Governor Greg Abbott provided an update Sunday in San Antonio on the state’s efforts to provide water and other resources to communities across Texas.
Abbott said power is at full capacity, leaving only about 30,000 Texans without power compared to millions early in the week. He said the reason that residents are still left without power is due to local power providers needing hookups or downed power lines.
“I suspect all power will be restored to every house tonight or tomorrow,” the governor said.
He said officials are working with cities as localities get water up and running and restored to communities across the state. Abbott said officials understand the challenges many are facing with no power or water.
He said the state has delivered nearly 10 million bottles of water and more than 5 million ready-to-eat meals, with the help of the Texas National Guard and other partners. Several aircraft and delivery trucks were used to help deliver those supplies.
Abbott said officials are working with Texas cities for distribution.
He also addressed the busted pipe issue many are facing across the state. Abbott said the state is going what it can and bringing more plumbers as they are in high demand.
“We urge to call plumbers as quickly as possible, call insurance as quickly as possible,” he said. “They should be working with you to make sure those pipes get fixed. If you don’t have insurance, you may get FEMA to reimburse.”
The governor said he has requested a USDA disaster declaration for Ag producers to help with the food shortages of grocery stores.
Abbott said some energy companies are receiving a skyrocket in electric and power bills, which he says Texans without power should not have high bills.
He said he held a meeting Saturday with legislative leaders to shield families from unreasonable bills
“During that meeting it was productive, we need to work together to deliver solutions,” Abbott said.
Texas rolled into full-blown recovery mode Sunday after a winter storm that at its powerful peak left more than 4 million in the dark and almost half the state’s 29 million people under boil-water advisories.
More than 70 deaths have been linked to the intense cold and damaging storms that swept through a wide swath of the nation last week, what AccuWeather described as “one of the stormiest weather patterns in decades.” About half the reported fatalities occurred in Texas, but there were deaths reported in several other states, from Oregon to Tennessee.
A warming trend brought welcome relief. In Tennessee, where Memphis was walloped with 10 inches of snow, temperatures soared into the high 50s on Sunday. In battered Texas, Houston’s temperature climbed into the 70s, and Austin was almost there.
Texas, where many power plants and water facilities were ill-equipped to handle the wintry onslaught, took the brunt of the damage. And state leaders took the brunt of the blame for failing to ensure that the power system could handle the strain. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said her home was without power for three nights.
“It’s worth asking the question: Who set up this system and who perpetuated it knowing that the right regulation was not in place?” said Hidalgo, a Democrat. “Those questions are going to have to be asked, and I hope that changes will come. The community deserves answers.”
About 20,000 Texas homes and businesses remained without power Sunday afternoon, according to poweroutage.us, a utility tracking website. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner called the power crash “foreseeable and preventable.”
Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, had harsh words for grid operators and managers of iced-locked wind turbines but has been less critical of oil and gas industry corporations that dominate Texas industry and support his political campaigns.
Power plants struggled to operate in the extreme cold, and some natural gas wellheads froze. The governor called on Texas lawmakers to require that power plants be winterized. Saturday, he promised to “work collaboratively” with lawmakers from both parties to get a handle on energy prices.
“We have a responsibility to protect Texans from spikes in their energy bills that are a result of the severe winter weather and power outages,” Abbott said.
Water systems also struggled. Almost 1,500 public water systems in Texas reported disrupted operations, said Toby Baker, executive director of the state Commission on Environmental Quality.
In Austin, temperatures remained below freezing for almost a week. Austin Water said Sunday that storage in reservoirs had climbed to 72 million gallons, but at least 100 million gallons were needed to help build water pressure systemwide.
“We urge customers with water service to limit water use to essential needs and follow mandatory water restrictions,” Austin Water tweeted. “Violations of these restrictions should be reported to Austin 3-1-1.”
In San Antonio, authorities said Sunday that water had been restored to 98% of the city.
A thin silver lining for residents of Austin and San Antonio: Lick Honest Ice Creams planned an ice cream giveaway Sunday from noon to 9 p.m. at its Austin and San Antonio shops.
“It’s been a week for the history books, y’all, and we hope we can make yours a little bit better,” the company posted on Facebook. “We’ve missed scooping for you and can’t wait to see you again!”
Help was coming from all over. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., volunteered at the Houston Food Bank on Saturday and announced her fundraising effort for the storm recovery effort in the state had surpassed $5 million on Sunday.
“That’s the New York spirit, that’s the Texas spirit, that’s the American spirit,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
More than 27,000 homes and businesses in West Virginia and another 25,000 in Kentucky were without power Sunday. That number was about 20,000 in Mississippi, where a high temperature in Jackson of 61 degrees was forecast Sunday.
“Crews continue to work around the clock,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves tweeted. “Weather continues to improve with high temps well above freezing in most places.”
As power is restored across the state, Entergy Mississippi president and CEO Haley Fisackerly cautioned customers to slowly phase in use to avoid overloading the system. He suggested turning off major appliances before the power is turned back on.
