Matthew T Rader, matthewtrader.com, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Audio By Carbonatix
With Winter Storm Landon nearly upon Texas, hundreds of flights are being canceled in Dallas-Fort Worth, schools are shutting down, and some hospitals are announcing closures.
Temperatures are expected to plummet Wednesday evening. The storm, which is expected to bring snow and ice, likely won’t last as long as last year’s Winter Storm Uri, which left millions across Texas without power and living under water boil orders. By the time that storm ended, more than 240 people had died in Texas.
On Wednesday, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) issued a winter weather watch that will remain in place until Sunday, although the council said it expects to have enough power to keep the state grid operating as demand soars.
“ERCOT is using all the tools available to manage the grid effectively during this winter weather,” Brad Jones, the council’s interim president, said in a statement.
We’re thankful for you. Are you thankful for us?
We feel thankful for our staff and for the privilege of fulfilling our mission to be an unparalleled source of information and insight in Dallas. We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to this community.
Help us continue giving back to Dallas.
Meanwhile, Dallas County courts and offices will be shut down for in-person attendance on both Thursday and Friday. Parkland’s clinics will also close their doors Thursday and Friday, as will all Dallas Children’s Health clinics in Dallas and Plano, reports The Dallas Morning News.
Flight cancelations have hit both Love Field and Dallas-Fort Worth airports. “This week’s winter storm is expected to have a significant impact on our operation, especially in the Northeast and Central regions of the United States,” Gianna Urgo, a spokesperson for American Airlines, said in a statement.
Schools have also been closed for the storm around North Texas, including Dallas ISD, Richardson ISD, Garland ISD and several others.
Starting Wednesday, several universities and colleges in the Dallas-Fort Worth area began shutting up shop: the University of North Texas, Texas Women’s University, Dallas College and others.
Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appeared to reverse course on previous promises that the lights will stay on, saying this week that “no one can guarantee” that there won’t be “a load-shed event.”
Abbott said at a press conference Tuesday, “But what we will work and strive to achieve – and what we’re prepared to achieve – is that the power’s going to stay on across the entire state.”
Jamarr Brown, the co-executive director of the Texas Democratic Party, criticized Abbott for those comments. “For several months, Greg Abbott told Texans that we could rely on the grid to keep the lights on,” he told the Observer in a statement, but that the governor has now “told Texans that he cannot guarantee that the lights would stay on, with a winter storm looming this week.”
During last year’s Winter Storm Uri, Texans endured lengthy power outages, burst pipes and other freeze-related damages to their homes and businesses.
