![]() ![]() To date, it is estimated that Texas alone suffered a staggering $ 129 billion in economic losses due to these power outages. There was a knock-on effect of some 12 million Texans seeing their water supply disrupted as the water froze in the plumbing systems of their frigid homes and often burst the pipes. ![]() Dozens of people died during and after the blackouts, many of hypothermia or due to carbon monoxide poisoning as increasingly desperate residents resorted to using their grills and stoves to heat up their freezing homes. At the peak of the energy crisis, some 4.5 million Texans (nearly a sixth of the state’s total population, with marginalized communities hit disproportionately hard ) were left without electricity for days in temperatures far below freezing in a state where residents have little experience with prolonged sub-zero temperatures. ![]() This relief effort was largely insufficient, however, and the results were catastrophic. As power-generating capacity in Texas was unable to meet this sudden surge in demand (for reasons described below), grid operators there resorted to so-called “rolling blackouts”, unplugging entire neighborhoods across the state from the electric grid to ease the pressure on the overall system. When the winter storms hit, Texans all over the state cranked up their heaters to keep their houses warm and businesses running. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |