US blackouts: hundreds of thousands are still without electricity

Hundreds of thousands of people in the southern United States are still without electricity. The reason is the exceptional winter weather that brings icy temperatures to the Gulf of Mexico.

After severe winter storms in the United States, many people are still cut off from electricity. According to data from the poweroutage.us website, there were more than 560,000 households in Texas.

The neighboring states of Mississippi and Louisiana in the south of the country, with 170,000 and 115,000 people without electricity, respectively, were particularly affected by power cuts. Thousands of families in Oregon, in the northwest, were left without energy.

Several dead

On Wednesday, three million families in Texas sat in the dark. In Houston, police warned of a disruption of traffic lights Thursday morning. According to a report by CNN, at least 37 people have already died in the United States as a result of the winter weather, and other media outlets have also reported lower death rates.

US Vice President Kamala Harris expressed her condolences to those suffering from cold power cuts. She hoped that every conceivable help would be organized through emergency orders and that the support of the federal government would reach those affected.

Network operators criticized

Weather warnings range from Texas to New England in the northeastern United States. More than 100 million people live in the affected areas. The Washington Post reports that water supplies have also been cut off in several cities in Texas.

In Texas, network operator ERCOT was heavily criticized. Governor Greg Abbott has demanded the resignation of his leadership team, according to the Washington Post. Very cold temperatures are also expected for the day in Texas.