Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

At Least 10 People Have Died As Texas Faces A Brutal Winter Storm And Massive Power Outages

At Least 10 People Have Died As Texas Faces A Brutal Winter Storm And Massive Power Outages

Officials have asked for an investigation into the state's electrical grid, which has left millions of people without power during a freezing winter storm.

Texans are grappling with a winter storm that has turned deadly as millions of people face freezing temperatures with no electricity — and no estimate for when they may get power and heat back.

At least 10 people have died as frigid temperatures pummeled the state over the long weekend. On Tuesday, local officials issued dire warnings that the blackouts were likely to continue.

"Whether you have power or not right now, there's a possibility of power outages even after today," Harris County Lina Hidalgo said during a press conference Tuesday. "I know things are bleak, and it's going to be a long week."

More than 3 million homes in the state were without power as of Tuesday evening, according to PowerOutage.us, which collects information on power outages. Coupled with the freezing temperatures, there has been a spike in carbon monoxide poisoning calls as people have resorted to using barbecue grills, generators, and even cars indoors as sources of heat.

In Harris County, Hidalgo said, officials have received at least 300 calls of carbon monoxide poisoning, including one regarding an 8-year-old girl and her mother, who passed out and died while on the phone.

"We're losing our family members to carbon monoxide poisoning," Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie Christensen said during the press conference.

The loss of heat has also resulted in frozen water pipes and contamination in some jurisdictions, prompting officials in the Rio Grande Valley and in Fort Worth to issue warnings to residents to boil water before use.

At least 10 deaths in the state are suspected of being connected to the cold temperatures.

In Sugar Land, a grandmother and three children on Tuesday were found dead after a house fire. Investigators told KHOU the cause of the fire was under investigation, but the family had been using their fireplace during power outages to try to keep warm.

In Houston, police said, a man whose body was found in a street median was believed to have died from exposure to the cold temperatures. Another 60-year-old man was found dead inside a van possibly from exposure.

Another man was killed on Monday after he was hit by a car on Interstate 10; he had just gotten out of his vehicle following a crash on the icy roads.

The Bexar County Sheriff's Office also told KSAT the death of a 78-year-old man, whose body was found in his home by his wife on Monday, may have been due to the extreme cold.

The number of fatalities related to the storm and cold temperatures may continue to rise.

In Galveston County, the medical examiner's office had requested on Tuesday a refrigerated truck to handle a surge of deaths as the county braces for even more icy rain, according to ABC 13.

It was unclear if that was directly connected to the storm, but Galveston County Judge Mark Henry told the local news station that the medical examiner's office needed to suddenly increase its capacity to hold an additional 20 to 50 bodies.

The county medical examiner's office also handles cases from neighboring Brazoria County.

On Tuesday, Henry blasted the state's electrical power grid, managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), for the blackouts. In his county, most of the more than 340,000 residents have been without power for at least two days.

The county was told Sunday to prepare for rolling blackouts, but Henry said the situation had worsened since then.



"What we quickly found out was that they weren't rolling at all," he said in a Facebook post. "They went off and they stayed off for as much as 48 hours at this point, and counting."

He called the response "unacceptable," considering the storm had been anticipated for about a week.

The ongoing power outages have prompted officials to call for an investigation into the handling of the state's electrical grid. Unlike the rest of the US, most of Texas is on its own power grid, and its equipment could not withstand the freezing temperatures.

On Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott said he was calling for an investigation into ERCOT.

"Far too many Texans are without power and heat for their homes as our state faces freezing temperatures and severe winter weather," he said in a statement. "This is unacceptable."

Hidalgo in a press conference noted that the ERCOT had, throughout the weekend, issued optimistic messages that power would soon be restored, only for residents to face more long power outages.

She warned residents that until ERCOT's promises were fulfilled, they will need to continue to brace for cold temperatures and no power for the rest of the week.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
×