Texas never more prepared for winter storm, Gov. Greg Abbott says
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott met with leaders of multiple state agencies Thursday morning for a briefing on plans to prepare for and respond to the looming winter storm and sub-freezing temperatures.
The meeting, at the State Operations Center in Austin, included heads of the Texas Department of Emergency Management, TxDOT, the Public Utilities Commission and ERCOT, among others.
Abbott announced a disaster declaration for 134 counties that might be impacted, but said that the state has never been more prepared for a winter storm like the one that is coming.
Texas power grid
Abbott and officials from the PUC and ERCOT all spoke about what the state has done since the catastrophic winter storm in 2021, when more than 200 people died amid widespread power outages that lasted for days in parts of the state.
"We are confident there will be abundant power available throughout this entire storm," he said.
The leaders stressed multiple times that any power outages would not be a sign of power grid failure, but would likely br due to ice or winds taking down power lines.
PUC commissioner Thomas Gleeson said the power grid is "positioned to perform extremely well" due to "historic investments" since 2021. The grid has added 40,000 megawatts of generation capacity in the last five years, and new laws, like a mandate for power plants to have alternative sources of fuel, will ensure there is not a repeat.
Gleeson said a law that was signed in 2023 enabled ONCOR, the power distributor to most of North Texas, to replace 20,000 more power poles and clear trees from 8,000 more miles of power lines than what they would have done without the law.
Pablo Vegas, the president and CEO of ERCOT, said that any power generation facilities that were offline will be activated and all of the grid's capacity will be available. They also have a new system in place to improve grid efficiency and get power to where it's needed most.
Abbott said that local power providers like ONCOR have never been more prepared for, and they have crews and supplies in place to repair downed power lines as quickly as possible.
Texas roads and highways
TxDOT executive director Marc Williams said highways across the state are being pre-treated with brine solution to help ice melt more easily. He warned that the brine will not prevent all ice, and that dangerous conditions are expected. A map with the latest road conditions statewide is available at DriveTexas.org.
More than 5,000 TxDOT personnel and hundreds of vehicles will be in position across the state to respond to accidents and help clear ice or debris like downed trees, Williams said.
Drivers can also expect some toll or express lanes to be closed due to less traffic on the highways and the need for slower speeds. Williams also urged anyone who needs to drive to give plows as much distance as possible.
Texas emergency management
Nimm Kid, the chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, said the state has 3,700 employees focused on the storm, with more people and equipment to be added to the effort. TDEM also has a website dedicated to preparedness resources.
Nearly 300 warming shelters have been activated in coordination with TDEM, with a map available on the agency's website.
Kidd encouraged people to get their homes ready, and keep space heaters away from anything flammable. He also warned Texans with gas generators to not run them inside of their homes due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The Texas National Guard is also on standby with trucks stocked with food, water, cots and blankets. The Guard will be able to deliver resources to warming shelters that may need them and respond to help stranded drivers.