As Texas braces for the winter storm this weekend, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a disaster declaration for 134 Texas counties to ensure that necessary resources are made available for affected communities. Abbott, however, maintained confidence in ERCOT’s grid stability.
“Whenever we go through any type of disaster, job number one is always protecting lives,” said Governor Abbott in a press conference.
“Because of the severity of this storm, right now I am making a disaster declaration covering 134 counties across the state of Texas to make sure that every possible resource can be made available to those communities so the state can respond quicker, faster, and better than ever before. We have an outstanding team that is already prepared, already responding, to make sure that, even though we’re going to go through a harsh winter storm, we’re going to make it through this process.”
In his statement, Abbott encouraged Texans to prepare accordingly with necessary food, drink, and medication for the next few days. Throughout the duration of the storm, the governor reiterated the importance of staying off roads while conditions are hazardous.
The disaster declaration comes on the heels of the governor activating state emergency response resources.
“Based on current forecasts, the State of Texas is acting to ensure Texans have the resources they need before severe winter weather impacts communities across Texas,” said Governor Abbott. “As temperatures could drop below freezing and regions of Texas face snow, ice, and freezing rain, it is crucial that Texans remain weather-aware, check DriveTexas.org before traveling, and heed the guidance of state and local officials. I thank emergency management personnel and first responders for working tirelessly to keep Texans safe.”
Additionally, the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) increased the Texas State Operations Center readiness level to Level II at the behest of Abbott.
In the Thursday press conference, Abbott however maintained confidence in the ERCOT grid.
“The ERCOT grid has never been stronger, never been more prepared and is fully capable of handling this winter storm,” stated Abbott. “There is no expectation whatsoever that there’s going to be any loss of power from the power grid.”
Though ERCOT issued a weather watch from Saturday, January 24, through Tuesday, January 27, the agency expects for grid conditions to remain normal despite extreme weather and higher energy demands. The agency does not expect there to be power outages.
“At this time, we are not anticipating any reliability concerns on the statewide electric grid as a result of this weather event,” said ERCOT CEO, Pablo Vegas.
For more information on weather safety tips as well as available resources during the Texas Winter Storm, visit this website here.