Photos: Power outages linger for millions as another icy storm looms
A winter storm that left millions without power in record-breaking cold weather claimed more lives Tuesday, including three people found dead after a tornado hit a seaside town in North Carolina and four family members who perished in a Houston-area house fire while using a fireplace to stay warm. The storm that overwhelmed power grids and immobilized the Southern Plains carried heavy snow and freezing rain into New England and the Deep South and left behind painfully low temperatures. Wind-chill warnings extended from Canada into Mexico. Read the full story on SantaMariaTimes.com
'A complete bungle': Texas' energy pride goes out with cold
Jorge Sanhueza-Lyon stands on his kitchen counter to warm his feet over his gas stove Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Power was out for thousands of central Texas residents after temperatures dropped into the single digits when a snow storm hit the area on Sunday night. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Power outages linger for millions as another icy storm looms
Joecyah Heath, left, Morning Day, center, and Jenesis Heath rest in recliners at a Gallery Furniture store which opened as a shelter Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, in Houston. Millions in Texas still had no power after a historic snowfall and single-digit temperatures created a surge of demand for electricity to warm up homes unaccustomed to such extreme lows, buckling the state's power grid and causing widespread blackouts. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Power outages linger for millions as another icy storm looms
Christopher Harris, left, his wife Novi, center, and their daughter Keeva, occupy an office suite at a pop-up warming center in Richardson, Texas, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. In cooperation with the cities emergency management center, this location is one of seven that have opened in the city, offering those in need a place to keep warm and have access to power supply to charge devices. This particular location is a 24-hour location whereas the six others will be open on Wednesday, and Thursday if needed for limited hours. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Power outages linger for millions as another icy storm looms
A woman walks past the front desk at a Gallery Furniture store which opened as a shelter for those in need of food, water and heat Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, in Houston. Millions in Texas still had no power after a historic snowfall and single-digit temperatures created a surge of demand for electricity to warm up homes unaccustomed to such extreme lows, buckling the state's power grid and causing widespread blackouts. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Power outages linger for millions as another icy storm looms
Howard and Nena Mamu take what they can from their home in the Glenwood neighborhood in Hutto, Texas, Tuesday, Feb 16, 2021. The Mamu family says that they will try to find a hotel after they found out that they will not get any power until Friday. Anger over Texas’ power grid failing in the face of a record winter freeze mounted Tuesday as millions of residents in the energy capital of the U.S. remained shivering with no assurances that their electricity and heat — out for 36 hours or longer in many homes — would return soon or stay on once it finally does. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
Power outages linger for millions as another icy storm looms
People line up to enter Costco in Pflugerville, Texas, Tuesday morning, Feb 16, 2021. Anger over Texas’ power grid failing in the face of a record winter freeze mounted Tuesday as millions of residents in the energy capital of the U.S. remained shivering with no assurances that their electricity and heat — out for 36 hours or longer in many homes — would return soon or stay on once it finally does. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
Power outages linger for millions as another icy storm looms
Brett Archibad tries to entertain his family as they attempt to stay warm in their home the BlackHawk neighborhood in Pflugerville, Texas, Tuesday, Feb 16, 2021. Anger over Texas’ power grid failing in the face of a record winter freeze mounted Tuesday as millions of residents in the energy capital of the U.S. remained shivering with no assurances that their electricity and heat — out for 36 hours or longer in many homes — would return soon or stay on once it finally does. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
Power outages linger for millions as another icy storm looms
Juan Guerrlo, center left, waits in line to fill his propane tanks Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, in Houston. Customers had to wait over an hour in the freezing rain to fill their tanks. Millions in Texas still had no power after a historic snowfall and single-digit temperatures created a surge of demand for electricity to warm up homes unaccustomed to such extreme lows, buckling the state's power grid and causing widespread blackouts. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Power outages linger for millions as another icy storm looms
Howard and Nena Mamu eat dinner at their home in the Glenwood neighborhood in Hutto, Texas, Tuesday, Feb 16, 2021. Anger over Texas’ power grid failing in the face of a record winter freeze mounted Tuesday as millions of residents in the energy capital of the U.S. remained shivering with no assurances that their electricity and heat — out for 36 hours or longer in many homes — would return soon or stay on once it finally does. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
