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Frustrated Texans endure winter storm with no power, heat
The Associated Press ^ | February 2, 2023 | By PAUL J. WEBER and KEN MILLER

Posted on 02/02/2023 2:42:23 PM PST by Oldeconomybuyer

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Thousands of frustrated Texans shivered in their homes Thursday after more than a day without power, including many in the state capital, as an icy winter storm that has been blamed for at least 10 traffic deaths lingered across much of the southern U.S.

Even as temperatures finally pushed above freezing in Austin — and were expected to climb past 50 degrees (10 Celsius) on Friday — the relief will be just in time for an Arctic front to drop from Canada and threaten northern states. New England in particular is forecast to see the coldest weather in decades, with wind chills that could dive lower than minus 50.

Across Texas, 430,000 customers lacked power Thursday, according to PowerOutage.us. But the failures were most widespread in Austin, where frustration mounted among more than 156,000 customers over 24 hours after their electricity went out, which for many also meant their heat. Power failures have affected about 30% of customers in the city of nearly a million at any given time since Wednesday.

Allison Rizzolo, who lost power in Austin, told KEYE-TV that she wished there were more clarity from the city on what to do or expect.

“I get that there’s a fine line between preparedness and panic, but I wish they’d been more aggressive in their communications,” Rizzolo said.

Unlike the 2021 blackouts in Texas, when hundreds of people died after the state’s grid was pushed to the brink of total failure because of a lack of generation, the outages in Austin this time were largely the result of frozen equipment and ice-burdened trees and limbs falling on power lines. The city’s utility warned all power may not be restored until Friday as ice continued causing outages even as repairs were finished elsewhere.

(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: austin; chat; climatechange; climatechangehoax; globalwarming; globalwarminghoax; localnews; poweroutages; texas; winter
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

For the first time in years Texas is getting some ‘Stock Show” weather and all th $#ithole refugees are having a hissy-fit.

First off in Texas you don’t buy an all-electric home because weather happens and electric lines go down. Second Hank Hill selling propane was an insider joke.


41 posted on 02/02/2023 5:30:47 PM PST by fella ("As it was before Noah so shall it be again," )
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To: RetiredTexasVet
Wouldn’t make any difference ... the lines were taken down by ice. Article was so poorly written.

I would argue purposefully written that way...

42 posted on 02/02/2023 5:31:03 PM PST by Kenny Bania (Ovaltine? Why not call it Roundtine?)
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To: CatOwner

My neighbor across the street had one of his split in two. I just look at my white, red, and post oaks and breathe a sigh of relief.


43 posted on 02/02/2023 5:34:38 PM PST by crusty old prospector
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To: ChuckHam

Yes, there is. At least in some places.
Rich people like trees and know people with power who call politicians who call CEOs of utility companies.
Then a job doesn’t happen or gets redesigned to use “tree wire”.
Then a tree doesn’t snap the wire, but the tree snaps the crossarms, and you have 12.47kV, or 13.3kV or 34kV energized primary on the ground.


44 posted on 02/02/2023 5:43:32 PM PST by EEGator
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To: CatOwner

There was a huge ice storm in the Texas Hill Country in the late ‘70’s or early ‘80’s that destroyed the Live Oaks. We had one on our deer lease that was 48+” at the base split in two.

We ended up stuck there for several days.


45 posted on 02/02/2023 5:53:41 PM PST by Clay Moore (My pistol identifies as a cordless hole punch)
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To: crusty old prospector
My neighbor across the street had one of his split in two. I just look at my white, red, and post oaks and breathe a sigh of relief.

Yeah, there are better tree options for residences, and you named some of them. The Live Oaks were fine when left alone in fields along with other trees and large shrubs. But as a anchor tree placed in the middle of a lawn or near sidewalks in new housing tracts? Not so much.

46 posted on 02/02/2023 5:55:30 PM PST by CatOwner (Don't expect anyone, even conservatives, to have your back when the SHTF in 2021 and beyond.)
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To: crusty old prospector

Mine are all dying of oak canker. It is bad in East Texas where I live. Especially on a rare oak that grows on the sugar sand in my backyard called a bluejack. I have lost about ten mature trees.


47 posted on 02/02/2023 6:00:51 PM PST by crusty old prospector
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To: CatOwner

You should see my yard. I’m in the hill country with a few acres and my Spanish Oaks are obliterated. Trees just snapped in half.


48 posted on 02/02/2023 6:07:38 PM PST by Texaspeptoman (Even cannibals... get fed up with people sometimes.)
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To: ChuckHam
"There is no excuse for tree limbs to be falling on power lines."

LOL...you've obviously never lived in Washington state. The Washingtonians LOVE their trees. Power outages from tree limbs on lines were ubiquitous in winter weather. Fortunately, the guy who built our house equipped it with a propane fireplace, which kept the whole house toasty. With LED, propane and kerosene lanterns and a couple of butane one-burner stoves, we survived nicely.

After many, many, many complaints, the local REA utility is now "undergrounding" the transmission lines.

49 posted on 02/02/2023 6:30:03 PM PST by Wonder Warthog (Not Responding to Seagull Snark)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
Frustrated Texans endure winter storm with no power, heat

AGAIN!?!?!?


Didn't something like this happen LAST year??

50 posted on 02/02/2023 6:59:02 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: TonyinLA

Flee those cities, folks!

I’ve a fireplace and a generator.

Come visit if you’re cold.


51 posted on 02/02/2023 7:00:14 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Georgia Girl 2

Make sure it is PROPANE powered, as you WILL run out of usable gasoline!


52 posted on 02/02/2023 7:01:53 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Vermont Lt

You can sure use a gas stove and oven in a home - with no venting, too!

(Although I’d crack a window to get some makeup oxygen into the house.)


53 posted on 02/02/2023 7:03:13 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Elsie

It uses gasoline or propane. So far we have just used propane.


54 posted on 02/02/2023 7:03:40 PM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: Texaspeptoman

I’ve lost dozens of trees - not to ice but to the Emerald Ash Borer - in the last few years.

Oh well, it makes for good firewood.

(Did I mention I have a fireplace?)


55 posted on 02/02/2023 7:06:22 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Wonder Warthog

All new builds are underground.

At least from the street to your house.


56 posted on 02/02/2023 7:07:25 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Georgia Girl 2

Good for you!

I tried to fire up my snowblower last month, but evidently I failed to add the gumout stuff last summer and the carb needs removed and cleaned.


57 posted on 02/02/2023 7:09:03 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
Austin is a blueberry in a strawberry field.

Hard to feel bad for those liberal idiots, so I won't.

Freeze.

58 posted on 02/02/2023 7:15:12 PM PST by usconservative (When The Ballot Box No Longer Counts, The Ammunition Box Does. (What's In Your Ammo Box?))
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Austin to New Braunfels area had it pretty bad....between fallen LARGE tree branches and power outages.

Prayers up, for all.


59 posted on 02/02/2023 7:15:16 PM PST by Jane Long (What we were told was a “conspiracy theory” in 2020 is now fact. 🙏🏻 Ps 33:12 of day. )
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To: Elsie

It was year before last....2021.

Many of these folks weren’t able to purchase generators (whole house), due to the supply chain issues. Sorry, for them. We’ve had ours, since Ike.

But.....couldn’t they have bought smaller (gas) generators, in all of this time??


60 posted on 02/02/2023 7:17:58 PM PST by Jane Long (What we were told was a “conspiracy theory” in 2020 is now fact. 🙏🏻 Ps 33:12 of day. )
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