Texas Tribune: “At least 57 people died in Texas as a result of last month’s winter storm, according to preliminary data the state health department released Monday. The largest number of deaths – at least 25 – occurred in Harris County, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported. The deaths occurred in at least 25 counties between Feb. 11 and March 5, the state agency said. The majority of verified deaths were associated with hypothermia, but health officials said some were also caused by motor vehicle wrecks, ‘carbon monoxide poisoning, medical equipment failure, falls and fire.’ The preliminary data is ‘subject to change’ as state disaster epidemiologists gather additional information and additional deaths are verified, the agency said.”
“The winter storm plunged large swaths of Texas into subfreezing temperatures and overwhelmed the state’s electricity infrastructure, causing massive power outages. At the height of the crisis, nearly 4.5 million Texas homes and businesses were without power. That’s because nearly half of the total power generation capacity for the main state electricity grid was offline as weather conditions caused failures in every type of power source: natural gas, coal, wind and nuclear. Millions of Texans went days without power.”