Widespread power outages in Texas, Oregon triggered by severe winter storms

With massive winter storms hitting the US, a rapid and severe temperature was noted in states like Oregon, Texas and parts of Washington. As a consequence, a widespread power outage was triggered and left hundreds of thousands without electricity in substantially harsh conditions. 

Portland General Electric officials reported that the outages started early morning on Friday leaving over 292,300 consumers impacted, especially in Clackamas County.  

Also Read: Winter storm triggers power outage in Texas, causes severe temperature drop

The havoc caused by the sudden change of weather west coast of the US left over 4,000 power lines damaged in the affected areas in addition to multiple transmission lines. 

Efforts of recovering from the frequent power outages have been hindered by the freezing cold rains on Sunday night. 

Similar storms happened simultaneously in the southern state of Texas, causing a rotating power outage that caused several residents to go without electricity for short intervals while temperatures dropped near Dallas and Houston.

Also Read: How long will the Texas power outage last?

In an attempt to make timely measures in the lone-star state, US President Joe Biden announced a statewide emergency in Texas and ordered federal assistance to aid state and local response efforts which led to state officials issuing warnings and urging preparations for outages and hazardous roads. 

Samuel Pena, the Houston Fire Chief said that around 120 road accidents were reported on Sunday, including a 10-car pileup on I-45.