FEMA sending generators, fuel to Texas amid power outages

The Biden administration is sending generators, blankets and other supplies to Texas as the state grapples with widespread power outages amid an extended blast of winter weather.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has supplied generators and is preparing to send diesel fuel to the state “to ensure the continued availability of backup power, which of course is a major issue on the ground, to key critical infrastructure including communications, hospitals and water,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a Wednesday briefing.

“FEMA is also supplying Texas with water and blankets at their request,” she added. “We are preparing to quickly process requests from other states for emergency assistance … and we urge people in the affected states to of course listen to their emergency management officials.”

President Biden has already approved a disaster declaration for Texas to free up additional resources as many residents have been without power for days.

A winter storm has covered swaths of the South in snow and temperatures in the region have plunged. Texas in particular has faced problems as the state’s electrical power grid has been overwhelmed in the face of increasing demand. Many of the state’s gas-fired power plants were also compromised by the snow and ice.

At least 10 people in the state have died as the outages drag on.

Biden on Tuesday spoke with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and the leaders of Louisiana, Kentucky, Kansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Oklahoma to get an update on the situation.