President Joe Biden says he'll visit Texas soon and sign a major disaster order after a winter storm hammered the state
Biden also said he has directed multiple federal agencies to assist people in the state. Full Story
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![President Joe Biden speaks with House Democratic leaders and chairs of House committees working on COVID-19 aid legislation during a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 5, 2021.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque -
Busted pipes, water damage, hotel bills: As power flickers on, costs loom for storm-weary Texans
Texans face a cascade of frustrations and expenses as the state tries to recover from the storm. Insurance companies are bracing for claims rivaling those after major hurricanes, and homeowners are trying to find plumbers and electricians. Full Story
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![Fire damage at an apartment building at The Park on Brodie Lane. Feb. 18, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texans no longer need to conserve energy, power grid operator says
We’re tracking the fallout from the massive winter storm in Texas, which has brought widespread power outages and transportation problems. Full Story
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![Residents of an apartment building in South Austin ate their meals in the parking lot after losing power during a severe winter storm. Feb. 18, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
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. Full Story
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![From left to right, Martin Xoxa, Chelsea Pursley and Joe Williams build a fire to keep warm outside of Pursley's home in East Austin. The group has been without power since Monday evening. Feb.17, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Dwindling food, flooded halls, unflushable toilets: Texas’ university dorms descend into chaos during winter storm
The past week of power outages and water shortages have been particularly challenging for college students living in large residence halls who are unable to see their families or access supplies like extra clothing, food or a car. Full Story
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![Nicholas Ware, a freshman computer science major at Texas State University, walks down the stairs to his dorm room on campus, which has been without consistent power for days. Feb. 17, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
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. Full Story
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![A jail officer stands guard inside her pit in a female detention area of the Dawson State Jail in Dallas on July 31, 2013.]()
Credit: Brandon Thibodeaux for The Texas Tribune -
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. Full Story
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![El Paso Electric's Rio Grande Power Station on the New Mexico, Texas state line in Sunland Park, New Mexico. Feb. 17, 2021]()
Credit: Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune -
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. Full Story
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![Jacob Duran warms his hands over a grill after his apartment lost power due to the severe winter storm that hit the state. Feb. 18, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
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. Full Story
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![Austinites find safety from the cold at Reilly Elementary School in North Austin. The school was turned into a warming center during the current period of frigid temperatures.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas power outages: Nearly half the state experiencing water disruptions as power grid operator says it's making progress
We’re tracking the fallout from the massive winter storm in Texas, which has brought widespread power outages and transportation problems. Full Story
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![Jennifer Vega waits in line at an H-E-B to refill a propane tank on Feb. 18, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
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. Full Story
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![The Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas in Austin on Feb. 17, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas leaders failed to heed warnings that left the state's power grid vulnerable to winter extremes, experts say
Texas officials knew winter storms could leave the state’s power grid vulnerable, but they left the choice to prepare for harsh weather up to the power companies — many of which opted against the costly upgrades. That, plus a deregulated energy market largely isolated from the rest of the country’s power grid, left the state alone to deal with the crisis, experts said. Full Story
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![Powerline infrastructure in San Marcos on Feb. 16, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texans running out of food as weather crisis disrupts supply chain
Texans running low on food are finding empty grocery store shelves. Food pantries are running out of supplies. And the freeze has wiped out substantial portions of the state's citrus and vegetable crops. Full Story
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![Fiesta grocery store in South Austin saw a shortage of some goods as customers stocked up. Power outages and freezing temperatures are expected to continue until the end of the week. Feb. 16, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republicans blamed green energy for Texas’ power woes. But the state runs on fossil fuels.
Green energy has been a political punching bag for Texas Republicans like Gov. Greg Abbott throughout the winter storm. Experts say that politicians never take responsibility for natural disasters when it comes to preparedness. Full Story
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![A working pump jack on the Cline Shale sits among wind turbines that cover the landscape off FM 153 south of Sweetwater.]()
Credit: Mark Graham for The Texas Tribune -
“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. Full Story
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![Residents at the Rebekah Baines Johnson Center were evacuated in Austin after the building lost power. Feb. 17, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott doesn’t know when suffering Texans will have water or power again
Abbott said he hasn’t been told which parts of Texas should expect power to return. Nearly 12 million Texans are also living under boil-water notices — and that number is expected to increase. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference regarding Texas’ emergency response to an unprecedented winter storm gripping Texas on Feb. 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
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. Full Story
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![An aerial view of Austin after a severe snowstorm dumped heavy snow and plummeted temperatures. Feb. 17, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas' grid operator wants to bring relief by making power outages consistently shorter — but might not be able to Wednesday
ERCOT's CEO and president told reporters Wednesday he's optimistic that the state's grid will start to see some of the power it has lost return as temperatures warm up. Full Story
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![Matilda Street in Dallas after the winter storm that hit the area on Monday.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
Texas power outages: Officials warn of low water supply; nearly 3 million households without electricity
We’re tracking the fallout from the massive winter storm in Texas, which has brought widespread power outages and transportation problems. Full Story
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![A temporary stop sign at the intersection of Greenville and Ross Avenues in Dallas. Several neighborhoods lost power due to a winter storm that hit the state.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Working political angles instead of solving problems
As Texans struggle with terrible winter weather, electric utility failures affecting more than 4 million households, a pandemic and a botched vaccine rollout, a natural question arises: Do state leaders know what they're doing? Full Story
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![Snow at the Capitol in Austin on Feb. 15, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune