Biden climate adviser says Texas storm ‘a wake-up call’

Gina McCarthy, President Biden’s national climate adviser, called the winter storm that hit Texas a “wake-up call” for the U.S. to build more infrastructure that can withstand extreme-weather caused by climate change.

McCarthy told The Associated Press in an interview on Friday that the winter storm “is not going to be as unusual as people had hoped.”

“It is going to happen, and we need to be as resilient and working together as much as possible,” McCarthy said. “We need systems of energy that are reliable and resilient as well.″

McCarthy added that more frequent and dangerous storms are likely, telling the news outlet “if we really care about keeping our people working and keeping our kids healthy and giving them a future we’re proud of, then we’re not going to ignore these wake-up calls. We’re going to take action.”

Texas is still recovering from the winter storm that left people without power and running water. At least 40 people in Texas died amid the storm, according to the AP.

Biden declared a major disaster in Texas and Oklahoma, allowing the states to access federal resources to aid in recovery, and has also signed an emergency declaration for Louisiana.

The president also visited the Lone Star State on Friday, where he vowed to help Texas recover from the storm.

McCarthy told the AP that the storm may cause Texas to connect to the nation’s power grid. She noted that while the storm affected other neighboring states like Oklahoma and Louisiana, they were able to rely on each other.

“I think Texas might … have a real opportunity and probably ought to think about making sure they join with their neighbors in an interstate grid system that allows them flexibility, and that helps them help their neighbors when the time comes,” she told the news outlet.