Could Texas' winter weather disaster happen in the DC region? Dominion Energy says it's highly unlikely
Could Texas’ weather disaster happen in the DC region?
They’re facing utter disaster in Texas, where millions are still without power, and in major American cities, lines at the grocery store are wrapped around the block. It’s a horrifying situation – but also one that Virginia’s largest energy provider said is highly unlikely to happen here.
WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - They’re facing utter disaster in Texas, where millions are still without power, and in major American cities, lines at the grocery store are wrapped around the block.
"Apartment now is getting freezing," one woman described. "Even though all the doors, all the windows are closed, but it’s frozen inside."
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It’s a horrifying situation – but also one that Virginia’s largest energy provider said is highly unlikely to happen here.
"They are instituting rolling blackouts in Texas. We will not be doing that," explained Dominion Energy’s Peggy Fox, who added that while Texas may have a supply and demand issue, Dominion doesn’t.
AUSTIN, TX - FEBRUARY 15: People carry groceries from a local gas station on February 15, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Winter storm Uri has brought historic cold weather to Texas, causing traffic delays and power outages, and storms have swept across 26 s
That’s not to say, however, that Virginians won’t still see some significant problems. In fact, Fox said much of central and southern Virginia did just last week when they were hit with the Commonwealth’s worst ice storm in more than 20 years, leaving 290,000 customers without power.
"Our crews from Northern Virginia have been downstate working, in fact, some are still there," Fox said Wednesday.
So, ahead of whatever winter weather comes our way, she recommended that people stay prepared, saying Dominion is expecting outages this week in Virginia.
"Ice is the big problem," Fox explained. "You know when you’ve got the ice buildup that can weigh down power lines, weigh down branches, when branches fall on power lines, they can even bring down utility poles and create more damage, which is going to take longer to repair."