Texans of color, disproportionately devastated by death and unemployment during the last year, tend to live in neighborhoods with older homes, more vulnerable pipes and fewer food options. That’s made it harder to withstand the cold temperatures and power outages.
Winter Storm 2021
As Texas faced record-low temperatures in February 2021 and snow and ice made roads impassable, the state’s electric grid operator lost control of the power supply, leaving millions without access to electricity. As the blackouts extended from hours to days, top state lawmakers called for investigations into the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, and Texans demanded accountability for the disaster. The Texas Tribune covered the impact of the storm in real time and continues to bring accountability coverage as officials address the issues exposed by the storm.
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Winter Storm 2021
Analysis: A winter storm leaves Texas with a black eye
The Texas government’s failures in the face of a winter storm have been very hard on Texans, and could do lasting damage to the state’s reputation.
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Winter Storm 2021
“An emergency on top of a pandemic”: Texas hospital workers scramble as winter storm hampered operations
Water disruptions, patient logjams, overflowing emergency rooms, exhausted workers, staffing shortages and power outages created challenging conditions for health care workers across the state.
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Winter Storm 2021
Texas was “seconds and minutes” away from catastrophic monthslong blackouts, officials say
Officials with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas said that grid operators implemented blackouts to avoid a catastrophic failure that could have left Texans in the dark for months.
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Winter Storm 2021
“What happened is completely unacceptable”: Gov. Greg Abbott calls for winterization of Texas energy system
Abbott also blasted the Electric Reliability Council of Texas for its handling of the recent winter storm.
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Winter Storm 2021
Ted Cruz says leaving Texas during winter disaster was “obviously a mistake” as he returns from Cancún
First spotted at an airport by a social media user who posted his photo, there was an immediate outcry overnight that a U.S. senator would travel out of the state amid the worst storm in many Texans’ lifetimes.
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Winter Storm 2021
Texas jails and prisons see brutal cold and overfilled toilets in winter storm
Power and water outages have also hit many Texas lockups. Inmates have feared for their safety and officers were kept at their job for days.
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T-Squared
You can now text with The Texas Tribune for breaking news, power updates and more
We’re launching a new text number to share updates with our readers and let you ask us questions.
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Winter Storm 2021
You might have heard that Texas has its own power grid. Did you know not all parts of the state use it?
Millions of Texans were left in the dark for days after winter storms triggered power outages. But people in El Paso, the upper Panhandle and parts of East Texas kept their lights on — thanks to power drawn from other parts of the country.
Posted inEnvironment
Thousands of Texans depend on dialysis treatments. Extended power outages put their lives at risk.
Dialysis patients need treatments for hours at a time, multiple times a week. Power and water outages forced local centers to shut down.