Texans have resorted to using Ford F-150 pickup trucks to power their residences as nearly 200,000 homes are still without power following unprecedented freezing weather across the Lone Star State.
The 2021 truck models are equipped with a feature, “Pro Power Onboard,” which affords a user “the ability to use” the “truck as a mobile generator.” Randy Jones, who hails from the Houston area, was one person who used the 7.2-kW generator.
“We were out from Sunday through Wednesday evening,” the 66-year-old retired refinery worker said on Thursday after posting online photos of his setup. “It’s been miserably cold and frustrating to have loss of power for that many days. You’re living your life normally and, all of a sudden, you’re thrust into the dark. I think it got around 9 degrees. It’s been in mid-20s and low 30s. You don’t expect that in South Texas. You don’t expect to lose power when have nuclear, natural gas, wind and solar power.”
“The truck gave us light at night, TV access to catch the news and weather. It helped give us a little bit of heat and a good pot of coffee,” he said, adding that neighbors charged “their cellphones and iPads” off the generated electricity.
Jerry Hall, a 73-year-old resident of Kerville, also used the generator and claimed it “saved the day” when his power cut out on Sunday.
“The truck saved the day,” he said on Thursday, “It would have been three miserable days without the truck. It kept us connected with the outside world.”
WATER PIPES BURSTING AND 500,000 BATTLE COLD WEATHER WITHOUT POWER IN TEXAS
Upward of 184,000 Texas homes are without electricity at the time of publishing, down from a high of 3.8 million on Monday, following unusually frigid weather coupled with snow and sleet throughout the state. Numerous Texas cities reported subzero temperatures on Monday morning, including minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit in Amarillo, minus 9 in Dalhart, minus 5 in Farwell, and minus 4 in Childress. Conditions have since improved, with many areas reporting temperatures closer to 32 degrees, which is the freezing mark, on Friday morning.
Lone Star residents also experienced a water crisis when about 264,000 residents were living in areas where water systems were completely unusable as of Wednesday evening, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Pipes, some of which were reinforced with metal, burst at the seams in some areas.
The F-150 trend caught the attention of Ford CEO Jim Farley, who wrote on Thursday: “The situation in the SW US is so difficult. Wish everyone in Texas had a new F150 with PowerBoost onboard generator.”
The situation in the SW US is so difficult. Wish everyone in Texas had a new F150 with PowerBoost onboard generator…. https://t.co/KTgJpqjvPH
— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) February 18, 2021
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said earlier this week that his state has roughly 300 emergency warming centers in action after 3,000 National Guard troops were deployed to mitigate damage. A federal emergency declaration for all 254 counties in the state, approved by President Biden’s administration, has been in effect since Sunday.
