“State agencies are sending resources and personnel to help local officials clear roadways and to assist essential workers, such as healthcare professionals and power grid workers, in carrying out their essential duties,” the press release stated.
“Furthermore, [Abbott] and the Texas Military Department have deployed National Guard across Texas to conduct welfare checks and to assist local authorities in transitioning Texans in need to one of the 135 local warming centers that the state has helped established (sic) across Texas.”
The announcement went on to list some of the measures the state is taking to mitigate the fallout from the power grid’s inability to meet the demand brought about by the winter storm.
- The Texas Department of Public Safety has dispatched 3,300 officers and patrol vehicles.
- The Texas Military Department has deployed 540 individuals, 168 “high mobility multi-wheeled vehicles,” four field light ambulances, and 16 wreckers, divided into six “winter weather packages.”
- The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department has sent 585 individuals, 531 four by four vehicles, 50 unmanned aircraft systems, one aircraft, and nine canine units.
- The Texas A&M Forest Service has deployed 83 persons, six motor graders, and 58 four by four vehicles.
- The Texas Department of Transportation has provided 2,314 workers, 695 snowplows, 188 loaders, 55 motor graders, and 757 four by four vehicles.
- The Texas Emergency Medical Task Force has deployed one ambus — a large ambulance that can treat many patients at once — and one ambulance strike team in addition to four “severe weather packages” that consist of one task force leader, one medical incident support team, one ambus, and one ambulance strike team each.
Abbott emphasized that the state, including the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC), is working as fast as it can to restore power.
“In the meantime, I encourage all Texans to continue to stay off the roads, and conserve energy as state agencies work with private providers to restore power as quickly as possible,” the governor said.
Abbott had said on social media earlier in the day that the Texas power grid “has not been compromised,” and that ERCOT and PUC are focusing on restoring power to residential areas.
The governor indicated on Monday afternoon that providers were restoring power to at least 500,000 people and that he anticipated more in the following hours.
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Hayden Sparks
Hayden Sparks is a senior reporter for The Texan and a lifelong resident of the Lone Star State. He has coached competitive speech and debate and has been involved in politics since a young age. One of Hayden's favorite quotes is by Sam Houston: "Texas has yet to learn submission to any oppression, come from what source it may."
