South Blackouts: Many in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi Still Without Power as Heatwave Rages

A massive heatwave hit the South, causing blackouts across Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The combination of the South blackouts and the massive heatwave has caused many to suffer.

Over in Texas, the state's power grid operator asked residents Tuesday to voluntarily cut back on electricity as the heatwave has caused more residents to use power, with the end-of-spring temperatures reaching that of midsummer. Power outages have also persisted throughout the state.

As the heat bears over Mississippi, the power outages have left residents with no power and air conditioning for almost 100 hours. The Associated Press pointed out that this was longer than the blackouts brought about by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. As this happens, the state experiences temperatures around 90 degrees (32 degrees Celsius).

In Louisiana, over 51,000 electricity customers still do not have power. These outages were caused by recent storms rather than the heatwave, though.

However, other parts of the South have also suffered, including Arkansas. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency on Tuesday after storms damaged power lines.

In Oklahoma, over 100,000 customers are still waiting for power to come back.

South Blackouts May Continue Until the End of the Week

In three states combined, Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana, over 300,000 customers are without electricity. While power companies have been working to restore power, experts admit that many residents would not get their power back soon.

According to NPR, power providers in Oklahoma have warned that some of the outages may not be fixed until the end of the week. Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum has warned those whose family members are reliant on electronic medical equipment to be careful as one person using a respirator has already died in the city due to the power outage.

"Please check on them," he said.

Louisiana officials are still warning of the risks of severe weather. Meanwhile, Texas continues to issue excessive heat warnings throughout the state. This is expected to continue through Wednesday at the very least.

East Texas Suffering Tornadoes, Storms, Heatwaves, Blackouts

Texas seems to be the hardest hit so far, as a heatwave resulting from the severe storms has made the South blackouts even more complicated.

Over in Panola County, an Enhanced Fujita-1 tornado measuring a half-mile wide caused severe damage to homes, according to the Texas Tribune. It moved northwest on its way to Louisiana. Additional severe storms also rocked the area over the weekend, with lightning, wind damage, and hail being recorded.

The weather has also caused major damage to the power grid provider's transmission system. The storms and tornadoes placed power lines out of commission and tore down utility poles and distribution wires. This resulted in hundreds of thousands of Texas households and businesses without power.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Texas power outages: Thousands of workers trying to restore electricity after severe storms - WFAA