After a deadly winter storm left millions of Texans without power and facing shortages of food and drinking water, some residents are now seeing exorbitant electricity bills.
Nicholas Milazzo, a quadriplegic, told America Reports on Monday that his need to keep the temperature high because of his condition has left him with an energy bill he cannot pay.
“I have to keep the temperature high because I have trouble regulating my body temperature,” explained Milazzo to presenter Sandra Smith.
Milazzo said he was urged by his electricity supplier to change, as wholesale prices soared during the storm, but not before paying $ 3,000 for heating his home.
SOME ELECTRICITY ACCOUNTS FOR THE $ 17,000 TEXAN SKYROCKET
“No provider was allowing me to change immediately and I was basically stuck with a $ 3,000 bill that I don’t know how I’m going to pay now.”
Griddy, a wholesale electricity supplier in the state, addressed price increases in a statement on his website last Thursday, writing “We know you’re angry and so are we. P —–, actually.”
The company explained that wholesale prices soared because the Texas Public Utility Commission (PUCT) took control of the Texas Electric Reliability Council, which operates the state’s power grid, on Monday and raised the wholesale price to $ 9 per kilowatt hour until the grid could manage the demand caused by the winter storm.
TEMPERATURES TO RISE IN THE SOUTH AFTER THE HISTORIC WEEK OF SNOW, COLD AND ICE
Milazzo said the experience has been “very harsh” for him, as power and water cuts across the state have left him without help.
“I have a nurse who comes every day to help me and she lost water and energy, so I was left without help all week,” he said. “I’m worried that my electricity will run out, that my water will run out, so I had to fill my bathtub, fill my sink with water just praying that nothing bad will happen.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
Despite everything, Milazzo is doing his best to maintain his optimism, recognizing that he is “one of the lucky ones that I still have power” and promising “to be strong for everyone” when his state starts a long recovery.
Brie Stimson of Fox News contributed to this report.