Affected by the polar cold current, parts of the southern State of Texas in the United States began to encounter extreme weather such as snowfall, ice and freezing rain on the night of the 14th, resulting in road ice, road closures and large-scale power outages.
According to a website that monitors the nation's electricity supply, nearly 2.5 million households in Texas lost power on the morning of the 15th. This number rose to 4 million households on the 16th, and the reporter was one of the 4 million.
The apartment rented by the reporter began to lose power from about 3 a.m. on the 16th and lasted until 8 p.m. on the 17th (10 a.m. Beijing time on the 18th), and the power outage lasted more than 40 hours. Wireless networks, cable TV signals and landline telephone signals were also interrupted. The mobile phone signal and mobile network are very weak and intermittent.
Like most American apartments, journalists' apartments rely on electricity for heating and cooking, and the absence of electricity means freezing and starving. After a 24-hour power outage, the indoor temperature dropped to 12 degrees Celsius. To make matters worse, the apartment's running water also stopped on the 17th.
On Feb. 17, in Arlington, Texas, a convenience store posted a notice saying "no running water." Xinhua News Agency/Midland
Compared to many Texans, journalists are lucky. Some Texans have experienced power and water outages since the 15th. Some people choose to spend the night at the homes of relatives and friends who still have electricity or gas to cook, while some homeless people are placed in government-opened shelters.
Since the 15th, some gas stations and supermarkets in Houston have closed their doors due to power outages, and vehicles have been lined up in front of gas stations that are still operating. On the 17th, the reporter saw in a supermarket that most of the drinking water there had been emptied, and the only one gallon of bottled water had also begun to be limited, with 2 bottles per person. Ready-to-eat foods such as bread, cooked food, and canned food are also almost sold out.
People line up in front of a grocery store in Houston, Texas, U.S., on Feb. 15. Xinhua News Agency/Midland
Texas Governor Albert said in a speech on the 17th that the Texas power grid has increased the power supply capacity by 6,000 megawatts, which can be about 1.2 million households, and the reporter is about one-half of the lucky 1.2 million.
Texas is considered an important center of energy in the United States, and Houston even has the title of "Energy Capital". Why is there such a serious power crisis here?
One explanation is that the sudden drop in temperature has led to a surge in demand for electricity, which in turn has led to a significant shortage of electricity supply. In addition, some of Texas's electricity supply relies on new energy sources, and these wind, solar and other power generation units cannot operate normally due to ice and insufficient sunshine hours.
Cars drive in snow in Woodlands, Texas, on Feb. 15. Xinhua News Agency/Midland
Governor Albert also explained that cold weather has hampered gas shipments, preventing many natural gas power plants from supplying electricity. He has ordered that from the 17th to the 21st, Texas suspend the transmission of natural gas to the out-of-state to ensure the supply of the state.
Another reason is that, unlike the rest of the United States, The Texas grid is independent and not connected to neighboring states. This means that when there is a shortage of electricity, Texas cannot get power support from other states.
As of the evening of the 17th, there are still more than 2 million households in Texas without calls. Electricity from the southern nuclear power plant, as well as from the thermal power plant, is being delivered and is expected to restore power supply to 400,000 households, Abbott said. But when fully restored power, governors and the power sector still can't provide people with an accurate timeline.
Weather forecasts show that there will still be a cold snap in the Houston area on the 18th and 19th, and the nighttime temperature will be as low as minus 6 to 7 degrees Celsius. It seems that many Texans will still spend long nights in the dark and cold in the next few days.
Xinhua News Agency: Gao Lu
Source: Xinhua International Headlines
Source: Xinhua News Agency