lone star state. daetz days without warmth means americans are seeking refuge at warming centers, inside their cars, even in a furniture store that has turned into a much-needed shelter for those without electricity. the conditions are so desperate, one family told cnn, they are literally burning their daughter s toy blocks to keep warm. more than 13 million people are also facing disruptions to another basic necessity. water. and the freezing temperatures are expected to remain for days. 42 americans that we know of have died because of this storm. 16 of them in texas, though that number will assuredly rise. and while various lawmakers and community leaders have been doing everything they can to help texans survive, to check in on each other, to find food, to find water, to find warmth and medical care, texas senator ted cruz has been an exception. he was spotted flying from houston to cancun, mexico, with his family yesterday. after hours of being savagely criticized on soc
the dark for the fourth straight day, as record cold temperatures stretch across the state. governor abbott is now pledging to reform the state s energy agency, and he s saying, and i m quoting now, texans deserve answers about why the shortfalls occurred. and more severe weather is on the way. 100 million people are in the path of a major storm and winter weather alerts extend from the u.s. southwest all the way up to the northeast. let s get straight to texas, though, right now. our national correspondent ed lavendera is in dallas for us. ed, governor abbott has just signed a major disaster declaration. tell us about that. reporter: yeah, it s going to be another long night here. but after four days of taking a political beating over this disaster in texas, the governor says he accepts responsibility for the situation at ercot, the state power grid system, but not before once again laying into the executives at that agency, saying that what has happened is unacce unacce