Abbott Deploys National Guard Across Texas During Winter Storm

TEXAS — Gov. Greg Abbott deployed the National Guard throughout Texas Monday afternoon in response to the severe winter storm that hit the state.

National Guard members will conduct welfare checks and assist local authorities by moving Texans in need to one of the 135 warming centers set up across the state, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

The state is also sending other resources and personnel to help local officials clear roadways and to assist essential workers, including health care professionals and power grid workers, the news release said.

These resources include thousands of workers and various equipment from the state’s Department of Public Safety, Department of Transportation, Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas A&M Forest Service, Emergency Medical Task Force and Military Department.

More than 2 million Texans were without power Monday afternoon as a result of the wintry weather slamming the state, creating a power emergency, the Associated Press reported.

On Sunday, Gov. Abbott sought and received a waiver from the U.S. Department of Energy allowing power generators in Texas to increase their production, the governor’s news release said. Some of those generators have been affected by the winter weather conditions and were unable to increase production Monday afternoon because they’re frozen. These companies are working to get their production back online.

“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,” Abbott said. “ERCOT (the Electric Reliability Council of Texas) and the PUC (Public Utility Commission) are working non-stop to restore power supply. The state has also deployed resources to assist Texans without power and to help essential workers continue to carry out their jobs. In the meantime, I encourage all Texans to continue to stay off the roads, and conserve energy as state agencies work with private providers to restore power as quickly as possible.”

The state set a new winter peak electricity demand record Sunday as many residents blasted their heaters to cope with the frigid temperatures. ERCOT’s ability to provide power has been limited, though, as many private power generators are offline because of the weather.

To avoid large-scale blackouts and damage to the grid, ERCOT began implementing outages Sunday. This will preserve the power grid while power companies work to restore their power generation, the governor’s office said.