Millions Without Power, Running Water, as Winter Storm Shuts Down Texas’ Power Grid

Ian Tisdale

with many experiencing hypothermia, or carbon monoxide poisoning as people try desperately to heat their homes by running their own vehicles in garages.
 
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, the body with governing control of over nearly 90% of the state’s power, has explained the massive statewide power outages as a result of the state’s primary energy sources not having enough protective infrastructure against winter conditions. As snow fell, ice froze and temperatures dropped, a large majority of Texas’ power source facilities, from coal to, natural gas, to nuclear power, and even wind-controlled power turbines, froze over, effectively cutting off the state’s energy supply directly at the source.
 
While leaders in Texas and in Washington are scrambling to find solutions to the mass power outage, and to support freezing Texans with additional resources, many are hoping that warmer weather in the coming weeks will help restore Texas’ power grid back to normal.