Once in a Lifetime Snow hits Texas
As of Wednesday, February 17 at 4:00 p.m. snowfall around Cass County remained heavy shutting down most businesses and causing outages throughout East Texas and the surrounding areas. Various accidents, stranded vehicles can be seen.
February 14, Governor Greg Abbott announced that the White House had issued a Federal Emergency Declaration for Texas in response to the severe winter weather throughout the state. The Governor submitted a request for this declaration on Saturday to assist the State in response efforts related to the storm.
February 15, Governor Greg Abbott announced that the State of Texas is deploying maximum resources to local officials throughout the state to respond to severe winter weather and to restore power to our communities. 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.
Furthermore, Governor 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 across Texas.
On Sunday, Governor Abbott sought and received a waiver from the U.S. Department of Energy that allows Texas power generators to increase production. Unfortunately, some of those generators are unable to increase production at this time because their operations have been frozen by weather conditions. They are working to get their power production back on line.
“Due to the severe weather and freezing temperatures across our state, many power companies have been unable to generate power, whether it’s from coal, natural gas, or wind power,” said Governor Abbott. “ERCOT and the PUC are working non-stop to restore power supply. The state has also deployed resources to assist Texans without power and to help essential workers continue to carry out their jobs. 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.”
Governor Greg Abbott today declared the reform of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) an emergency item this legislative session. In declaring this item an emergency, the Governor is calling on the legislature to investigate ERCOT and ensure Texans never again experience power outages on the scale they have seen over the past several days.
Today, the Atlanta Police department again issued a warning about getting out in the Weather, “The roads are becoming extremely dangerous around Atlanta now that another winter storm is just hours away everyone please stay home for your safety. We are a strong community and the police department is asking you to shelter in place and stay warm. The road conditions should improve over the weekend with warmer temperatures coming. Please refrain from traveling unless it’s an emergency. Thanks for your cooperation Atlanta Police Department”
The current weather has shown a need for emergency shelter here in Cass County, and the need for a centralized hub for resources. The Journal-Sun will be working with local churches, governmental agencies, and local humanitarian groups to begin to coordinate this in the weeks to come. If you would like to be a part of this email shawn@casscountynow.com. The Journal-Sun did speak to a couple of leaders in the community and as of yesterday there still was room at the Salvation Army in Texarkana for the homeless and those in need. There is need for people with 4-wheen drive vehicles to take them to Texarkana when the need arises. There is a thread on the Journal -Sun Facebook page that you can offer your resources.
If you have an emergency call 911.
Image Submitted by Robbie Paulette