[ad_1]
Extreme cold and snow have caused desperate conditions in Texas in recent days. Several million people have been left without electricity, and some have had to take the drastic step of burning furniture to keep warm.
The unusually severe cold has devastated Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi, and so far at least 48 people have lost their lives, 30 of them in the former state, the Washington Post census shows.
But even though the power grid was partially back on track, several American cities, including Dallas, face new challenges.
“We have a long way to go to get out of this, and these problems are just the beginning,” Mayor Eric Johnson told NBC’s “TODAY.”
It warns residents of “extensive water damage” and asks for federal help to deal with the situation.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler told the show early Friday that “it seems like it’s just one problem after another.”
– We were simply not prepared for these low temperatures. We have a deregulated energy system in the state and it is not working, he said.
– Understand that it is unbearable
Seven million people in Texas have now been told to boil their drinking water because cracked pipes have caused a reduction in water pressure and the risk of bacterial growth.
Water problems have also created great difficulties for hospitals.
“We understand this is unbearable,” said Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
On Friday, a man died at a health center in Abilene, in the state, after a lack of water pressure made it impossible to get the medical treatment he needed, writes the AP news agency.
The Washington Post wrote Thursday that many are now demanding an investigation into why the state’s extensive power grid collapsed this week.
Abbott has previously blamed renewables, among other things, for the fact that some wind turbines have frozen.
HIT HARD: In Texas, the situation is particularly bad, with frozen and cracked water pipes that have left hundreds of thousands of people without water. Here are people queuing to fill up with propane in Houston. Photo: David J. Phillip / AP / NTB
see more
Has distributed 1.7 million bottles of water
Authorities are working hard to provide residents with food and drinks.
In recent days, 1.7 million bottles of water have been delivered, and many have been moved with military aid because the roads have been dangerous and icy, Texas Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd told the Washington Post.
– The authorities will supply water for as long as necessary, he says.
Both Houston, Austin, San Antonio and Abilene can expect to receive air travel on Friday local time.
The administration of US President Joe Biden promises federal aid to affected states and says they are ready to mobilize as soon as they receive an official request from Texas Governor Abbott, according to ABC News.
Desperately trying to keep warm
No energy reserves
A major problem, according to the Washington Post, is that Texas has been saving money for decades by failing to meet federal requirements for building energy reserves.
The state has a system where they only pay for the energy produced and have no incentive to accumulate stocks for periods of high demand. Nor is sufficient investment invested in the maintenance of the electricity grid.
Texas is also the only one of the 48 continental US states to have its own independent electrical grid, which is not connected to the grids of neighboring states in the event of a crisis, NTB writes.
Former presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke said Thursday that the situation in Texas is worse than usual.
– For days, people have been without electricity. Much of this could have been avoided. America’s energy capital is unable to give people the energy they need to heat their homes, he told MSNBC.
