Thousands of People Are Without Power as Heavy Thunderstorms Sweep Through Southeast Texas

Thousands of People Are Without Power as Heavy Thunderstorms

Heavy Thunderstorms, The 15 states with the greatest power outages since the start of 2021 were identified by Stacker using data from the Energy Department. Because the data was only available until September 2021, this does also include current natural disasters such as Hurricane Ida. Those states do have the event of one severe thunderstorm in common. Events like the arctic blast in February 2021, which resulted in record lower temperatures across 48 states.

In February 2021, probably one of the hardest power outages in US history struck Texas. It leaves 4 million people without electricity in subzero temperatures. As individuals used other power sources, such as propane grills, to retain heat, more than 200 inhabitants died and over 1,400 did seek hospital treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning. Natural gas suppliers’ equipment failure, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, was the primary cause of the interruptions. Despite this, the cold temperatures impacted all of the province’s sources of power.

Sweep Through Southeast Texas

Residents in the United States are increasingly in the dark due to outdated electricity infrastructure and a worsening climate problem. Traditionally, power outages have become worse by stand alone incidents. Some incidents such as a car crashing into a pole, equipment failure, or a tree falling down a power line. These occurrences normally only affect a limited area and last only a few minutes. However, as climate changes and more natural disasters occur, power outages grow more common and severe.

In more aspects than one, these disruptions are life-threatening. People without air conditioners or heat are vulnerable to heat exhaustion or frostbite as a result of power disruptions. Moreover, carbon monoxide poisoning happens by incorrect use of alternate energy sources such as grills or gas-power machines.

In the event of a power outage, hospitals have backup plans to power just the most critical equipment. As motorized stairlifts and elevators cease to operate, accessibility gets disturb. The food supply chain also gets hampered by long-term power outages. Factories stall or stop production, storage stop loading vehicles, and supermarkets lose perishable goods.