BUT
BUT SOME
BUT SOME MAY STILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR A BIT IN THE DARK... PLUS -- SLIPPIN' AND SLIDIN'!
ICE AND SNOW CREATING CHALLENGES
ON THE ROADS.
AND -- NEW ORLEANS MAY BE
HAVING A QUIET MARDI GRAS -- BUT
WE'LL SHOW YOU HOW THEY'RE STILL
LETTING THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!
RELIEF IN SITE FOR SOUTHEAST
TEXANS WHO ARE STILL IN THE
DARK... BUT NOT YET FOR DRIVERS
ON THE
ON THE
ROADS.
ROADS. ENTERGY TELLING 12NEWS WITHIN THE LAST 30 MINUTES-- THERE WILL BE NO NEW
ROLLING POWER OUTAGES BUT
RIGHT ABOUT 27-THOUSAND
CUSTOMERS ARE IN THE DARK. AT
NOON THAT NUMBER WAS AT 42-
THOUSAND.... MEANWHILE---- ICE
AND SNOW-COVERED ROADS CAUSING
PROBLEMS -- A LOT OF SEENS LIKE
THAT TRUCK IN THE DITCH ALL
ACROSS THE AREA TODAY.
AND I-10 NEARLY SHUT DOWN TODAY
BECAUSE
BECAUSE OF PROBLEMS LIKE THIS. YOU CAN SEE STRAIGHT STRETCHES OF THE INTERSTATE ARE FINE.
BUT--- LOOK AT THAT ICY
OVERPASS. SOME SEMIS HAD
TROUBLE GETTING OVER THAT HUMP
-- AND WE SAW A LOT OF SLIPPING
AND SLIDDING TODAY.
AS WE TAKE A LIVE LOOK FROM THE
ROOFING 9-1-1 SKYCAM NETWORK.
PLENTY OF SUNSHINE -- MIXED WITH
BITTER TEMPS. WE DIDN'T
BREAK ANY RECORDS TODAY -- BUT
IT SURE WAS COLD.
AND OUR STORM TRACKER CHIEF
METEOROLOGIST PATRICK VAUGHN IS
IN THE STORMTRACKER CENTER
TRACKING YET ANOTHER TREAT OF
WINTRY WEATHER. PATRICK, WHO'S
GOING TO GET HIT?
GOOD EVENING SE TEXAS! ROUND 2
WILL
WILL AFFECT SOME, BUT NOT ALL IN SE TEXAS OVERNIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING WITH
ADDITIONAL FREEZING RAIN/SLEET MAINLY THE LAKES AREA. A WINTER STORM WATCH WILL BE IN EFFECT
FOR THE LAKES AREA LATE TONIGHT
THROUGH
THROUGH WEDNESDA MORNING INCLUDING TYLER, NORTHERN JASPER AND NORTHERN NEWTON
COUNTIES.
COUNTIES. A HARD FREEZE WILL
ALSO
ALSO BE
ALSO BE IN EFFECT FOR TONIGHT FOR SE TEXAS. FREEZING RAIN IS FORECAST TO SPREAD OVER MAINLY
NORTHERN PARTS OF SE TEXAS LATE
TONIGHT AND
TONIGHT AND
EARLY
EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. LITTLE, IF ANY AND POSSIBLE NONE IS FORECAST FOR THE TRIANGLE.
HEAVIER AMOUNTS OF UP TO 0.20"
HEAT.
HEAT. ENTERGY SAYS THERE ARE NO PLANS FOR ANY NEW ROLLING OUTAGES. AND CREWS ARE
WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK TO
RESTORE POWER TO THOSE
AS WE TAKE A LIVE LOOK AT THE
ENTERGY OUTAGE MAP.. RIGHT ABOUT
27- THOUSAND CUSTOMERS ARE IN
THE DARK. JORDAN JAMES SPOKE
WITH ENTERGY EARLIER TO FIND OUT
HOW THEY DECIDE WHICH CUSTOMERS
THEY CUT POWER TOO....
FOR A WHILE IT SEEMED LIKE
SOUTHEAST TEXAS WOULD BE SPARED
WHEN IT CAME TO STATEWIDE POWER
OUTAGES, IMPACTING MILLIONS,
THAT ALL CHANGED THIS MORNING,
WHEN ENTERGY STARTED ROLLING
BLACKOUTS AFFECTING MORE THAN
WITHOUT POWER TAKE VO THE
UTILITY COMPANY SAYS THIS
DIRECTIVE IS COMING FROM IT'S
RELIABILITY COORDINATOR, WHO
RUNS THEIR POWER GRIDS,
MIDCONTINENT INDEPENDENT SYSTEM
OPERATOR. THE DECISION WAS MADE
AS A LAST RESORT ATTEMPT TO TRY
TO REDUCE ENERGY USAGE.
