Texas governor calls major disaster declaration an important first step
From CNN s Konstantin Toropin
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announces the reopening of more Texas businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic at a press conference at the Texas State Capitol on May 18, 2020 in Austin, Texas. Lynda M. Gonzalez-Pool/Getty Images
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott thanked President Biden for approving a major disaster declaration for the state but noted that the declaration was short of what he asked for. I thank President Biden for his assistance as we respond to impacts of winter weather across our state, Abbott said in a statement released today.
An unprecedented winter storm left four million people without power across Texas this week, and put nearly half of the state's residents under a boil-water advisory. Follow here for live updates.
Biden approves Texas disaster declaration
From Priscilla Alvarez and Jasmine Wright
President Joe Biden departs after delivering remarks at a virtual event hosted by the Munich Security Conference in the East Room of the White House on February 19, in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker-Pool/Getty Images
President Biden has approved a major disaster declaration for Texas, unlocking more federal resources to assist the state. Yesterday, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Texas and ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe winter storms beginning on February 11, 2021, and continuing, the White House said in a written statement on Saturday.
Dallas resident says he was charged nearly $7,000 on electric bill
DeAndre Upshaw on February 20. CNN via Skype
Dallas resident DeAndre Upshaw says it was “very shocking” when he saw that he was charged nearly $7,000 on his electricity bill.
“While I m trying to get gas and groceries and make sure that my pipes don t explode, the last thing I m thinking about is a $7,000 bill from my utility company,” Upshaw told CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield.
Upshaw said he attempted to switch his electric provider from his current one called Griddy to another, but his new company kept pushing back his start date.
The brutal temperatures, ice and snow once had power out for millions of Texas, but as of early Saturday morning, only about 85,000 people in the state were left in the dark, according to PowerOutage.US. However, more than half the population – more than 14.9 million people – had disruptions in their water service as of Friday, according to Tiffany Young, a spokeswoman for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.