Texas Winter Storm Fallout Continues, To Be Declared ‘Disaster’ by Biden

The Lone Star State is in need of a great deal of help at the moment, and it appears as though the federal government is gearing up to send in the cavalry.

Earlier in the week, a major winter storm blew into Texas, blanketing the state in ice and snow, and bringing frigid, arctic air into the region.  Power companies throughout the major metropolitan areas believed that they could and should execute rolling blackouts in order to ease the strain that the grid could face.

Instead, the plan failed miserably and millions of Texans were left stranded without heat or power in the single digit temperatures for days on end.

Now, at the request of Governor Greg Abbott, President Joe Biden is stepping in with a disaster declaration.

President Biden said Friday he will sign a major disaster declaration that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is requesting, which would open up broader federal aid for immediate and long-term recovery efforts in the state, including for both individual needs and public infrastructure.

Biden and Abbott spoke Thursday night regarding the response.

Texas has been at the mercy of an unprecedented winter storm, which has left many of the state’s residents without heat, power and potable water for several days. Several people, some homeless, have died in the freezing temperatures.

Departing the White House for a trip to Michigan, the president told reporters he’s asked the Department of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Defense to identify resources that could help the recovery in Texas.

Texas’ energy grid is uniquely unregulated by the federal government, which could certainly complicate the recovery effort’s collaborative spirit, however.