STATEWIDE MORE THAN 4 MILLION
TEXANS ARE WITHOUT POWER AS A
RESULT OF OTHER ENEGY PROVIDERS
TRYING TO RATION USAGE. TODAY WE
SPOKE ENTERGY ABOUT HOW THEY
DECIDE WHICH AREAS TO BLACK OUT
TAKE SOT
"WE GO THROUGH AND ELIMINATE
AREAS THAT WOULD IMPACT CRITICAL
CUSTOMERS LIKE HOSPITALS THAT
NEED TO CONTINUE TO OPERATE SO
ONCE WE PULL THOSE WE THEN HAVE
A LIST THAT WE CAN KIND OF
CIRCULATE THROUGH. SO THAT'S
KIND OF HOW THE DECISION IS
MADE." CONTINUED VO FOR THOSE
THAT DO HAVE POWER , ENERGY
ASKING YOU TO CONSERVE YOUR
ENERGY BY AVOID USING LARGE
APPLIANCES AND CONSIDER DROPPING
YOUR THERMOSTAT. JAMES ON CAM:
ENTERGY SAYS YOU MAY EXPERIENCE
MULTIPLE OUTAGES THROUGHOUT THE
DAY AND THAT NO TIMELINE HAS
BEEN SET FOR WHEN THE BLACKOUTS
WILL END. REPORTING , JORDAN
JAMES 12NEWS
WHILE SO MANY CUSTOMERS IN THE
GOLDEN TRIANGLE SUFFERED WITHOUT
HEAT... CUSTOMERS IN OUR
WHILE
WHILE SO
WHILE SO MANY CUSTOMERS IN THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE SUFFERED WITHOUT HEAT... CUSTOMERS IN OUR
NORTHERN COUNTIES ARE FEELING
VERY FORTUNATE.
JASPER-NEWTON ELECTRIC HAS NOT
IMPLEMENT ROLLING BLACK OUTS..
SO MOST CUSTOMERS WITH THAT
PROVIDER STILL HAVE THEIR LIGHTS
ON. ONE AREA NORTH WEST OF
JASPER HAS BEEN IMPACTED THOUGH.
700 HOMES AND BUSINESSES IN
ZAVALLA ARE IN THE DARK. BUT
THINGS COULD CHANGE FOR THE
LAKES REGION OVER THE NEXT FEW
DAYS. JASPER-NEWTON ELECTRIC IS
ON ALERT AS THE THREAT OF
ANOTHER HARD FREEZE.
THURSDAY THE LAKES ARE COULD SEE
ANOTHER DEEP FREEZE.
TEXAS REPUBLICAN SPEAKER OF THE
HOUSE--
HOUSE-- DADE PHELAN IS CALLING FOR ACCOUNTABILITY. HE TWEETED THIS--- ASKING FOR A HEARING TO
WITH HOUSE COMMITTEES TO GET TO
THE BOTTOM OF THE WIDESPREAD
POWER OUTAGES.
WE MADE IT EASY FOR YOU TO STAY
ON TOP OF THE OUTAGES AND
RESTORATION TIMES. TELL YOUR
FRIENDS WHO STILL MAY BE IN THE
DARK TO TEXT "LIGHTS" TO
409-838-12-12 AND WE'LL SEND
INFO RIGHT TO THEIR PHONE!
THE SUNSHINE -- OUR FRIEND
TODAY -- AS MOTHER NATURE DOES
HER THING TO HELP MELT ALL THAT
SNOW AND ICE OFF AREA ROADS.
BUT, WITH TEMPS STILL BELOW
FREEZING, YOU CAN SEE THERE WERE
PROBLEMS -- AND A LOT OF
ICED-OVER ROADS AND OVERPASSES!
AND WE'VE BEEN CHECKING ON OUR
FRIENDS IN HARDIN, NEWTON AND
JASPER COUNTY AS WELL -- THE
SAME ISSUE. SOME ROADS JUST
SLICK FROM THE ICE MELT -- WHILE
OTHERS -- MISSING THAT SUN-KISS
TO HELP MELT THE ICE AWAY.
HERE'S KARA WILLIS WITH AN
UPDATE.