“I know when those lights come back on, you’re going to be ready to clean up that house and wash those dishes in your dishwasher or wash your clothes,” he said. “Do that in stages, (or it) could create problems back on the grid.”
Thousands of Houstonians showed up at the City of Houston’s water distribution site on the northeast side Saturday.
Mayor Sylvester Turner said they’re moving water throughout the city as fast as possible. He said demand for drinking water remains high. Mayor Turner said they handed out more than 1 million units of water on Friday.
There’s no denying the need for water in the city. While water has been stored in people’s homes, the city remains under a boil notice.
“Until we come out of it, there’s going to be a tremendous need to provide people with drinking water,” Mayor Turner said.
He said the city’s water system is back up and running.
“So you should be seeing a noticeable improvement in your water pressure,” Mayor Turner said.
However, he’s asking residents to do their part to conserve. He wants people to hold off on nonessential water use like getting their cars washed.
“I’m going to ask even car washing companies, businesses if they will hold for this weekend. Let us get past this crisis, this challenge, and then you can proceed,” Mayor Turner said.
Houston Public Works Director Carol Haddock said they’ve sent water samples to TCEQ to get tested.
“When we get those results tomorrow, we’ll be able to determine whether or not we have any bacteria growth in the system, and we’ll be able to lift that boil water notice as soon as we get the all-clear,” Haddock said.
The city hopes that will happen by Monday. For now, residents will have to depend on distribution events for water.
Mayor Turner plans to establish a relief fund to help people who need it. Those details will be released Monday.
Last week’s winter storm crippled the state’s ability to keep up with COVID-19 vaccinations. Vaccine shipments were delayed and without power or water vaccine hubs across Houston had no choice but to shut down.
Now, officials are racing to catch up.
Experts estimate Texas fell behind by about 1 million vaccinations because of the storm. But a new FEMA site scheduled to open in Houston later this week should help make up for the lost time.
“Every week lost is a tragedy,” Dr. Peter Hotez said. “We have no choice but we have to catch up this coming week.”
With Texas and most of the nation thawing out, shipments are resuming.
“We’ve been able to get 2 million of those 6 million doses out. We expect to rapidly catch up this week … fill that backlog,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
Texas is set to receive more than 1.5 million doses by mid-week. More than 40,000 are heading to FEMA’s new community vaccination site at NRG Park.
“That will be 6,000 vaccines per day for six to eight weeks,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said.
It’s expected to help Houston make up lost ground faster.
“You might say, ‘We lost a week. What’s the big deal?’ But my worry is the stakes are high because of new variants now permeating the U.S,” Hotez said.
Hotez said speed matters. The faster we vaccinate, the quicker we can slow community spread. Because of the storm, Texas is now nearly last in the country with only 11% of our population having received the first dose of the vaccine.
“We’ve got to really step up our game in order to catch up so we’re at least back in the middle of the country by next week,” Hotez said.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Turner plan to announce new details of the FEMA site and how it will work at a 4 p.m. news conference on Monday.
At the halfway point in the World Health Organization and Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’ 100-day challenge, a movement of people and organizations is now uniting together under the banner of vaccine equity. WHO welcomes the new commitments made by France, Germany, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America to COVAX and equitable allocation of vaccines. Backed by 190 countries and economies, COVAX is the global mechanism best positioned to deliver vaccines to the world and end the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There is a growing movement behind vaccine equity and I welcome that world leaders are stepping up to the challenge by making new commitments to effectively end this pandemic by sharing doses and increasing funds to COVAX,” said Dr. Tedros, Director-General of the World Health Organization. “This can’t be business as usual and there is an urgent need for countries to share doses and technology, scale-up manufacturing, and ensure that there is a sustainable supply of vaccines so that everyone, everywhere can receive a vaccine.”
Close to 7000 people and hundreds of organizations have already signed on to a vaccine equity declaration that directly calls on governments and manufacturers to speed up regulatory processes, boost manufacturing by sharing know-how and technology, and ensure that doses are shared equitably. There is a specific call to start with all health and care workers, who have been on the frontlines of this pandemic for more than a year.
Heads of state and sports stars like Romain Grosjean; international agencies including UNICEF, UN Development Programme, UN Women and the World Food Programme; sporting organizations like the International Olympic Committee, World Rugby and FIFA; networks focused on faith, gender, and youth, and civil society groups like the Elders, Global Health Council, Nursing Now, Pandemic Action Network, UHC2030 and Women in Global Health,*– these and many more have signed on to the broad based movement, which recognizes the moral, economic and global security imperative of equitable vaccine distribution.
Dr. Keith C Rowley, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, and Chairman of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) said, “Today, thankfully we are at that place where we now have tested and proven vaccines. A brightening light is shining on our way towards a more successful response to the still marauding virus.”
The movement for vaccine equity is growing, and to prevent virus variants from undermining our health technologies and hampering an already sluggish global economic recovery, it is critical that leaders continue to step up to ensure that we end this pandemic as quickly as possible. Individuals and organizations everywhere are encouraged to join in this crucial effort.