Power outages linger for millions as another icy storm looms
Avett Archibad, 8, helps his brother Sanders, 6, and sister Luella, 10, built an igloo in their front yard of their home in the BlackHawk neighborhood in Pflugerville, Texas, Tuesday, Feb 16, 2021. Most homes in the area were without power for nearly 24 hours. Atmos Energy and other power companies were performing rotating outages to protect the electric grid. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
'A complete bungle': Texas' energy pride goes out with cold
A woman who identified herself as Caroline and using blankets to keep warm outside the Majestic Theater, is encouraged by Morgan Handley, left, and Pastor Gavin Rogers, right, to seek shelter, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Power outages linger for millions as another icy storm looms
Michelle DeFord bundles up in a blanket to stay warm outside the warming shelter at the George R. Brown Convention Center, where she is staying during the frigid cold weather Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, in Houston. Temperatures stayed below freezing Tuesday. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Power outages linger for millions as another icy storm looms
Icicles form on a the frozen helmet of a Tulsa Firefigther working the scene of a 3 alarm fire on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021 in Tulsa, Okla. Temperatures hovered in the single digits. (Mike Simons /Tulsa World via AP)
'Obviously a mistake': Cruz returns from Cancun after uproar
People wait in line to fill propane tanks Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, in Houston. Customers had to wait over an hour in the freezing rain to fill their tanks. Millions in Texas still had no power after a historic snowfall and single-digit temperatures created a surge of demand for electricity to warm up homes unaccustomed to such extreme lows, buckling the state's power grid and causing widespread blackouts. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
100 million Americans brace for more cold, ice and snow
People wait in a long line to buy groceries at H-E-B on South Congress Avenue during an extreme cold snap and widespread power outage on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, in Austin, Texas. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
100 million Americans brace for more cold, ice and snow
This aerial photo shows the devastation Tuesday Feb. 16, 2021, in the Ocean Ridge Plantation area of Brunswick County, N.C. following a tornado. (Ken Blevins/The Star-News via AP)
100 million Americans brace for more cold, ice and snow
Customers use the light from a cell phone to look in the meat section of a grocery store Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, in Dallas. Even though the store lost power, it was open for cash only sales. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
100 million Americans brace for more cold, ice and snow
Pastor Gavin Rogers, left, tries to convince people to come to his warming shelter to escape sub-freezing temperatures, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
100 million Americans brace for more cold, ice and snow
Christine Chapman, center, sets down an empty canister to exchange for a full propane tank from Robert Webster, left, outside a grocery store Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, in Dallas. Even though the store lost power, it was open for cash only sales. Chapman said she has been without power for two nights and is using the propane to keep warm. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
100 million Americans brace for more cold, ice and snow
A homeless man Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, sleeps at the Chicago Transit Authority's Clark & Dearborn bus station, the morning after a snowstorm dumped up to 18 inches in the greater Chicago area. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
100 million Americans brace for more cold, ice and snow
Ivan Gonzales, left, works with his brother-in-law Gabriel Martinez to assist a motorist using a carpet up a hill along the snow-covered Cherrywood Road in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. The statewide freeze has resulted in many roads to become layered with ice and snow making several impassible and hazardous to both drivers and pedestrians.. (Bronte Wittpenn/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
100 million Americans brace for more cold, ice and snow
People seeking shelter from below freezing temperatures rest inside a church warming center Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, in Houston. More than 4 million people in Texas still had no power a full day after historic snowfall and single-digit temperatures created a surge of demand for electricity to warm up homes unaccustomed to such extreme lows, buckling the state's power grid and causing widespread blackouts. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
100 million Americans brace for more cold, ice and snow
Crews with Tupelo Public Works begin to clear the intersection of South Green and Eason Blvd., Monday night, Feb. 15, 2021, as they work through the night to make the roads safe for travel in Tupelo, Miss. (Thomas Wells/The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal via AP)
Millions endure record cold without power; at least 20 dead
A woman wrapped in a blanket crosses the street near downtown Dallas, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. Temperatures dropped into the single digits as snow shut down air travel and grocery stores. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Millions endure record cold without power; at least 20 dead
