Winter Storm Leaves Texans in the Cold: Causes and Consequences of Texas Power Outages
Image source: Jessica L. Campbell personal photo library For two days on February 14 and 15, freezing winter weather settled over half of the continental United States. Stretching across midwestern and southern states to the Northeast, over 50 million people were expected to feel the impact. The storm carried ice, snow, and bitter cold to at least 25 states. The state of Texas felt the heaviest impact. Not equipped with the infrastructure or resources to prepare, the state was ravaged. The record-low temperatures are rare, so most Texans were literally left in the cold. Many Without Power and Water for Days At the peak of the crisis, an estimated 4.3 million Texans were without power. The extreme cold froze power generators and natural gas lines. As a result, energy production levels began to decrease. At the same time, residents began using more power to try to combat the cold. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates Texas’ entire power grid,...