Evaluating utility responses and community impacts: A case study of Winter Storm Uri
About the project
In 2021, Winter Storm Uri left millions of people in Texas without power or water and resulted in billions of dollars in damages. While the impacts of Uri were made worse by failures in all parts of the energy sector, this event also provides an opportunity to learn from our response and better prepare for the next disaster.
Through a series of semi-structured interviews, we evaluate the decisions made by electric utilities across the state to obtain their perspectives on their emergency operations and their ability to respond to extreme weather events. From this, we identify key strategies and recommendations that will improve utility responses to future events.
In addition, we evaluate the equity of the rolling blackouts during the event using a case study of Austin, Texas. Using a combination of satellite imagery, historical loads, and socioeconomic data, we identify discrepancies in blackout distribution and durations across race, ethnic, and income groups. Moreover, we identify inequities in community access and proximity to emergency resources, such as fire stations and hospitals, to consider their impacts on both the rolling blackouts and a community’s ability to seek aid during emergencies.
