THANKS SO MUCH.
>>> MORGAN JUST MENTIONED
HOUSTON.
LET’S HEAD ABOUT FOUR HOURS
SOUTH TO HOUSTON, TEXAS.
IT IS A CITY THAT HAS DEALT WITH
ITS FAIR SHARE OF HURRICANES,
NOT WINTER STORMS THOUGH.
MUCH OF HOUSTON STILL WITHOUT
POWER THIS MORNING.
PEOPLE THERE BEING URGED TO
CONSERVE WATER, AS WELL.
ART ACEVEDO IS THE POLICE CHIEF
IN HOUSTON AND JOINS US LIVE
THIS MORNING.
CHIEF, LET’S GET RIGHT TO IT.
WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS LIKE ON
THE GROUND THERE IN HOUSTON?
WE UNDERSTAND MILLIONS ACROSS
THE STATE HAVE BEEN IN THE DARK
OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS.
THEY’RE WITHOUT HEAT.
HOW LONG DO WE EXPECT THIS TO
LAST?
>> WELL, UNFORTUNATELY, WE
EXPECT IT -- I CAN SAY WE EXPECT
IT TO LAST TWO OR THREE MORE
DAYS, AT THE RATE THIS IS GOING.
OVER 600,000 HUEOUSTONIANS WITHO
POWER.
AS I SPEAK, WE HAVE RAIN FALLING
HERE AND A TEMPERATURE OF 32
DEGREES.
THAT’S GOING TO END UP CAUSING
SOME MORE PROBLEMS FOR PEOPLE
TRYING TO DRIVE.
FORTUNATELY, WE HAVE OUR GRB
OPEN WITH 800 FOLKS THERE AS A
WARNING CENTER.
LAKEWOOD CHURCH HAS OPENED AS A
WARMING CENTER.
MATTRESS MACK, ONE OF OUR ICONS
HERE IN THE COMMUNITY, HAS
OPENED HIS BUSINESS FOR OUR
COMMUNITY.
IT’S ALL HANDS ON DECK.
WE STILL HAVE A WAYS TO GO IN
DEALING WITH THIS CRISIS.
>> WE JUST HEARD MORGAN, OUR
REPORTER, TALKING ABOUT THOSE
HEARTBREAKING REPORTS OF PEOPLE
DYING IN HOUSTON, SOME LIKELYSUB
OTHERS FROM CARBON MONOXIDE
POISONING, TRYING TO KEEP WARM.
YOU TALKED ABOUT THE DIFFERENT
LIFELINES OUT THERE FOR THOSE
PEOPLE WHO NEED HELP.
I OFTEN WONDER SOMETIMES WHEN WE
DO THOSE STORIES, OFTEN, THE
PEOPLE WHO NEED TO HEAR CAN’T
BECAUSE OF THE POWER.
>> SADLY, PEOPLE WHO ARE RELYING
ON THEIR CELL PHONES AND
PLATFORMS ON THEIR SMARTPHONES,
THEY’RE LOSING POWER.
THEY CAN’T EVEN USE THAT.
WE’VE CONFIRMED TWO DEATHS FROM
EXPOSURE IN THE CITY.
I KNOW THE COUNTY AREA AROUND
HOUSTON HAS HAD SOME DEATHS FROM
EXPOSURE.
WE ALSO, SADLY, HAD A WOMAN AND
HER DAUGHTER DIE YESTERDAY FROM
CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING.
ANOTHER CHILD IN THE HOME IS IN
CRITICAL CONDITION.
SO PEOPLE ARE DESPERATE TO KEEP
WARM CH
WARM.
WHEN THEY START USING ITEMS THAT
AREN’T DESIGNED FOR WARMTH, THEY
PUT THEMSELVES AND THEIR
FAMILIES IN DANGER.
IT IS A TRAGIC FEW DAYS HERE IN
HOUSTON AND ACROSS TEXAS.
>> I KNOW THIS WEATHER IS
CERTAINLY SOMETHING YOU GUYS
DON’T SEE OFTEN DOWN THERE,
ESPECIALLY BACK-TO-BACK STORMS
IN THIS KIND OF COLD, BUT WHAT
ABOUT THE FORECAST AND THE
ADVANCED WARNING GIVEN TO THIS
STATE?
