Weather-related power outages affecting tens of thousands of Rio Grande Valley residents continued through Tuesday with no relief in sight for many.
AEP Texas said late Tuesday morning that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas is continuing to request power companies decrease the load on the electric grid, which means some Valley residents may go a full 48 hours without power.
As of noon Tuesday, 109,882 customers of 315,400 were without power in Hidalgo County, according to the website poweroutage.us, which tracks outages across the country.
For the same time, 39,240 customers of 112,745 were out in Cameron County; 3,011 of 8,138 in Willacy County and 7,978 customers of 26,090 in Starr County.
A review of the AEP outage map shows that every city in the Rio Grande Valley was still experiencing power outages as of noon Tuesday.
The continuing power crisis Tuesday also resulted in the closure of county government offices, boil water notices in Edinburg and Alamo, a rollback of municipal operations throughout the county and long lines at gas stations across the Valley, with multiple stations running out of fuel.
These could be seen across the Valley as people filled up their tanks amid the cold.
State Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, stated on social media Tuesday that ERCOT has “no estimate for full power restoration.”
“Additional electric generation is being added back to grid, but we are still far short of what we need to power the entire state. Outages could extend to tomorrow or longer,” Canales wrote on Facebook.
BOILING POINT
The city of Edinburg on Tuesday morning advised residents with power to boil water before using it. There were also multiple reports across Edinburg of busted water pipes and residents having no water as a result.
Because of the freezing conditions at the water plant, Edinburg, per the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality requirements, is asking residents to also conserve as much water as possible and use as little as needed, the city said.
To make sure all harmful bacteria and other microbes are eliminated, water for drinking, cooking and ice making should be boiled and cooled prior to using it. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes, according to a news release.
In lieu of boiling, you may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source.
The city of Alamo also announced Tuesday afternoon that it had issued a boil water notice.
Residents will be notified by city water system officials when it is no longer necessary to boil water.
For questions call Chief Water Plant Operator Juan Vega at (956) 787-2232, or the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality at (512) 239-4691.
COUNTY CLOSED
Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez also announced that several county buildings and county governmental offices remain closed Tuesday because of loss of electricity and or no water pressure.
“This is an historic winter storm that has impacted the entire state of Texas,” Cortez said in a news release Tuesday. “Since the safety and health of our residents and of Hidalgo County employees is paramount, we have decided to keep our offices closed on Tuesday to assess and resolve any weather-related issues.”
Essential personnel, including those in law enforcement, the health department and the emergency management center remain active using generator power.
“ Other county personnel have been ordered to work remotely from home to the extent that they can, given the continued loss of electrical power,” a release stated.
The main health department building at 3105 E. Richardson Road in Edinburg remained closed Tuesday.
VACCINATION STALLED
The closures also impacted the ability of some residents to receive second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The county’s health clinics in Edinburg, Pharr and Elsa all closed Tuesday and are rescheduling second doses.
The clinic in Weslaco, however, redirected people scheduled for a second dose Tuesday afternoon to the Hidalgo County Precinct 1 conference room, according to a news release.
DHR Health confirmed the postponement of its vaccination efforts through Thursday, according to a statement on social media.
The hospital system based in Edinburg reported power issues it was grappling with as well as utility issues.
THE MAIL
The United States Postal Service announced it is temporarily suspending operations at the McAllen Processing & Distribution Center until further notice.
USPS said it would provide more information when regular operations resume.
“The U.S. Postal Service apologizes for any inconvenience this temporary suspension may cause our customers,” a news release stated.
EMERGENCY REFORM
ERCOT’s decision to order electric companies across the state to withhold power to thousands of Texans angered residents suffering through prolonged outages.
On Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that he is calling on the Legislature to investigate ERCOT to ensure power outages on this scale never happen again.
To do this, Abbott declared reform of ERCOT as a legislative emergency item.
“The Electric Reliability Council of Texas has been anything but reliable over the past 48 hours. Far too many Texans are without power and heat for their homes as our state faces freezing temperatures and severe winter weather. This is unacceptable,” Abbott said in a statement Tuesday.
Abbott wants the Legislature to review the decisions and preparations made by ERCOT to identify problems and long-term solutions.
SHIFTING BLAME
Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa blamed Abbott for the prolonged outages and said the governor was responsible for the lack of planning.
“Our hearts go out to the millions of Texans freezing inside of their homes without any indication of when their power will be turned back on. 1 in 7 Texans were already fighting food insecurity, and now after more than a day without power and no way to cook, the food they have has gone bad while their families are hungry,” Hinojosa said in a statement.
“Texans across the state are dying in the cold, and some Texans are without access to the medicine and healthcare they need during the middle of a pandemic. Some of our fellow Texans have also been without power for the last 32 hours and counting. All of this is dead wrong. A failure to plan for this winter storm and years of deregulation of our power system has led to this moment.”
Rio Grande Valley legislators also expressed frustration with ERCOT.
State Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, said he is beyond frustrated at the situation.
“I hear people blaming Magic Valley for not getting power restored more quickly. Magic Valley, like other parts of the state, is being prevented from connecting more homes by ERCOT, the agency that oversees our state’s electric grid. The entire state is still experiencing lower power supply and high demand due to low temperatures throughout the state,” Canales said on Facebook.
He said the state has failed to make infrastructure investments that could have prevented this.
“I am beyond frustrated that so many of my friends and family members have had to endure 30+ hours of extremely cold temperatures in their homes. Our state has failed to make investments in electric infrastructure that could have helped prevent this. Texas can do better, and I assure you that my office will be focused on increasing electric grid resilience in the face of extreme weather events,” Canales said.
State Rep. Alex Dominguez, D-Brownsville, called for hearings on the situation.
In a Facebook post, Dominguez on Monday decried the situation at Sea Turtle Inc. on South Padre Island as the nonprofit struggled to care for more than 500 cold-stunned turtles without electricity.
“I have reached out to a contact at AEP to work through some options. Yes, I know people also need power for their homes. I’m working on that, too. ERCOT is not helping us out. There WILL be hearings,” Dominguez said.
