A ‘once-in- a lifetime’ snowstorm alert has been issued in Texas, triggering panic buying by the residents as Governor Greg Abbott activated state emergency response resources. Forecasters said cold temperatures will begin in the Austin area overnight Friday, and the weekend might turn into catastrophic. Meteorologist Dylan Federico said it will be a rare high-impact event, potentially the worst in decades since the Great Ice Storm of February 1994. Meteorologist’s 4-point advise ahead of the weekend
- Residents from Dallas, Shreveport, Atlanta, and Charlotte need to prepare as if a hurricane is coming.
- Buy non-perishable food, water, gas, and charge devices. Protect pipes, plants, pets, and people.
- Trim vulnerable tree limbs close to valuable property.
- Forget about any travel north this weekend.
“An ice storm of this magnitude will cripple the I-20 corridor along with any flights into this area for days. Ice impacts could even be possible as far south as I-10 in Texas and western Louisiana — but the swath of greatest impacts will likely stay north. Either way, this is trending towards becoming a historic storm,” he said.
Extreme cold after the storm predicted
The meteorologist predicted ‘dangerous cold’ coming after the storm is over. Single digit wind chills are expected all the way down to the north Gulf Coast, with it feeling below-zero inland. Power outages from the ice storm along and north of the I-20 corridor could make this a life-threatening situation. Make sure to protect pipes, plants, pets, and people before this weekend,” he said.
Panic buying in Texas
Videos of empty shelves of H-E-B are doing the rounds on social media, confirming that people have pressed the panic mode and hoarded essentials. H-E-B said they are prepared to take care of Texas. “At H-E-B, our top priority is taking care of Texas,” H-E-B told MySA in a statement. “Across our business, we regularly prepare for extreme weather events. All stores are operating normal hours. Our stores are receiving product deliveries, and our dedicated Partners will restock shelves throughout the day, so we can serve our customers with the products they need,” they said in a statement to My SanAntonio.