I MEAN, DID YOU GUYS REALLY
GRASP THE SEVERITY OF THIS STORM
AND HOW THIS WOULD IMPACT THE
ROLLING BLACKOUTS?
>> WELL, LET ME JUST SAY THIS.
THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT,
THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE
CITY WITH MAYOR TURNER, WE KNEW
THERE WAS GOING TO BE A TOUGH
RUN, IN TERMS OF THE COLD.
IT IS SOMETHING WE’RE NOT
ACCUSTOMED TO, BUT WE ARE
ACCUSTOMED TO DEALING WITH
MOTHER NATURE.
WE COME TOGETHER AS HOUSTONIANS.
WE WERE TOLD BY THE STATE AND
THE POWER GRID THAT WE WOULD
EXPERIENCE ROLLING BLACKOUTS
WITH 30 MINUTES TO AN HOUR.
THOSE ROLLING BLACKOUTS TURNED
TO A COMPLETE, CATASTROPHIC
FAILURE, AS FAR AS WE’RE
CONCERNED.
I THINK IT SPEAKS TO THE
CHALLENGE OF THE LEADERSHIP AT
THE STATE CAPITOL, STARTING WITH
THE GOVERNOR, WHO HAS NOT
PERFORMED IN TERMS OF PROVIDING
THE ENERGY REQUIRED FOR THIS
STATE TO GET THROUGH THIS
CRISIS.
SO I’M HOPEFUL THAT, AS A RESULT
OF THIS, THIS WILL BECOME JOB
ONE FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS, TO
FIGURE OUT WHY IS IT THAT THE
ONLY MUNICIPALITY DOING WELL IS
THE ONE CALLED EL PASO, TEXAS.
THEIR ENERGY IS JUST FINE
BECAUSE THEY’RE PART OF A
NATIONAL GRID.
WE DECIDED TO GO AT IT ALONE.
FOR THOSE WHO DECIDED TO GO IT
ALONE, THEY NEED TO BE HELD
ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE FAILURE
WE’VE SEEN IN THE LAST FEW DAYS.
>> YOU HIT ON SOMETHING THAT I
THINK A LOT OF FOLKS WATCHING
AND LISTENING MAY NOT FULLY
UNDERSTAND.
THE ROLLING BLACKOUTS THAT ARE
HAPPENING IN TEXAS, WHY IS THAT
THE CASE?
WHY ARE WE SEEING ROLLING
BLACKOUTS THERE, WHEN OTHER
STATES DEAL WITH WEATHER
EMERGENCIES LIKE THAT, THEY
DON’T DEAL WITH ROLLING
BLACKOUTS?
>> THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.
IN CALIFORNIAWILD
WILDFIRES LAST SUMMER, IT IS BY
DESIGN BECAUSE OF THE HEAT AND
DEMAND.
IT’S SOMETHING UTILITIES USE
ACROSS THE NATION.
IN THIS CASE, IT’S BEEN ABSOLUTE
POWER FAILURES.
WE’VE SEEN A POWER OF PRODUCTION
FACILITIES.
A BIG PART OF THAT IS BECAUSE
WE’VE DEREGULATED HERE IN TEXAS.
WE’VE GONE AT IT ALONE.
QUITE HONESTLY, WHEN PEOPLE
WORRY ABOUT PROFITS, THEY’RE NOT
GOING TO WINTERIZE THEIR PLANTS.
THEY’RE NOT GOING TO SPEND THE
MONEY BECAUSE THIS IS UNUSUAL.
IN GOVERNMENT, I THINK THE
PEOPLE OF TEXAS WANTS TO PREPARE
FOR THE WORST-CASE SCENARIOS.
I THINK WE’VE CUT CORNERS.
WE’VE TRIED TO WORRY MORE ABOUT
PROFIT, AND NOW TEXANS ARE
SUFFERING FOR IT.
WE HAVE TO LOOK AT HOW WE DO
THINGS DIFFERENTLY MOVING
FORWARD.
>> ART ACEVEDO, OUR THOUGHTS AND
PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU AND THE