At least nine people have died in Texas, according to The Associated Press, including four family members who died in a fire started by a fireplace. Three died of carbon monoxide poisoning and two men found by the side of the road in Houston believed to have died in sub-freezing temperatures.
Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the agency that oversees the state's electric grid, entered its highest alert level overnight Sunday into Monday and started rolling blackouts to conserve power.
"This is typically done through rotating outages, which are controlled, temporary interruptions of electric service," ERCOT said in a statement obtained by ABC News. "This type of demand reduction is only used as a last resort to preserve the reliability of the electric system as a whole."
Hidalgo, however, noted that 1.2 million customers continue to be without power because of the forced state/ERCOT power outages -- roughly the same as Monday.
Texas vaccine shipments are on hold because of the storm.
"Due to the winter storm and dangerous conditions, the CDC has put vaccine shipments on hold," the Texas Department of State Health Services said. "We are not expecting deliveries to occur until at least Wednesday. Many local vaccine providers have postponed clinics since it is not safe for people to be out across much of Texas right now. Vaccination will resume as soon as it is safe and local conditions allow."
