“I’m in the same boat as each and every one of you, and my heart goes out to you,” George said. “I am concerned about your well-being, and we are doing everything possible we can to address this issue and make Fort Bend County better for our citizens.”
George said the Electric Reliability Council of Texas alongside CenterPoint Energy is working to fix this outages. ERCOT manages the state's electric grid, while CenterPoint Energy provides service to most of the Greater Houston area. Gov. Greg Abbott called for an investigation into ERCOT the afternoon of Feb. 16.
"That [investigation] will reveal some answers about what happened in the state of Texas, but it’s not going to solve our immediate problem," George said.
To address residents' immediate needs, Fort Bend County is opening several warming centers this evening, George said. Residents are encouraged to call the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management at 281-342-6185 to reserve a spot at a warming center prior to leaving their house.
George said the warming centers are located at:
- River Pointe Church, 21000 Hwy. 59, Richmond
- Merrell Center, 6301 S. Stadium Lane, Katy
- Sienna Annex, 5855 Sienna Springs Way, Missouri City
Fort Bend County is expected to experience freezing temperatures the evening of Feb. 17 and rainfall overnight and into the morning of Feb. 18, which could contribute to icy road conditions. George said residents should stay home if possible.
