One man was found dead frozen in his couch in Texas because at least 24 people died as a result of the winter storm.
Abilene Fire Chief Cande Flores revealed that three people had died this week in Abilene, Texas, from icy temperatures, according to KTXS.
The officer identified one of the deaths as a homeless man who died due to exposure to the elements. He was in his late 50s or 60s and was found outside Monday morning.
Another man was found dead in his home after being left without power for three days. Resident Josh Casey told Facebook users that the man “froze to death in his chair” and that his wife was “almost dead” next to him. She has since been taken to hospital.
“Please go look at your neighbors,” Mr Casey said.
The other victim found in Abilene, according to Mr. Flores had a medical condition and the weather prevented them from accessing the necessary resources.
Texas fell in icy temperatures on Sunday after a storm that brought the state snow.
At least 24 people have been killed in the winter storm, including a grandmother and three children who died in Sugar Land, Texas, after accidentally setting their house on fire in an attempt to stay warm.
Millions experienced power outages after the power grid was overloaded with excessive use because residents turned on their heat. Some residents have been without power for four days in a row, and according to poweroutage.us, about 400,000 are still experiencing power outages.
The situation in Texas has caused a setback as Republicans of the state and Gov. Greg Abbott are criticized for decisions they have made regarding energy consumption and the power grid.
Texas operates on an independent electricity grid instead of being federally regulated, meaning it is unable to draw electricity from other electricity grids when there is a surge. The current boom has thus led to millions without power and heat for long periods of time.
The state was the only one in the continental United States to operate on an independent network.
Mr Abbott on Tuesday blamed the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) for the power outages that occurred across the state. He called ERCOT anything but reliable for the last 48 hours and issued an executive order to review the ‘preparations and decisions’ the council had made before the winter storm.
Dan Woodfin, senior director of systems operations at ERCOT, told the Associated Press that the current winter storm ‘goes far beyond the design parameters for a typical, or even extreme, Texas winter that you would normally plan for. ‘
The weather would improve in Texas within the next 24 hours, but officials warned that residents could still struggle with food and water shortages in the coming days. A full return to power was also not expected in the state before the temperature rose.