FEMA anunció que se ha puesto a disposición del estado de Texas ayuda federal de emergencia para complementar los esfuerzos de recuperación estatales, tribales y locales en las áreas afectadas tras la severa tormenta invernal que comenzó el 11 de febrero de 2021 y posteriormente.
Las personas y los dueños de negocios que sufrieron pérdidas en el área designada pueden comenzar a solicitar asistencia registrándose en línea en http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov o llamando al 1-800-621-3362 o 1-800-462-7585 TTY.
La acción del presidente instituye fondos federales a disposición de las personas afectadas en Angelina, Aransas, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Brazoria, Brazos, Brown, Burleson, Caldwell, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Collin, Comal, Comanche, Cooke, Coryell , Dallas, Denton, DeWitt, Ellis, Falls, Fort Bend, Galveston, Gillespie, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hardin, Harris, Hays, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hood, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Kaufman, Kendall, Lavaca, Liberty, Madison, Matagorda, Maverick, McLennan, Montague, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Nueces, Naranja, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Polk, Rockwall, Sabine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Scurry, Shelby, Smith, Stephens, Tarrant, Travis, Tyler, Upshur , Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Wharton, Wichita, Williamson, Wilson y los condados de Wise.
La asistencia puede incluir subvenciones para vivienda temporal y reparaciones del hogar, préstamos a bajo costo para cubrir pérdidas de propiedad no aseguradas y otros programas para ayudar a las personas y propietarios de negocios para recuperarse de los estragos de dicho desastre.
Los fondos federales también están disponibles para los gobiernos estatales, locales, tribales y territoriales elegibles; así como, ciertas organizaciones privadas sin fines de lucro sobre una base de costo compartido para medidas de protección de emergencia, incluida la asistencia federal directa, en todo el estado.
Los fondos federales están disponibles en base a costos compartidos para medidas de mitigación de peligros en todo el estado.
FEMA announced federal emergency aid has been made available to the state of Texas to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in areas affected by a severe winter storm beginning on Feb. 11, 2021 and continuing.
Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated area can begin applying for assistance by registering online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362 or 1-800-462-7585 TTY.
The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Angelina, Aransas, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Brazoria, Brazos, Brown, Burleson, Caldwell, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Collin, Comal, Comanche, Cooke, Coryell, Dallas, Denton, DeWitt, Ellis, Falls, Fort Bend, Galveston, Gillespie, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hardin, Harris, Hays, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hood, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Kaufman, Kendall, Lavaca, Liberty, Madison, Matagorda, Maverick, McLennan, Montague, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Nueces, Orange, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Polk, Rockwall, Sabine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Scurry, Shelby, Smith, Stephens, Tarrant, Travis, Tyler, Upshur, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Wharton, Wichita, Williamson, Wilson, and Wise counties.
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.
Federal funding is also available to state, eligible local, tribal and territorial governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, statewide.
Federal funding is available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
Failing power plants, rolling blackouts, and a spike in demand as Texas is hijacked by a harsh February winter snowstorm – this was the scenario exactly a decade ago as blackouts rolled through Texas.
A post-mortem at the time – including a key finding that state officials recommended but did not mandate winter protections for generating facilities – has renewed relevance as Texas is roiled by a record store that has left millions without power for at least three days amid plunging temperatures.
A combination of those 2011 findings, as well as reports from the state grid operators that generators and natural gas pipelines froze during the current calamity and Austin American-Statesman interviews with current and former utility executives and energy experts, suggest a light regulatory touch and cavalier operator approach involving winter protections of key industrial assets.
“You could take out ‘2011’ and pop in ‘2021,’ and there is going to be a lot of similarities” between the deficiencies in the grid found in the report 10 years ago and those plaguing it now, said Dave Tuttle, an Energy Institute research associate at the University of Texas.
Had the recommendations been followed, either voluntarily by power generators and transmission companies or because of mandates by regulators, many Texans likely would be a lot warmer now, Tuttle said.
“It’s not like the technology isn’t there” to keep electricity flowing during extremely low temperatures, he said. “There are people who live in a lot colder climates than we do” without losing power.
Power outages amid ongoing winter storms have affected more than 2,000 COVID-19 vaccination sites, slowing the pace of administering doses, U.S. health officials said Friday.
More than a third of U.S. states have reported shipment delays. Government vaccine distribution partners “have all faced challenges as workers have been snowed in and unable to get to work to package and ship the vaccines,” said Andy Slavitt, White House senior adviser for COVID-19 response.
Some vaccines were sitting “safe and sound” in factories and hubs, and approximately 1.4 million doses were being transported Friday, Slavitt said. UPS and FedEx will be making Saturday deliveries, and all backlogged doses would be delivered “within the next week,” he said.
“We will be able to catch up, but we understand this will mean asking more of people,” Slavitt said. “If we all work together, from the factory all the way to vaccinators, we will make up for it in the coming week.”
Meanwhile, Slavitt announced the U.S. plans to open five more community vaccination centers, including one in Philadelphia, and four in Florida, in Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville, and Tampa.
