SAN ANTONIO – Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 134 counties in Texas ahead of the winter weather expected this weekend.
Abbott and other Texas officials held a news conference on Thursday on the state’s ongoing response to the upcoming winter weather.
“Because of the severity of this storm, right now, I am making a disaster declaration covering 134 counties across the state of Texas,” said Abbott.
It’s currently unclear if Bexar County is one of the counties mentioned in the disaster declaration.
Abbott also said that the northern two-thirds of the state, from the Panhandle to San Antonio, could be hit the hardest.
Approximately five years ago, Winter Storm Uri swept through Texas, killing hundreds of people.
Abbott does not expect this weekend’s storm to be as strong as Uri, but he stressed that people take it seriously and be prepared.
“The severity of it is not quite as great, and the size of it is not quite as great as winter storm Uri,” Abbott said. “That said, people would be making a mistake if they don’t take it serious.”
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) power grid is prepared for the weather, according to Abbott. He does not expect any issues.
“The ERCOT grid has never been stronger, never been more prepared, and is fully capable of handling this winter storm,” said Abbott.
Watch the full news conference below:
However, Abbott told reporters that there could be localized outages if the rain potentially freezes a power line.
He said that these localized outages are different from those caused by ERCOT.
“The local power providers have never been more prepared for any weather storm ever,” said Abbott.
In San Antonio, cold rain is expected for most of Saturday, according to the KSAT Weather Authority team. Icy conditions are expected Saturday night through Sunday morning.
To keep up with the latest weather forecast, click here.
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