Updated 40m ago
Some Texans face high electricity bills
Some Texans are going to handle surprisingly high electric bills.
Most residents enter into one of two types of contracts with energy suppliers: a higher fixed rate or variable. If it is variable, customers take the chance and can pay them low rates if demand is low and higher rates if demand rises.
Houston resident Meghan O’Neill paid more than $ 2,000 in two days. Her February account is now over $ 3000.
“It’s like, ‘OK, do I feed my family or do I keep the heat, which one do I do?’ O’Neill said.
Joshua Rhodes, an energy expert at the University of Texas, said those with fixed rates may also pay more in the future.
“The effect will take later, as you know utilities and the like determine how much money they need to recover,” Rhodes said. “Ultimately, the customer always pays, you know, at the end of this.”
Updated 07:47
San Antonio to open water distribution stations
The San Antonio Water System announced Thursday that it will begin delivering water to seven pumping locations in the city. Residents receive up to five liters per person and are advised to boil the water they receive as a precaution.
The City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Food Bank will also provide distribution of bottled water at locations throughout the city.
San Antonio experienced water outages due to the emergency weather in the winter, and the San Antonio Water System issued a boiling water advice on Wednesday for customers who still have access to water.
Updated 07:48
Winter storms disrupt the effort of the COVID vaccine as variants fuel new fears
As Americans yearn for life before the pandemic, the spread of coronavirus vaccines is slowing down as winter storms hit the United States. The disease affects not only the way Americans live, but also how long. Jonathan Vigliotti reports for “CBS Evening News.”
Updated 07:49
34 deaths linked to winter storm
As of Friday morning, 34 deaths have been linked to severe winter weather in seven states.
Most deaths were recorded in Texas, with 20 residents dying from storm-related incidents. This is where they occurred: Houston (7), Taylor County (6), Sugarland (4), Galveston County (2) and San Antonio (1).
Earlier this week, a grandmother and three children died in a house fire in Sugarland. City officials said the area was without power. The cause of the fire is being investigated.