More Than 70,000 Texans Are Without Power Due To A Winter Storm, Despite Gov. Greg Abbott’s Promise That ‘The Lights Will Stay On’

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has a complicated relationship with the truth. Case in point: On Thursday morning, as the state braced for an impending winter storm, Abbott promised his nearly 30 million residents that all would be well in the Lone Star State.

“We are dealing with one of the most significant icing events that we’ve had in the state of Texas in at least several decades,” Abbott said, according to The New York Times. Yet he noted that “the power grid is performing very well. There is plenty of power available at this time, as well as plenty of power expected for the remainder of today and early tomorrow.” But as of Thursday evening, temperatures across the state are below freezing and more than 70,000 residents are without power, Raw Story reports.

“It’s a little traumatic,” Corpus Christi resident Angelica Carlin told her local newspaper, according to Raw Story. “It’s like last year. Déjà vu all over again.”

The déjà vu Carlin is experiencing is understandable. It was almost one year ago that the state was walloped with a massive ice storm that left millions of people without power. Among the power-less were senator Ted Cruz and his family, who decided to high-tail it to Cancun for a little fun in the Mexican sun.

Cruz became an even bigger punch line, then unfortunately tried to get in on the joke, which only made his abandoning his constituents look worse. Also: Approximately 700 people died. Unfortunately, Cruz is still at it and just yesterday, ahead of the storm, tweeted about the price of a plane ticket to Cancun.

(We’re still not laughing with you, Ted.)

Speaking of statements you might want to take back: If Abbott has a DeLorean or TARDIS stashed away somewhere, he might want to hop inside and travel back to November. That’s when, according to KUT90.5, Austin’s NPR affiliate, Abbott stupidly said the words: “I can guarantee the lights will stay on.” When reminded of that statement, Abbott had no choice but to backtrack, noting:

“No one can guarantee that there won’t be a load shed event. But what we will work and strive to achieve and what we are prepared to achieve is that the power will stay on across the entire state.”

According to Abbott’s most recent tweet, sent at 3:47 p.m. on Thursday, “The power grid is performing well.”

Abbott is, of course, the same man who promised to solve Texas’s rape problem.

(Via Raw Story)