Texans confront outages, food and water needs as feds issue disaster declaration
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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![Volunteers distribute boxes of food at a distribution site in Austin on Feb. 19, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
As Texans endured days in the dark, the state failed to deliver vital emergency information
When the lights went out this week and Texans lost access to power and clean drinking water, the Texas Division of Emergency Management failed to provide accessible and life-saving updates on outages and inclement weather. 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 -
Many Texans have died because of the winter storm. Just how many won’t be known for weeks or months.
Dozens of deaths have been tied to this week's storm, but experts say the death toll is likely far larger. Full Story
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![The Blanco Vista neighborhood of San Marcos is blanketed with several inches of snow as a massive winter weather system causes power outages across Texas on Feb. 15, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
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 -
Here’s what you need to know if you don’t have access to clean water or are concerned about burst pipes
As power returns, half the state has issues with its water supply, and thawing pipes are at risk of bursting and flooding homes. Full Story
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![Nao Ohdrea pours water into a container at Meanwhile Brewery in Austin on Feb. 18, 2021. Several breweries were offering free water to residents without running water. Many Texas residents are still without power and many don't have clean drinking water or working water at all.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
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 -
“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. Full Story
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![St. David's South Austin Medical Center on Feb. 18, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./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 -
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. Full Story
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![Fresenius Kidney Care South Price in Austin on Feb. 18, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./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 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 -
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 -
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 -
No, frozen wind turbines aren’t the main culprit for Texas’ power outages
Lost wind power was expected to be a fraction of winter generation. All sources — from natural gas, to nuclear, to coal, to solar — have struggled to generate power during the storm that has left millions of Texans in the dark. Full Story
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![A wind farm in Harrold. March 19, 2018.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Texas largely relies on natural gas for power. It wasn’t ready for the extreme cold.
Texas largely relies on natural gas — especially during times of high demand — to power the state. Experts say natural gas infrastructure, from pumping it out of the ground to the plants in city centers, was unprepared for the plunging temperatures brought by the winter storm. Full Story
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![The Blanco Vista neighborhood of San Marcos is blanketed with several inches of snow as a massive winter weather system causes power outages across Texas on Feb. 15, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune