FREEZING HERE UNTIL SOMETIME ON
FRIDAY.
HODA? >> MOREGANMORGAN, THANK YOU.
>> MOREGANMORGAN, THANK YOU.
WE’RE JOINED BY JUDGE LENA MYHI
HIDALGO, OVERSEEING 4 MILLION
PEOPLE.
YOU’RE JOINING US FROM THE
EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER
BECAUSE YOU DON’T HAVE POWER.
YOU DON’T HAVE WATER.
YOU’RE LIKE A LOT OF TEXANS,
GOING ON, I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M
SAYING THIS, BUT DAY FOUR OF NO
POWER IN THESE FREEZING
TEMPERATURES.
WILL YOU JUST SIZE UP HOW DIRE
THE SITUATION IS?
>> YES, OF COURSE.
SO MY OWN HOME HAS BEEN WITHOUT
POWER AND WATER NOW FOR FOUR
NIGHTS.
SAME GOES FOR THE HOMES OF MANY
OF THE EMERGENCY MANAGERS THAT
ARE HERE WITH ME, RESPONDING TO
THE ISSUES THAT CONTINUE TO CROP
UP.
HALF OF OUR POPULATION IS
WITHOUT POWER AND WATER.
WE’RE A COUNTY OF 5 MILLION
PEOPLE.
YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT NUMBER,
OVER 1.2 MILLION HOMES.
CASCADING EFFECTS FROM THAT.
WE’RE VERY FOCUSED ON THE POWER,
BUT, FOR EXAMPLE, I WAS UP
SEVERAL TIMES THIS PAST NIGHT
DEALING WITH THE WATER ISSUES IN
THE HOSPITALS, AS WELL.
A LOT OF FOLKS ARE LOSING WATER
PRESSURE, INCLUDING OUR
HOSPITALS.
SO EVERYONE IS WORKING TO TRY
AND GET THEM DRINKING WATER, TO
TRY TO GET THE SUPPLIES BACK UP.
WE’VE GOT CARBON MONOXIDE
POISONING ISSUES.
OUR OWN VACCINES THAT WERE PUT
AT RISK BECAUSE WE LOST POWER.
WE WERE ABLE TO SALVAGE THOSE,
BUT WE’VE HAD TO STOP VACCINE
DISTRIBUTION.
AND THE ROAD ISSUES, YOU KNOW,
FOLKS HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB OF
STAYING OFF THE ROADS.
WE WARNED THE COMMUNITY THAT
THIS WAS GOING TO BE A VERY DIRE
SITUATION, SO FOLKS STOCKED UP.
I DO WANT TO BRAG ON THE
COMMUNITY FOR DOING THEIR PART
IN A LOT OF WAYS.
A LOT OF IT REALLY IS JUST
BEYOND, YOU KNOW, WHAT OUR
INFRASTRUCTURE CAN WITHSTAND.
IT’S REALLY TESTING A LOT OF
PEOPLE.
EXTREMELY TRAGIC STORIES.
>> JUDGE, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE
POWER GRID FOR A SECOND.
I KNOW IT IS A COMPLICATED
ISSUE, BUT IF YOU CAN KIND OF
SIMPLIFY IT, WE KNEW THE STORM
WAS COMING.
THERE WAS A WEEK TO PREPARE FOR
THE STORM.
SO WHAT HAPPENED?
HOW COME THE POWER GRID COULDN’T
HOLD UP?
>> SO THE POWER GRID, JUST THE
TEXAS POWER GRID, IT IS MANAGED
BY URCERCOT, THE AGENCY.
THEY PRODUCE THE ELECTRICIAN TYL
ON THE OTHER SIDE, THERE IS
DEMAND.
THE DEMAND IS UP.
THE PRODUCTION PLANTS ARE DOWN,
AND THAT IS NATURAL GAS, ALL
SORTS OF PRODUCTION.
IN ORDER FOR THE TEXAS POWER
GRID NOT TO FAIL, THERE HAS TO
BE A BALANCE BETWEEN THE TWO.
SINCE THEY ARE LIKE THIS, THE
STATE AGENCY IS ORDERING THE
UTILITIES TO SHUT OFF POWER.
A LOT OF THOSE OUTAGES, THE VAST
MAJORITY OF THE OUTAGES HERE,
ALL BUT ABOUT 70,000, ARE
BECAUSE OF THE FORCED STATE
MANDATES.
NOW, THAT SAID, WHAT THAT MEANS
IS THE WEATHER IS GOING TO GO
AWAY IN A COUPLE DAYS.
YOU KNOW, TODAY IS GOING TO GET
A LITTLE WARMER, AGAIN TOMORROW.
THOSE POWER ISSUES, I EXPECT,
WILL CONTINUE.
THAT’S WHAT I’M TELLING MY
COMMUNITY.
THIS AGENCY IS SAYING THINGS ARE
GETTING BETTER, BUT THEY’VE BEEN
SAYING THAT FOR THREE DAYS.
RIGHT NOW, I JUST WANT TO SET
EXPECTATION.
WHEN THE SUN COMES OUT, WE’RE
GOING TO BE TELLING FOLKS, YOU
KNOW, AS IT GETS WARMER, THINGS
MELT, IS THE TIME TO STOCK UP.
>> THE GOVERNOR IS CALLING FOR
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THAT,
WALES.AS
WELL.
PEOPLE ARE CROWDING INTO
FURNITURE STORES, DRAGGING
GRILLS INTO THEIR HOME.
PEOPLE ARE SITTING IN CARS.
IN YOUR COUNTY, THERE ARE 300
PEOPLE WHO SUFFERED FROM CARBON
MONOXIDE POISONING.
PEOPLE ARE LITERALLY GETTING
SICK AND DYING TRYING TO STAY
WARM, WHICH IS HORRIFYING TO
THINK BTABOUT.
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHEN THE
POWER IS GOING TO BE TURNED BACK
ON?
>> I DON’T HAVE AN ACCURATE
ESTIMATE, AND I’M NOT GOING TO
PRETEND WE DO.
THIS IS THE PROBLEM WITH AGE
AGENCIES RAISING FALSE HOPE.
IT COULD GO BEYOND THE LENGTH OF
THE WEATHER.
PEOPLE ARE ANGRY.
THEY’LL WANT ANSWERS.
I’LL BE PUSHING FOR IT ONCE THIS
IS OVER.
NOW, WE HAVE TO STAY LASER
FOCUSED ON THE POWER COMING BACK
UP.
IT IS ALL TIED TOGETHER.