Lina Hidalgo, a judge for Harris County, Texas, where Houston is located, warned residents to buckle up for the possibility of additional days without power. Hidalgo also acts as the county’s chief executive officer.
About 2.5 million people and 34 cities in Harris County have no electricity, Hidalgo said on CNN’s New Day. Pipes burst, many residents run out of water and hospitals are also reporting problems after a winter storm of ice and freezing temperatures hit the state, she said.
“The energy is really at the heart of it, and we have no end in sight of when that will go away,” said Hidalgo.
According to Hidalgo, state and local executives are working with utility companies to quickly restore power and then determine what went wrong.
The Texas Electric Reliability Council is a major grid operator that controls approximately 90% of the state’s electrical load.
“In the last few days we have heard from ERCOT that they are putting generators back into operation, but fewer and fewer people on site had electricity. So what I said is to give it to us directly, ”said Hidalgo. “And I tell my community that they don’t expect the power supply to be restored even after the weather. You know, right now we are trying to survive the effects of the energy and maybe for a few days – we don’t know how long – to get ready without electricity. And I just hope that the network will support itself. “
“ERCOT has to start up its generators again, and I don’t trust that they can say that we will start them up again today and tomorrow. I think it will take some time and I will explain that to my residents, ”she added.
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