Texas power outage surpasses 2021 record after ice storm

Some Texans have been without power for five days, surpassing the record set by the 2021 storm that left millions without power. Despite public outcry and legislative hearings, it happened again. This time, however, it's not the weakness of the power grid but the infrastructure itself.

Temperatures are finally starting to warm, KUT reported, and that has helped repairs go faster. The ice storm froze trees that fall on power lines across the state.

In Austin, "more than a hundred thousand households lost power for days."

"As crews continue their work, the outage restoration process will become even more complex," the utility provider said Saturday morning, noting that it might be a few days before they can fully restore the state.

The Texas Tribune reported that in Austin, "crews were steadily reconnecting customers Saturday, there were still more than 66,000 homes and businesses without power by late afternoon after a midweek ice storm wrought chaos on the city’s electrical system."

Austin Energy said that they've got their trucks out so that people can charge their phones and any other medical equipment. They are offering financial assistance programs for those in need as well.

Law school professor Steve Vladeck said that this is past the 100 hour mark for his family.