Posted on 02/03/2023 3:25:49 PM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Widespread power outages in the Texas capital stretched into a third day Friday for thousands of residents following a winter storm that was spiraling into a management crisis as city leaders remained unable to say when all the lights would come back on.
Impatience among frazzled, freezing and fed-up families in Austin escalated even as milder weather returned. On Friday, the newly elected mayor stood before cameras and apologized after a week of slow repairs, failed technology and lacking communication with the public.
“The city let its citizens down. The situation is unacceptable to the community, and it’s unacceptable to me,” said Mayor Kirk Watson, a Democrat who took office in January. “And I’m sorry.”
While New England began shivering and closed schools under an Arctic blast expected to bring the coldest weather in a generation, temperatures finally started to moderate Friday and bring some relief to Austin, where at any given time about 30% of customers in the nation’s 11th-largest city have been without electricity since the ice storm swept into Texas late Monday.
But frustration was not melting away for residents who still had no assurances or sense of when their power would return.
“I just honestly think they were not prepared for any of this,” said Edward Kim, 43, whose home had been without power or heat since Wednesday. He was using a generator to keep his house “on life support,” while his wife took her 7-year-old daughter to her office to get a shower.
Steve Spencer, 63, had also been without power since Wednesday — despite the city’s utility calling him twice to tell him his power was on, he said. “I don’t know what’s going on down there,” he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
Did he really say that Austinians will receive credit on the upcoming Earf Day for this time they did with no lights on?
God help Anustin, over-run with morons.
Go Woke - Freeze in the dark.
In some areas, they can be competitive.
They should have expected it ... it’s Austin where incompetence and wokeness are the only things that thrive.
There was more ice buildup this time around.
When I bought my house 20 years ago, it had an electric stove. After losing power for a day in an ice storm, I replaced it with a gas stove.
On average we lose power once or twice a year due to weather, for anywhere from one hour to two days.
Between my stove and my fireplace, I can keep my house habitable with no power in winter.
New York City powerlines are mostly underground. The population density makes it viable.
Appreciate the details, too bad the article could not do that.
You’ve just explained why TPTB want to get rid of our gas appliances.
No, NYC is built on granite.
Many, many cities are built on soil, especially those near rivers. Soil has a water table. Underground lines can’t easily handle water.
E.g., Houston, Tx is built on gumbo — google it. Big bldgs down there have to drive pylons stories down and flare them out to support the bldg. Water table is <12’ down.
Places subject to earthquakes have similar issues with burying stuff.
It is amazing how many doofs see a storm taking out wires hung on poles and immediately think the natives are dumb for not having buried everything.
It is bloody expensive at best, impossible at times.
Sorry is going to be their go to not their means of generation this is perfect
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