SAN ANTONIO – Thousands of San Antonians left out in the dark, both literally and figuratively during rotating blackouts, are demanding answers and want to know when their power will be back amid days of bitterly cold temperatures.
While power outages and low water pressure may be an uncomfortable situation for many, it’s a life or death situation for some members of our community.
When is my power coming back on? CPS Energy CEO says complete outage relief coming in days
Candice Allen, a 32-year-old dialysis patient, requires treatment at least two to three times weekly, a process that typically takes about 4 hours. Allen said water is essential to her treatment. It’s a lifeline to cleanse her blood of toxins.
“We need that water. We need the electricity, but we need the water too, and there’s no way for us to dialyze,” Allen said.
The effects of the winter storm on the electrical grid this week have CPS Energy and other Texas energy providers overwhelmed.
CPS Energy President and CEO Paula Gold-Williams said the energy supply during the winter storm couldn’t meet the demand.
She said a third of the system would not be taking down as it’s a critical circuit. The critical circuit is supposed to keep emergency services and hospitals running.
Concerns about SAWS pumps taken off the critical circuit have dialysis patients like Allen in distress with no access to water.
“We do think that we were going to come out of this or start to come out of this by Friday. Looks to me that we will be effective through Saturday. It is dependent upon if the weather patterns change or worsen,” Gold-Williams said.
CPS Energy and SAWS are expected to provide an update on Thursday.