Millions of people are without power as Texas faces one of the worst storms in its history, Harris County judge Lina Hidalgo told CNBC’s “The News with Shepard Smith”.
“We are basically looking at the winter version of Hurricane Harvey,” said Hidalgo. “It is an incredibly tragic situation”
More than a dozen people died in Texas due to exposure to elements and several died from carbon monoxide poisoning, said Hidalgo. She said that due to power outages, people tried to use the heating of their cars in their garages, which she said contributed to the more than 300 carbon monoxide poisoning calls the county received.
More than four million Texas residents have no electricity after a historic snowfall and single-digit temperatures, according to reports. Low temperatures created an increase in demand for electricity that, along with temperatures, collapsed the state’s electricity grid and caused widespread blackouts. Republican Governor Greg Abbott has already called for an investigation by the Texas Electric Reliability Council, which operates the state’s power grid.
Authorities are telling citizens to boil the water, as there are also possible widespread water cuts. The state expects to face continuous freezing temperatures in the coming days.
The collapse sparked outrage and growing demands from Texas citizens. Hidalgo said regional counties have not received answers from state officials about when residents can expect energy.
“The challenge is that I cannot tell my residents that the energy will be back anytime soon because the state agency has no clear plan for when exactly they will have this generation – this production,” said Hidalgo, referring to energy restoration. “A lot of this is a man-made disaster because of that state agency.”
Winter weather conditions have caused several states, including Texas, to close vaccination sites.