As the City of Austin and Central Texas grapple with freezing conditions, many residents have been rendered without electricity, with Austin Energy warning that blackouts could last into the next day.
Austin National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate KUT reported that at least 25% of residents don’t have power as of Wednesday afternoon.
“It’s possible some customers may be without power for 12-24 hours,” Austin Energy said in a tweet.
Per KUT, the winter storm has coated power lines, utility poles and tree limbs, causing the loss of electricity throughout the region.
Crews spent the whole day attempting to resolve the outages, which have affected over 170,000 residences and businesses, the station reported.
Austin Energy advised customers to call (512) 322-9100 or text “OUT” to 287846 to report a power outage.
Gov. Greg Abbott said the outages have nothing to do with the state’s power grid, adding the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has what it takes “to meet forecasted demand,” Austin NBC affiliate KXAN reported.
“The power grid itself is functioning very effectively as we speak right now,” the governor said on Tuesday ahead of the severe weather. “And there is not anticipated to be any challenge to the power grid in the state of Texas.”
Since cratering under the excessive demand of Winter Storm Uri in February 2021, the grid has been the subject of intense scrutiny even during the summer months when temperatures soar above the century mark.
The freezing weather and outages prompted the Austin Independent School District (AISD) to keep its campuses and facilities closed and classes cancelled through Thursday.
“We will continue to monitor weather conditions and provide updates regarding our schedule on Friday,” AISD said in a tweet.
KXAN reported that Travis County Water District 10 has asked residents within its jurisdiction to conserve water while Austin Energy works to bring power back at the McConnel Pump Station.
Austin Water tweeted that its customers aren’t required to adhere to the call.
“At this time, Austin Water treatment plants have not been impacted and are operating normally,” the utility said.