Here are things to know for Wednesday, Feb. 2:
1. ERCOT issues watch for extreme cold weather, possible icing conditions for Texas area
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A watch has been issued for the Texas area for an extreme cold weather event with possible icing conditions as an arctic cold front blasts through Wednesday night, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.
The watch will start on Wednesday evening, continuing through Sunday.
During Tuesday’s press conference on Texas preparations for the winter weather, Gov. Gregg Abbott said Friday will be the highest demand for the power grid.
“ERCOT will have an excess 15,000 megawatts of power available, even at the time of highest demand,” Abbott said. “ERCOT is well prepared for conditions as they currently stand but remains flexible in order to respond to power and demand needs.”
2. Gov. Abbott speaks on winter weather, assures state’s power grid is ready
Many Texans are concerned as officials are preparing for winter weather across much of the state this week.
Gov. Greg Abbott has made repeated assurances the state’s power grid is ready.
ERCOT officials have said 99% of power plants have complied with newly implemented weatherization plans. ERCOT has not yet issued any calls for conservation ahead of this week’s winter weather, but a watch was posted on their website Monday morning.
A projection from ERCOT issued last Friday showed that electricity demand could be near record levels starting this Wednesday.
3. Generators in high demand as Houstonians prepare for potential freeze this week
Houstonians are preparing for a potential freeze this week.
On Tuesday, days ahead of the possible freeze, customers at Bering’s Hardware were stocking up on supplies.
“We lost everything,” customer Kay Lee Werlin recalled.
Werlin walked the aisles at Bering’s to make sure she was prepared ahead of time for the possible severe weather event.
“I didn’t have enough insulating papers to wrap my plants and I was afraid we are going have another deep freeze,” she said.
This time, she’s taking extra precautions for the swift weather changes.
4. ‘I’m having nightmares’: Man says Uber driver ran over his leg for being at wrong location
A man is speaking out after he said he was attacked by an Uber driver in northwest Harris County.
“I truly, 100%, believe that this lady wanted to kill me,” said the victim who did not want to be identified.
The victim said he was helping a friend drop a car off near West Road when he called an Uber through the app.
Moments later, he said the driver called him.
“She said, ‘This is your Uber driver, where are you?’ I said, ‘Ok, look to your left.’ And I started waving her down and she immediately went off,” said the victim.
The victim said the driver started yelling and cursing at him for being at a different location.
5. History-making Houston judge retires after 28 years on the federal bench
In 1994, Judge Vanessa Gilmore made history as the youngest person serving on the federal branch. Now, Gilmore is hanging up her robe and preparing for a new life outside of the courthouse.
Gilmore retired Jan. 2, 2022, completing 28 years as a United States District Court Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
An East Coast native, Gilmore arrived in Houston in 1977 as a 20-year-old college graduate.
“I moved here to become a fashion buyer at Foley’s Department Store,” she recalled.
Law school was not part of the plan, she said until she filed her first lawsuit against her apartment complex for theft.