President Joe Biden told reporters on Friday he is planning to visit Texas as soon as next week to oversee recovery efforts from the severe winter storm that left millions without power this week
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th February, 2021) President Joe Biden told reporters on Friday he is planning to visit Texas as soon as next week to oversee recovery efforts from the severe winter storm that left millions without power this week.
"I plan on going," Biden said as quoted in a White House press pool report.
Biden said he spoke with Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday night about Federal assistance and will sign a major disaster declaration for the state as soon as Friday afternoon, the report said.
Freezing temperatures left up to 4 million homes in Texas without power this week and sparked a water crisis. As of Friday morning, about 180,000 customers were still without power, according to online tracker poweroutage.us. The governor ordered natural gas producers to not ship product out of state until February 21 due to the severe winter weather.
On Thursday, media reported that almost seven million Texas residents are suffering from issues with water systems amid the anomalously cold weather.
Cold weather also battered other states in the south and the heartland this week, leaving nearly 50 people dead overall. It also hit the state of Oregon in the northwest, where about 200,000 people lost power in the Portland area.
