HAVE VICTORIA ON BECAUSE SHE IS
LIVING THROUGH WHAT IS HAPPENING
IN TEXAS.
OUR LEAD STORY WHERE MILLIONS
ARE STILL WITHOUT POWER AFTER
WINTER STORMS AND FRIGID
TEMPERATURES SWEPT THROUGH THE
STATE.
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SAID
FEMA IS SUPPLYING GENERATORS TO
TEXAS AND PREPARING TO SEND
DIESEL FUEL TO ENSURE THE
AVAILABILITY OF BACKUP POWER.
THE AGENCY IS ALSO PROVIDING
BLANKETS, BOTTLED WATER AND
MEALS FOR THE STATE TO
DISTRIBUTE.
THAT NEWS COMES AS GROCERY STORE
REPORTS SHORTAGES AND THE TEXAS
TRIBUNE REPORTS THAT TEXAS
RUNNING LOW ON FOOD ARE FINDING
EMPTY GROCERY STORE SHELVES.
FOOD PANTRIES ARE RUNNING OUT OF
SUPPLIES.
AND THE FREEZE HAS WIPED OUT
SUBSTANTIAL PORTIONS OF THE
STATE’S CITRUS AND VEGETABLE
CROPS.
WILLIE?
.
>> AND THERE’S ANOTHER BIG
PROBLEM IN TEXAS.
BECAUSE OF THE TEMPERATURES,
CITIES ACROSS THE STATE ARE
UNDER BOIL WATER NOTICES.
MANY TEXANS HAVE BEEN DRIPPING
FAUCETS TO PREVENT PIPES FROM
FREEZING.
BUT WATER LEVELS ARE DANGEROUSLY
LOW AND MAY BE UNSAFE TO DRINK.
BOIL TAP WATER FOR DRINKING,
COOKING AND MAKING ICE AND TO
CONSERVE WATER WHEREVER
POSSIBLE.
NEARLY 600 PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS
ACROSS THE STATE REPORTED
DISRUPTIONS IN SERVICE AFFECTING
ABOUT 12 MILLION RESIDENTS.
FOR MORE, LET’S BRING IN
METEOROLOGIST BILL OCCASIONS.
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TODAY?
.
>> WILLIE, IN THE LAST COUPLE
HOURS, TEXAS MANAGED TO ENERGIZE
A BIG POFRGTZ GRID.
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
ARE GETTING THEIR POWER BACK ON.
YESTERDAY WE HAD 3 MILLION
WITHOUT POWER.
RIGHT NOW WE’RE AT 650,000.
A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF PEOPLE
THAT DIDN’T HAVE POWER HAVE GONE
IT BACK.
WE ADDED 300,000 PEOPLE THAT
LOST POWER IN LOUISIANA AND
MISSISSIPPI FROM THAT ICE STORM
THEY DEALT WITH YESTERDAY.
FOR THAT ROUGHLY 1 MILLION
PEOPLE DON’T HAVE POWER RIGHT
NOW, IT IS STILL A COLD MORNING.
WE’RE AT 4 DEGREES IN OKLAHOMA
CITY, 33 IN HOUSTON.
IT’S GOING TO STAY VERY COLD ALL
DAY TODAY.
THE ROADS WILL BE TREFP KWROUS
IN MANY CASE.
WE HAD A FOOT OF SNOW IN LITTLE
ROCK, ARKANSAS YESTERDAY.
THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN.
VERY RARE SNOW EVENT FOR THEM.
AS WE GO THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND,
THAT’S WHEN THE WARMING TREND
MOVES IN.
TEMPERATURES WILL MOVE TO
DALLAS, HOUSTON, 50s AND 60s IN
UPCOMING WEEKEND.
24 TO 36 HOURS, FRIGID
CONDITIONS.
THE BIG HEADLINE IS FINALLY THE
POWER IS COMING BACK ON TO
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN TEXAS.
.
>> THAT’S HOPEFUL.
AND VICTORIA, THERE’S PARTIALLY
A REASON WHY TEXAS IS IN THIS
SITUATION RIGHT NOW.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE POLITICS OF
THIS AND ALSO WHY SOME
POLITICIANS ARE SAYING THIS IS
OUR THING WE HAVE TO TOUGH THIS
OUT.
>> MIKA, TEXAS IS ON ITS OWN
POWER GRID.
WE HAVE TWO MAJOR POWER GRIDS
FOR THE WESTERN STATES AND THE
EASTERN STATES. THERE IS A HISTORY FOR THAT THAT
THERE IS A HISTORY FOR THAT THAT
I WON’T GO INTO NOW.
AFTER THE 2011 STORM SIMILAR TO
THIS ONE, NOT QUITE AS BAD BUT
SIMILAR A NUMBER OF
RECOMMENDATIONS AND GUIDELINES
WERE MADE THAT THE POWER
COMPANIES ON THE TEXAS GRID
NEEDED TO WINTERIZE.
WINTERIZATION MEANS YOU NEED TO
PAY THE PRICE TO WINTERIZE.
HOWEVER, THE STATE AND THE
STATE’S POLITICAL LEADERS MADE
GUIDELINES.
THEY DIDN’T MAKE IT OBLIGATORY.
WHEN THE POWER COMPANIES WHO
ULTIMATELY ARE ABOUT MAKING A
PROFIT, IT’S A COMPANY, RIGHT,
WHEN ASKED TO SPEND THE MONEY OR
NOT SPEND THE MONEY TO