Williamson County, like the entire state of Texas, is facing rolling power outages, but Judge Bill Gravell wants to remind residents that the county has no control over water or electricity supplies. (Ali Linan / Community Impact Newspaper)
Williamson County, like the entire state of Texas, is facing rolling power outages, but Judge Bill Gravell wants to remind residents that the county has no control over water or electricity supplies.
“Let me be clear, Williamson County has no control over power,” Gravell said in an interview with Newspaper with an impact on the community.
Gravell said about 40% of the county has no power. While he said he believes the number of customers affected by the power outages will decline in the coming days, the county will face continuous power outages for at least the next two to three days.
“I think this is going to be a matter of days,” Gravell said. “We will have to be patient and work together to get through this difficult time.”
Gravell said the county is working with local back towns to support services where possible, including opening charging stations across the county for those needing to charge oxygen equipment.
Gravell added that while officials are in talks to open warming centers for those without power, it is difficult to secure a location that they know won’t suffer from power outages either.
“We don’t really have a location yet where we can place someone [and] make sure there is electricity and, more importantly, heat in that facility, ”said Gravell. “It’s a pretty complicated question, but we’re working with our cities to take those steps if possible.”
Gravell said the county and Texas will survive and will survive the onset of a pandemic, a turbulent political season, in 12 months.
“I know people are just exhausted from where we stand, but we’re Texans,” Gravell said. “We have this. We just have to stop, take care of ourselves, take care of our family and take care of our neighbors, because that’s what sets us apart.”
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, operates the state’s electrical grid and controls about 90% of the state’s electrical load. Contact your direct supplier for more information about water and utility outages.