Texas Prepares For Cold Weather Blanketing State

AUSTIN, TX — Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday gave an update on the severe winter weather affecting the state, revealing that some 3,000 troopers and Guardsmen have been deployed to assist.

Snow and ice are expected throughout Texas for the next few days and low temperatures will linger throughout the upcoming week, resulting in road closures and dangerous driving conditions. As a result, Abbott said he requested a Federal Emergency Declaration from the White House to make additional resources available for communities impacted by this weather event.

"Every part of the state will face freezing conditions over the coming days, and I urge all Texans to remain vigilant against the extremely harsh weather that is coming,"Abbott said. "Stay off the roads, take conscious steps to conserve energy, and avoid dangerous practices like bringing generators indoors or heating homes with ovens or stovetops. Our emergency response to this winter weather requires a collective approach between state agencies, local officials, and Texans throughout our communities to ensure the safety and security of the Lone Star State."

Related story: Gov. Greg Abbott Issues Statewide Disaster Declaration Due To 'Severe Winter Weather'

The severe weather has yielded power and energy concerns over usage on Monday and Tuesday, the governor said. As a result, Abbott added, power companies already have crews in place, and other states have deployed power crews to Texas to assist in potential power outages. The Texas Railroad Commission has suspended regulations to ensure churches, hospitals, residences, and other human resource facilities have access to gas throughout the winter weather event, the governor added.

Given such concerns, residents were urged to begin conserving energy now to ensure power and energy are available early next week by unplugging devices when not in use, closing windows and blinds, and adjusting thermostats to 68 degrees or below. The Governor and Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd also discussed the increased risk of carbon monoxide poisoning in such conditions and urged Texans to avoid heating their homes with ovens or stovetops and only use generators or grills outdoors and away from windows.

Local officials have established 34 warming centers in communities across the state and sent numerous vehicles, wreckers, ambulances, and personnel to assist in stranded motor operations and community support, the governor noted.

Abbott urged Texans to stay off the roads if possible, and immediately call 800-525-5555 for roadside assistance if they become stranded. The Texas Department of Public Safety has activated over 3,000 troopers working 24/7 to assist communities with their response. the governor said. The Texas Military Department has also deployed Guardsmen to perform welfare checks in remote areas of the state, the governor said.

On Friday, the governor issued a disaster declaration for all 254 counties in Texas while deploying a number of resources throughout the state to assist local officials in their response. Abbott also ordered the Texas State Operations Center (SOC) to expand its daily operations to 24-hours a day through the end of next week. The Texas Department of Transportation began pre-treating roads this past Tuesday and will continue to treat roads in the coming days, he said.

Given the likelihood of record power usage across the state grid, the Public Utility Commission of Texas earlier announced it's been working with a number of government entities and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to prepare in ensuring the availability of adequate resources in upcoming days.

“While people often associate the dog days of summer with high electricity consumption, plummeting temperatures predicted for the next few days will place significant demand on the

ERCOT grid,” Chairman DeAnn Walker said in a prepared statement. “The electric system response under stress will, as always, require significant coordination between the Commission, ERCOT, and all entities responsible for providing safe and reliable power.”

Based on the current load forecast and predictions of record low temperatures, ERCOT could
set a new all-time winter peak demand record on Monday morning, officials said. The
current winter peak demand record of 65,915 MW was set on Jan. 17, 2018, between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., officials noted.

In addition to downloading the ERCOT mobile app (on both the Apple Store and Google
Play) and following ERCOT on Twitter at @ERCOT_ISO, Texans are advised to bookmark
the PUC’s Storm Resources page for helpful advice and useful features, including a statewide outage restoration map.