Intense winter storm sweeping through the United States kills two in Texas

A large and intense wave of winter weather sweeping across the United States has killed two people in Texas, where a rare snow emergency left more than four million people without power on Monday., forced grocery stores and schools to close, and air travel stopped.

As the night threatened to cause temperatures to drop, authorities warned that homes that were not yet supplied with electricity would likely not have heat until at least Tuesday, as frustration mounted and the city’s power grid. The state was subject to increasing demand and criticism.

“Things will probably get worse before they get betterSaid Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the county’s top elected official of the nearly 5 million people who surround Houston.

Police reported that two men were found dead on roads in the Houston area.. The causes of these deaths were still unknown, but authorities said it was likely due to sub-zero temperatures.

Deteriorating weather conditions have also affected the delivery of new COVID-19 vaccine shipments, which are expected to be delayed at least until mid-week. Massive blackouts in Houston affected a facility where 8,000 doses of Moderna inoculation were stored, before which health officials had to rally around who to apply them to, while authorities urged people to stay home..

Temperatures dropped sharply, even in the southern city of San Antonio, and homes that had already been without power for hours were uncertain when service would be restored. The state’s overloaded power grid has started generating power outages that typically only occur in summers with temperatures of 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit).

The storm was part of a massive system that brought snow, sleet and freezing rain to the southern plains, and spread through the Ohio Valley and the northeast.. The Southwest Power Pool, a group of power companies in 14 states, called for phased power outages because the supply of electricity reserves had been depleted. Some companies said they were triggering blackouts, while others urged consumers to reduce their energy use.

“We are currently experiencing a truly historic event,” said Jason Furtado, professor of meteorology at the University of Oklahoma, pointing to the widespread freezing temperatures and the fact that all of Texas is under a winter storm warning.

State officials said the growing demand, driven by people trying to keep their homes warmand the cold weather that had shut down some power plants put pressure on the Texas system.

“This weather event is truly unprecedented. Anyone who lives here knows that, ”said Dan Woodfin, director of system operations at the Texas Electrical Reliability Council, a non-profit organization that manages the flow of electricity for more than 26 million customers in the state. Woodfin has defended the preparations made by network operators and said the system faces record demand.

With AP information

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