, Gregory Lemos, Carma Hassan, Amanda Jackson, Ed Lavandera, Rebekah Riess and Amir Vera contributed to this report.

Source