Over 240K without power in Texas after ice storm kills at least 6
Winter weather expected to continue in the region
FOX Business’ Ashley Webster reports on the rising costs of home insurance for residents in southern states like Florida and Louisiana due to devastating storms.
Hundreds of thousands of customers are without power in Texas on Wednesday following a deadly winter storm.
More than 240,000 homes and businesses were in the dark as of 9:30 ET, according to tracker PowerOutage.US.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday that outages at the time were due to factors like ice on power lines or fallen trees – and not the performance of the Texas power grid that buckled for days during a deadly winter storm in 2021.
Grid operator ERCOT, which supplies power to more than 26 million users, tweeted Tuesday that its chief executive – as well as the chair of the Public Utility Commission – briefed Abbott on the grid, and assured that it has "adequate supply to meet forecasted demand."
OVER 1,600 FLIGHTS CANCELED AS WINTER WEATHER SWEEPS SOUTH
AUSTIN, TEXAS - JANUARY 31: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and state officials listen in during a briefing on January 31, 2023, in Austin, Texas. ((Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
"Ice on trees/power lines could lead to localized outages. If you experience an outage, contact your local power provider," ERCOT said.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management and the Texas State Fire Marshal's Office cautioned about safe generator use. The department also tweeted that local officials opened more than 60 warming centers in response to the storm.
A lone driver makes their way through icy road conditions at the LBJ 635 Freeway and North Dallas Tollway interchange, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, in Dallas, Texas. ((AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) / AP Newsroom)
Officials said that at least six people died on slick roads in Texas and two law enforcement officers were seriously injured.
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Emergency responders rushed to the sites of hundreds of auto collisions, and Abbott warned residents to stay off the roads.
A customer speaks with a United Airlines associate over a canceled flight at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on January 31, 2023, in Austin, Texas. Many flights have been delayed and canceled due to a winter storm passing through portions … ((Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport saw 600 cancelations on Wednesday, with 120 at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, according to the FlightAware tracking service.
However, more weather impacts were expected on Wednesday.
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"Travel conditions will continue to be hazardous into Wednesday night and Thursday with more sleet and freezing rain expected," the National Weather Service in the Dallas-Fort Worth area tweeted. "Temperatures will slowly climb above freezing in central Texas Wednesday night and Thursday morning across most of north Texas."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.