Roundup: Texas governor says power to be restored soon after winter storm

Video: Up to 2.5 million customers were without power in the U.S. state of Texas Monday morning as the state's power generation capacity is impacted by an ongoing winter storm brought by Arctic blast. (Xinhua)

As Arctic air is moving down south, coldest February temperatures in 122 years is predicted to reach Houston by Tuesday morning. With temperatures staying below freezing and another winter storm likely on Wednesday, travel could be impacted throughout the work week.

HOUSTON, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Monday promised that electricity will begin to be restored to some homes as crews work to repair power plants impacted by severe winter storm.

"Good news. Results are on the way," Abbott tweeted in the afternoon.

According to the governor's office, Texas is deploying maximum resources to local officials throughout the state to respond to severe winter weather and to restore power.

State agencies are sending resources and personnel to help local officials clear roadways and to assist essential workers, such as healthcare professionals and power grid workers, in carrying out their essential duties, said a release from the governor's office.

Vehicles move on a snow-capped road in Houston, Texas, the United States, on Feb. 15, 2021. (Photo by Chengyue Lao/Xinhua)

Furthermore, National Guard has been deployed across Texas to conduct welfare checks and to assist local authorities in transitioning Texans in need to one of the 135 local warming centers that the state has helped established across Texas.

Texas' power grid experienced a system-wide failure Monday morning as the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) declared an "energy emergency alert three" after the record-breaking energy use strained utilities beyond capacity together with some power plants failure.

The alert means rotating outages which typically last between 15 minutes to one hour. But grid officials said those outages may be longer than previously planned, and could be hours or even days.

According to poweroutage.us, up to 2.5 million Texas customers experienced power outage Monday morning with some reports of blackout in Houston area, the fourth largest city of the United States.

On Sunday, Abbott sought to increase power production, but some of the generators are frozen and unable to increase production.

A gas station is closed due to power outage in Houston, Texas, the United States, on Feb. 15, 2021. (Photo by Chengyue Lao/Xinhua)

"Due to the severe weather and freezing temperatures across our state, many power companies have been unable to generate power, whether it's from coal, natural gas, or wind power," said the governor in the release.

"ERCOT and the PUC (Public Utility Commission of Texas) are working non-stop to restore power supply," he said.

According to the National Weather Service, a Winter Storm Warning is in effect for the southeast part of Texas and a Wind Chill Warning will go into effect at midnight, the first-ever such warning issued for the area.

As Arctic air is moving down south, coldest February temperatures in 122 years is predicted to reach Houston by Tuesday morning. With temperatures staying below freezing and another winter storm likely on Wednesday, travel could be impacted throughout the work week.

Last week, Abbott issued a disaster declaration in all Texas and deployed resources throughout the state in response to the severe weather.  ■