Brett Archibad tries to entertain his family as they try to stay warm in their home in the BlackHawk neighborhood in Pflugerville, Texas, Tuesday, Feb 16, 2021. Most homes in the area were without power for nearly 24 hours. Atmos Energy and other power companies were performing rotating outages to protect the electric grid. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
Millions endure record cold without power; at least 20 dead
Bethany Fischer, right, rests her head on the shoulder of her husband Nic, while staying at a church warming center Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, in Houston. The couple, who lost power at their home on Monday, are part of the more than 4 million people in Texas who still had no power a full day after historic snowfall and single-digit temperatures created a surge of demand for electricity to warm up homes unaccustomed to such extreme lows, buckling the state's power grid and causing widespread blackouts. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Millions endure record cold without power; at least 20 dead
Commuters wait for the bus in the Edgewater neighborhood, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, after a snowstorm in Chicago. A winter storm has blanketed parts of the Chicago area with up to a foot and a half of snow, shuttering schools to in-person classes Tuesday as officials urged residents to stay off the snow-filled roads. (Pat Nabong /Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
Millions endure record cold without power; at least 20 dead
Tim tends a fire he used for heat and cooking at a homeless camp in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday Feb. 16, 2021, during an extreme cold snap. Temperatures dropped into the single digits as snow shut down air travel and grocery stores. (Jay Janner /Austin American-Statesman via AP)
Millions endure record cold without power; at least 16 dead
Jennifer Evans stands beside her car, which was damaged when the building at 748 W. 91st St. collapsed in the Brainerd neighborhood, Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 16, 2021, in Chicago. (Pat Nabong/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
Millions endure record cold without power; at least 16 dead
A couple walk along the banks of a frozen Mississippi River near Chain of Rocks Bridge Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, in Madison County, Ill. The region has been plunged into the deep freeze with brutally cold temperatures and more snow in the forecast. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Millions endure record cold without power; at least 16 dead
Houston Police officers Kenneth Bigger, center, and Aaron Day, center right, hand out blankets to people under the elevated portion of I-45 in downtown Houston, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, as a winter weather continues to hit the area. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Millions endure record cold without power; at least 16 dead
Water flows past rocks covered in ice along a frozen Mississippi River near Chain of Rocks Bridge Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, in Madison County, Ill. The region has been plunged into the deep freeze with brutally cold temperatures and more snow in the forecast. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Millions endure record cold without power; at least 16 dead
Two men climb over downed trees as they head out to retrieve gas for generators, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, in Huntington, W.Va., following a winter weather system. (Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch via AP)
Millions endure record cold without power; at least 15 dead
A property owner videos the damage to a home from severe weather in Brunswick County, N.C. near the town of Sunset Beach, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. North Carolina authorities say an apparent tornado killed multiple people and injured at several in the coastal community. Officials say it struck just before midnight Monday in Brunswick County's Ocean Ridge Plantation neighborhood, destroying homes, downing powerlines and snapping trees in half.(AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Millions endure record cold without power; at least 15 dead
A man walks past mounds of plowed snow from nine consecutive days of measurable and fresh fallen snow Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Millions endure record cold without power; at least 15 dead
People seeking shelter from below freezing temperatures rest inside a church warming center Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, in Houston. More than 4 million people in Texas still had no power a full day after historic snowfall and single-digit temperatures created a surge of demand for electricity to warm up homes unaccustomed to such extreme lows, buckling the state's power grid and causing widespread blackouts. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Millions endure record cold without power; at least 15 dead
A person walks a dog in the Edgewater neighborhood, Tuesday morning, Feb. 16, 2021, after a snowstorm in Chicago. A winter storm has blanketed parts of the Chicago area with up to a foot and a half of snow, shuttering schools to in-person classes Tuesday as officials urged residents to stay off the snow-filled roads. (Pat Nabong /Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Nearly 3.4 million utility customers around the U.S. were still without power Wednesday in the aftermath of a winter stor…