Death Toll Rises to 210 From Cold Weather Event in February.
IT WAS COLD...
I still find it hard to believe that back in February, I actually said that the wind chill was 2 degrees in Victoria! At one point during this cold spell, the temperature actually stayed
below freezing for almost 4 days. At this point, we found out the hard way that Texas was not built for the extreme cold. From being minutes away from a blackout catastrophe from ERCOT to having most of the city without water. It was rough.
DEATH TOLL RISES:
On Tuesday, the Texas Department of State Health Services added 59 deaths to the toll wrought by the February cold wave. That brings the death toll from 151 to 210 deaths. The count remained preliminary and may change as more deaths are confirmed. Most of the deaths were caused by exposure to subzero temperatures. Other deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning as freezing Texans sought warmth from cars and outdoor grills.
ABBOTT'S ADDRESSES THE PUC:
Earlier this month, Governor Abbott issued a letter In a letter to the PUC. In this letter, the four areas of focus include incentives within the ERCOT market, reliability costs, establish an ERCOT maintenance schedule, and finally, the Governor is asking the Public Utility Commission to accelerate Ercots transmission projects which help protect the power grid with a backup supply of sorts. Abbot's letter to the PUC calls for them to take immediate action by diving into these four areas of focus. Read more about Abbott's letter to the PUC by clicking here.
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