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I was jolted awake by my phone buzzing on the nightstand at 2:11 am Monday. An odd hour for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to be warning of a power emergency – an emergency presumably as foreseeable as the winter storm precipitating the shortage. Unless, of course, it wasn't foreseeable somehow. If not, why not? And if so, why weren't we warned earlier? How did rolling blackouts "typically 40 minutes or less" become four hours, then 12, then 24, 36 or more for millions of Texas statewide? These are just a few of the obvious questions for which the Texas public has yet to get convincing answers. In Galveston, where an estimated 90 to 95 percent of the island remained without power a full day and a half after the lights first flickered, City Manager Brian Maxwell
was busy making fruitless calls to officials with ERCOT and CenterPoint Energy, which supplies power to most of the city. "You’re dealing with these 'headless monsters,'"
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Maxwell told us Tuesday morning , frustrated that the blackouts weren't rolling but staying put, with no end in sight. "These decisions were obviously made at a much higher level and I don’t know who that is," he said. Nor do some of the most senior officials at the state level, apparently. Later in the day, as people began to turn to sitting in running cars for warmth, and reports of deaths and hospitalizations due to carbon monoxide poisoning and hypothermia began to mount, Gov. Greg Abbott called for an investigation into ERCOT and declared reform of the nonprofit electrical grid manager an emergency legislative item. What started out as a winter storm for the record books appears to have already snowballed into something much bigger, though its full proportions won't be known
for some time. In the meantime, we'll keep asking the questions and trying to find concrete answers. You can get caught up on the latest in the stories below, hand-picked by Wells Dunbar and our editorial team. It's been a challenge covering this story under these extraordinarily difficult conditions, and getting the program on the air this week is a real tribute to the talent and skills of people like technical director
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Casey Cheek and director
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Leah Scarpelli . Until next Wednesday, stay warm and stay safe – and we'll see you on the radio.
- David Brown

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As Most Of Galveston Island Remains Without Electricity, Frustration Grows

A majority of homes and businesses in Galveston were still without electricity Tuesday morning. Galveston's city manager says the city estimates that 90% to 95% of homes haven’t had power for well over 36 hours.

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Read More




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ERCOT Struggles To Power Texas Amid Enormous Strain On Electric Grid

A UT-Austin energy expert says the state energy grid is battered by demand during a bitter statewide cold snap. But despite outages as billed as "rolling" blackouts, many Texans have been without power for days.

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Read More




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Texan's COVID Vaccination Experiences Vary, But Sound Better In Dallas Than Austin

Cold temperatures and dangerous driving conditions have limited already scarce access to vaccines. And we continue to hear from many who are unable to even schedule a future appointment.

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Read More




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We Expect The National Anthem At Sporting Events. But Why?

The national anthem has grown into a staple of American sports. This American music writer and researcher says it goes back to World War I and America’s pastime: baseball.

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Read More




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How Have So Many Texans Been Out Of Power For So Long? The Blackout Explained.
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(KUT Austin)
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CPS Energy Didn't Realize Their Own Building Lights Were Left On During Blackouts
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(Texas Public Radio)
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'Bundled Up Like Charlie & The Chocolate Factory': North Texans On Surviving The Cold Without Power
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(KERA)
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Essential Workers Vie For Vaccine Priority As Texas Enters Phase 1C
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(Houston Public Media)

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As Texas’ winter storm crisis wears on, we continue to hear from folks directly affected. As social media editor for Texas Standard, it can be dispiriting to see so many tales of distress. As my family’s only spent a few hours without power, my wife likened our feelings to a type of “survivor’s guilt” that we haven’t been hit harder. But I’m also heartened by the big, generous shows of concern so many have expressed, even – perhaps, especially – from those people who’ve endured some very hard things. My colleague Kristen Cabrera
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has been reaching out to people for their stories, to create a montage of what this moment has been like. She shared one email with me from a woman named Rebecca in Harlingen who has gone without power for over two days. Still, Rebecca writes, “The overwhelming thought in my mind right now is how much worse things have been for many others who are less fortunate. Some people in our area are under orders to boil water before use. I worry about people who don't have houses. Why couldn't our society be kind enough to place them in empty hotel rooms?” You can read through dozens of other responses from our friends and listeners in these threads on
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Facebook and
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Twitter , and share your own thoughts with us. Not on there? You can always
mailto:[email protected]?subject=my%20weather%20emergency%20experience%20%0A
email us too .
- Wells Dunbar

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@wellsdunbar

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