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.
Austin
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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
“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
Texas’ power grid is stabilizing, but more than 300,000 remain without electricity
Many people in the state still do not have power, and millions have had their water service disrupted.
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Winter Storm 2021
Hospitals in Austin are running out of water, forcing some to transfer patients
St. David’s South Austin Medical Center said a series of problems began after it lost water pressure from the city Wednesday. Seton hospitals in the area are also facing water problems.
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Winter Storm 2021
Nearly 12 million Texans now face water disruptions. The state needs residents to stop dripping taps.
After enduring multiple days of freezing temperatures and Texans dripping faucets to prevent frozen pipes from bursting, cities across the state warned Wednesday that water levels are dangerously low, and it may be unsafe to drink.
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Winter Storm 2021
“Please help us, please”: More than 100 older and disabled Texans were stranded without power in Austin high-rise
Firefighters helped staff evacuate residents who wanted to go to shelters after more than two days of frigid temperatures and dwindling food supplies.
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Winter Storm 2021
Freezing temperatures are dangerous for homeless people. Shelters are urging Texans to come in off the streets.
Advocates and social workers say there’s enough capacity at warming centers and shelters to ensure no one will be turned away.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas cities face difficulties counting their unsheltered homeless population — at a time when their numbers matter most
Despite changes to the regular count of people experiencing homelessness, support organizations are hoping they’ll still be able to capture a clear picture of who is unhoused in Texas as the pandemic continues.
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Homeless in Texas
As Gov. Greg Abbott vows to ban homeless camping in public, Austin officials and unsheltered residents push for better housing access
A year and a half after Austin lifted a local ban on camping in public, some city officials are pushing to turn hotels into housing for people experiencing homelessness. Meanwhile, a state-sanctioned encampment in the city is full and can’t accept new residents.
