NewsBreak Original

A stock photo depicting energy transmission towers on the field during sunset.Pixabay / Pexels. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has asked the state residents to scale back on their energy consumption as the current system remains under severe pressure.

Michigan reported the fourth-highest number of average power disruptions in the U.S., behind Maine, West Virginia, and California as per the power outage data reported by the Citizens Utility Board of Michigan. The state also reported some of the highest energy costs in the Midwest.

Winter storms and freezing temperatures this week in Texas have led to quite a few power outages, though still noticeably less than last year. However, the cause for concern, in this case, is related to several counties reporting outages with high numbers of individuals that rely on electricity for medical devices according to an analysis conducted by CrisisReady.

A combination of sleet, snow and ice has hit over 2,000 miles of the eastern and central US. Those within the area are now stuck in this storm with no power. This was to be expected as over 100 million people in 25 states between the Mexican and Canadian borders were under winter weather alerts on Thursday. This is on top of meteorologists warning early this week that power outages were inevitable.

It's rare to experience two power outages within two weeks, but that's exactly what recently in Holyoke. Caused by a period of high demand secondary to extremely cold weather, Holyoke Gas and Electric issued the following statement: