More than four million homes in Texas were without light or heat Monday night as record low temperatures caused such a high demand for power that it overwhelmed the state’s electric grid. According to NBC News, 4.3 million homes and businesses are without power in the state, with the worst-effected areas around Galveston and Houston. In the city of Abilene, water services were shut down on Monday night “as a result of power outages from both power sources at all three of its water treatment plants,” the city said in a statement. It’s not known when power and water service will be restored to the city’s 123,000 residents. Meanwhile, the blast of winter weather has been blamed for the deaths of two people along Houston-area roadways, according to the Associated Press, and forecasters say Monday could be the coldest night in Houston for three decades. Natural gas and propane prices have skyrocketed due to the freezing weather, in some cases by as much as 200 times higher than average.