: ROAD CONDITIONS RIGHT NOW ARE
PRETTY
PRETTY STEADY AND WE'RE EVEN STARTING TO SEE A LITTLE BIT OF SUN. AS YOU CAN SEE OVER HERE TO
MY RIGHT, THERE'S EVEN STILL A
TON OF SNOW ON THE GROUND, BUT
BECAUSE OF THAT SUN AS YOU CAN
SEE BELOW MY FEET, SOME OF THAT
ICE IS MELTING. NOW TXDOT WANTS
TO LET DRIVERS KNOW IF YOU HAVE
TO GO OUT AND ABOUT TODAY THAT
THE ROADS ARE STILL SLICK AND
DANGEROUS. IF YOU HAVE TO GO
OUT, YOU MIGHT EVEN NOTICE SOME
OF THE TRAFFIC LIGHTS ARE OUT
DUE TO THE POWER OUTAGES. IF YOU
COME ACROSS A TRAFFIC LIGHT
THAT'S OUT, SLOW DOWN. DON'T
DRIVE THE SPEED LIMIT AND TREAT
IT AS A FOUR WAY STOP TO AVOID
ACCIDENTS. SARA DUPRE FROM TXDOT
WANTS THE COMMUNITY TO KNOW THAT
GETTING ROADS BACK TO NORMAL
WILL TAKE SOME TIME. SARA DUPRE
WHILE
WHILE YOU
WHILE YOU ARE BEING ASKED TO STAFF OFF THE ROADS... IF YOU FIND YOURSELF IN A LIFE
THREATENING SITUATION-- THERE
ARE EMERGENCY SHELTERS THAT ARE
OPEN. BEAUMONT CITY COUNCILMAN
MIKE GETZ SHARING THIS PHOTO OF
THE SHELTER AT VICTORY TEMPLE.
BUT HE SAYS ITS ALMOST FULL.
RIGHT NOW-- SHELTERS ARE OPEN AT
THE ISLAMIC SOCIETY IN
BEAUMONT AND THE SALVATION
ARMY, IN BEAUMONT AND IN ORANGE.
YOU WILL WANT TO CALL AHEAD TO
MAKE SURE THEY HAVE ROOM TO
HOUSE YOU. AND AGAIN-- YOU
ARE ASKED TO STAFF OFF THE
ROADS... SO ONLY TRAVEL TO ONE
OF THESE LOCATIONS IF YOU FIND
YOURSELF IN AN EMERGENCY
SITUATION.
EMERGENCY SITUATION.
TO HOUSTON NOW... WHERE THE
STRUGGLE TO STAY WARM TURNED
DEADLY.. A GRANDMOTHER AND
THREE GRANDCHILDREN KILLED IN A
HOUSE FIRE OVERNIGHT.
FIREFIGHTERS RESPONDED TO THIS
HOME IN SUGAR LAND, NEAR HOUSTON
AROUND TWO A-M. WHEN THEY
ARRIVED, THEY FOUND THE HOME
COMPLETELY ENGULFED. A WOMAN
AND HER THREE ELEMENTARY-AGE
GRANDCHILDREN DIED IN THE FIRE.
INVESTIGATORS DON'T YET KNOW
WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE, BUT THE
AREA HAD BEEN WITHOUT POWER FOR
HOURS.
"THEY HAVE BEEN WITHOUT POWER
IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD FOR AT
LEAST 8 HOURS. IT'S UNKNOWN
WHETHER OR NOT IF THEY WERE...
HAD STARTED A FIRE IN THE FIRE
PLACE OR THEY WERE USING
CANDLES. WE JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT
CAUSED THE FIRE RIGHT NOW."
FIREFIGHTERS ALSO TREATED THE
MOTHER
MOTHER OF
MOTHER OF THE CHILDREN AND A NEIGHBOR FOR BURNS. A LOT OF BUST PLUMBERS BUSY.
THE FREEZE... AND THAW...
HAPPENING NOW... CAUSING
MANY HOME OWNERS DEALING WITH
BUSTING A LOT OF PIPES...
CAUSING MANY HOME OWNERS
DEALING WITH BUSTING A LOT OF
PIPES... IF YOU DIDN'T PREP
-- IT MAY BE TOO LATE. HERE'S
WHY THIS FREEZE AND THAW COULD
MEAN PROBLEMS FOR YOUR PIPES....
THE REASON THE PIPES
BURSTRIGHT NOW THEY'RE
FREEZING, THAT'S EXPANDING, JUST
LIKE AN ICE CUBE, MORE AND
MORETHEN THEY'LL FREEZE, AND
THE PIPE MAY HAVE ALREADY BURST,
BUT JUST IT'S FROZENAND WHEN IT
WARMS UP, THAT'S WHEN YOU'LL SEE
IT
IF YOUR WATER PIPE DOES BURST
IF YOUR WATER PIPE DOES BURST
--
--
THE
THE FIRST
THE FIRST THING YOU'LL WANT TO DO IS SHUT OFF THE MAIN WATER LINE. AND WHEN IN DOUBT -- CALL
A PROFESSIONAL. IF YOU
DON'T THAW THE PIPE CORRECTLY,
YOU CAN MAKE THINGS WORSE.