The Biden government sent 60 generators, thousands of blankets and other supplies to Texas to help deal with massive outages in the midst of a rare period of extreme winter.
Homeland security adviser and deputy national security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall told reporters on Thursday afternoon that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided 60 generators to support critical sites like hospitals and 729,000 liters of water facilities water, more than 10,000 wool blankets, 50,000 cotton blankets and 225,000 meals.
Officials are also preparing for the possibility of new requests from Texas and are preparing to supply diesel oil to power plants, she said.
President biden
Joe BidenFeds investigating how Cuomo is dealing with outbreaks in nursing homes Night defense: a third of the military refuse the coronavirus vaccine Biden will take executive action in response to the Solar Winds hack | US and Japan reach cost-sharing agreement On The Money: Biden faces leftist reaction on student loans | Situation of the relief measure COVID-19 | Retail sales recover MORE, who spoke with governors of states affected by the winter storm earlier this week, also approved disaster statements for Oklahoma and Louisiana on Thursday.
“Jill and I are keeping Texas, Oklahoma and other states impacted in our prayers. I declared a state of emergency, authorized FEMA to supply generators and supplies and am ready to respond to additional requests, ”tweeted Biden. “Please follow the instructions of the local authorities and be safe.”
Sherwood-Randall, who appeared at a press conference at the White House conducted by telephone, said that a million or more Americans are still experiencing power cuts, but she said the numbers have “decreased significantly” since the peak, with about 600,000 remaining without power in Texas.
“Due to the nature of this storm, citizens will continue to experience power cuts in some communities,” said Sherwood-Randall.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki
Jen PsakiOn The Money: Biden Faces Leftist Reaction on Student Loans | Situation of the relief measure COVID-19 | Retail sales rebound overnight Health Care: Biden employees announce funding to track variants of the Senado Dems virus reveals public option proposal | White House: Vaccination of teachers is not necessary for schools to reopen Harris says teachers should have priority for the vaccine COVID-19 MORE He said national security officials are regularly reporting to Biden, who has no public events on Thursday after a trip to Michigan was canceled amid bad weather in the Washington, DC area.
“The president is kept abreast of developments in Texas and neighboring states and receives updates every day, but more than once a day,” said Psaki. “It is certainly a focus”
Psaki said Biden instructed his team to “make quick decisions and respond to states’ needs as they arise.”
Millions were left without power amid the bad weather that started at the end of last week. While interruptions have improved, they have caused water and food shortages. Biden declared a state of emergency in Texas on Sunday. At least 23 people died as a result of the storm.
Sherwood-Randall told reporters that the government would make an effort to “strengthen and harden” critical infrastructure to ensure that the federal government and states can better prepare for severe weather incidents.