Thousands in East Texas still have no power days after the winter storm

Winter Storm Fern freezes the Lone Star State

A powerful blast of icy air swept across parts of Texas in late January 2026, bringing freezing rain and widespread disruptions. While the primary power grid stayed strong, the heavy ice caused many local power lines to break.

At the peak of the storm on Sunday morning, January 25, 2026, more than 120,000 Texans were left without electricity. Most of these outages occurred in East Texas, where the ice was thickest on trees and wires.

Thick ice causes power poles to snap

The biggest problem for the power companies was the freezing rain that turned into heavy ice. In Shelby County, the ice was so heavy that it snapped many pine tree branches and power poles.

Experts say that just one inch of ice can be enough to bring down overhead power lines. Because of all the fallen trees, repair crews are having a tough time reaching the broken lines. Workers are out in the cold, clearing away branches as fast as they can to help everyone.

Thousands are still waiting for lights to return

Even though the sun has started to come out, many families are still waiting for their power to return. As of Tuesday morning, January 27, 2026, about 35,000 people in Texas still lacked electricity.

It is taking a long time to fix everything because the damage is spread out over many rural areas. Some families have been using gas generators to keep their houses warm while they wait. Repair crews are working around the clock to restore power to everyone.

Rural electric companies see the most damage

The small companies that provide power to rural areas, called cooperatives, have the most work to do. On Sunday, January 25, 2026, the Deep East Texas Electric Cooperative reported that 22,819 of its customers had no power.

This was one of the highest numbers for any utility company in the state. Because these areas have so many trees, the ice caused a lot more damage than it did in the big cities. The workers are doing their best to reach every house, even in the most remote spots.

Restoration efforts continue for over five thousand homes

As the week continued, crews made progress, but many homes remained in the dark. By Friday, January 30, 2026, exactly 5,721 homes and businesses were still without power in the Deep East Texas area.

This represents a significant portion of the cooperative’s remaining customer base. Most outages are in Shelby County, where ice damage was the worst statewide.

Workers are replacing broken poles and cross-arms as quickly as possible to restore power to affected families.

Shelby County remains the hardest hit area

Shelby County has faced the most challenging recovery of any county in the state. As of Friday morning, January 30, 2026, exactly 2,164 customers in Shelby County were still without electricity.

While this is an improvement from the weekend, it is still the highest number of outages currently reported in any single Texas county.

The dense forests in this area made it easy for ice-covered trees to fall and crush power equipment. Utility crews are currently concentrated in this region to finish the final, most difficult repairs.

Sam Houston Electric restores most customers quickly

While some areas struggled, other power companies in East Texas resolved their outages much more quickly. By Wednesday afternoon, January 28, 2026, Sam Houston Electric had only 57 customers left without power.

This was a tiny number compared to the storm’s peak, when over 5,500 of their members were in the dark.

The company used its own crews and additional helpers to quickly fix the lines. Most people in their service area were able to restore heating service before the coldest nights.

Thousands of flights were disrupted by the storm

The winter weather did not just affect power; it also made it very hard for people to travel. From Saturday to Monday, 4,764 flights were canceled at the two largest airports in Texas.

These airports are Dallas-Fort Worth International and George Bush Intercontinental in Houston. Many people were stuck at the airport for days waiting for the ice to melt so planes could take off again.

This massive number of cancellations shows just how much the storm impacted everyone trying to move around the state.

The storm has caused many tragic deaths

Sadly, the extreme cold and icy conditions have led to several people losing their lives in Texas. As of Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at least nine people have died in the state because of the winter weather.

State officials reported multiple storm-related fatalities, including incidents linked to icy conditions and exposure to extreme cold. Other people died from the cold or in car accidents on the slippery roads.

These events are a sad reminder of how dangerous winter storms can be for everyone in our community.

State leaders declared a disaster for many counties

Because the storm was so dangerous, the Governor of Texas had to ask for extra help. Before the storm even hit, a disaster declaration was issued for 134 different counties across the state.

This allowed the government to move emergency supplies and extra workers to areas that would be hit hardest.

By having this declaration in place, towns could obtain the funds and tools needed to clear the roads and repair the power lines. This helped the state respond much faster than in previous storms.

Battery storage provided a big boost to the grid

Unlike the big storm in 2021, the central Texas power grid stayed strong this time. On Monday morning, January 26, 2026, battery systems provided 9.5% of the state’s power. This was a massive help during the coldest part of the day when everyone was using their heaters.

These batteries were not around in large numbers during the last big freeze, so they are a new way to keep the grid stable. Having this extra energy helped make sure the lights stayed on for most Texans.

Extra help arrives from other power companies

Fixing thousands of broken power lines is a job too big for one company. By Tuesday, January 27, 2026, there were 300 workers on the ground in the Texas area.

They brought extra trucks and tools to replace the hundreds of broken cross-arms and poles. Having all these extra people working together helped restore power to thousands of families much faster than if the local crew had worked alone.

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Full power is expected by early February

Utility companies are working as fast as they can, but they still have a lot of work left to do. The Deep East Texas Electric Cooperative expects power to be fully restored by Sunday, February 1, 2026. This is because they still have to replace about 150 broken poles and 400 cross-arms.

Even though it has been a long wait, the workers are being careful to make sure everything is fixed correctly. Once the final pole is replaced, life can return to normal for the residents of East Texas.

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How long is too long to go without power after a storm? Share your thoughts in the comments.

This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.

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