FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2/18/2021
Contact: Juan Ramiro Sarmiento
(785) 760 6567 | juanramiro.sarmiento@younginvincibles.org

Statement on Texas Humanitarian Crisis

(Houston, TX) – After a major winter storm plummeted parts of the midwestern and southern United States into sub-zero temperatures, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) responsible for the management of the Texas Interconnection, introduced rolling power outages to prevent catastrophic, system-wide failure. The rolling blackouts across the state left nearly seven million Texans without electricity for multiple days, causing water pipes to freeze and leaving many without heat or running water amid freezing temperatures.

In response, Aurora Harris, Southern Region Director for Young Invincibles issued the following statement:

“Millions of Texans continue to confront one of the most significant developments of the global climate crises. While there will be an opportunity in the future to hold state leaders accountable for this unmitigated, human-made disaster, our most urgent focus is the people of Texas.

As of today, nearly two million Texans still find themselves without electricity and millions more do not have access to running water or are under “Boil-Water” notices. As more snow and frigid temperatures descend across Texas, roads continue to be a safety hazard further complicating the dire circumstances residents face.

The people of Texas need direct assistance to weather the immediate impacts of the winter storms and the cascading effects of systemic failure. In the long term, individuals will require assistance as they repair the water damage caused by water pipe breaks.

Our thoughts are with our regional staff and their families, as well as the millions of residents in Texas who have already endured a very challenging week and tonight, face water insecurity and life-threatening temperatures without electricity.”

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