A hazardous winter snowstorm pummeling much of the country has left millions of residents in Texas without electricity.
The “unprecedented and expansive” storm is expected to drop disruptive amounts of snow and ice on states from the South to the Northeast through Tuesday, according to theNational Weather Service. Texas, a state that does not often experience large amounts of snowfall, has been hit with freezing weather that caused winter storm warnings on Sunday in all 254 counties, theTexas Tribunereported.
More than 2.8 million people were without power in the state as of Monday afternoon, according toPowerOutage.us, which keeps track of power outages across the country.
Houston, Texas on Feb. 15.David J Phillip/AP/Shutterstock
San Antonio, Texas.Eric Gay/AP/Shutterstock
“Energy conservation is critical,” ERCOTtweeted. “Rotating outages are underway to reduce demand on the electric system. We urge Texans to put safety first during this time. Traffic lights and other infrastructure may be temporarily without power.”
“Every grid operator and every electric company is fighting to restore power right now,” added ERCOTPresident and CEO Bill Magnessin a statement.
OlympianSimone Biles, a Texas native, posted pictures to Twitter from outside her home showing snow blanketing her entire backyard.
Additional videos posted to social media showed residents in San Marcossledding down a street filled with snow, while others used the rare opportunity to build asnowman.
But the chance to have some fun in the snow came as many Texas residents struggled to keep warm during the blackouts.
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“It’s been a little tough,” one resident toldCBS News. “We have no gas. We’re all electric at our house, so heating the house has been the biggest issue.”
Icy roads also presented a problem for travelers unaccustomed to thebest practices for driving in snow.
“I know that my biggest concern, I think on the road, is inexperienced drivers going very, very slowly on the freeway,” trucker Kate Collin told the network. “Twenty-five, 30 miles an hour and then swerving a lot because they don’t know where the lines are. It was probably the worst thing I have ever encountered.”
source: people.com
