North Texans Prepare For Winter Storm, Hoping Power Stays On This Time
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - With a winter storm and the possibility of ice and snow later in the week, some North Texans might be having flashbacks to last February and wondering, "Is Texas prepared?"
Last year's winter storm caused more than 500,000 Texans to submit insurance claims for more than $10 billion in damages.
Experts call it a once in a lifetime event and say what we're expecting this week is a classic winter storm.
Last February, the Lane family lost power for three days and relied relied on firewood for warmth and cooking.
"We actually ran out on the third day so it got real, real cold," Tori Lane said.
This year they're stocking up.
"After last year I think all of us Texans are scared," Lane said.
Bruce Mays agrees.
"I don't want to run into one of those situations like we did last season," he said. "I'm glad I came up because they're running low."
Oncor said Monday, thousands of electrical facilities have undergone air and ground inspections to make sure they're ready, potential high load areas have been identified so equipment upgrades or replacements can be completed and employees have completed multiple emergency preparedness training sessions.
ERCOT, the agency that manages the grid, said it is monitoring conditions and is in touch with a number of state agencies.
It's predicting record high demand later this week, but has not issued any calls for conservation or warnings.
It believes the Texas electric grid is prepared for winter operations, recently reporting 321 out of 324 electric generation units and transmission facilities have fully passed inspection for new winterization regulations.
It has ordered power plants across the region to postpone planned outages and to return from outages already in progress.
"I'm a little skeptical," Mays said. "I'm hoping everything works out good but it's always good to be prepared."