ALT Data-driven report says 700 died in Texas' February power outages, not the 151 reported by the state Posted By Sanford Nowlin on Thu, May 27, 2021 at 1:43 pm [Image of snow-covered homes, yards, and sidewalks][Image caption: This San Antonio neighborhood was without power during February's winter storm. - SANFORD NOWLIN] The failure of Texas’ electrical grid during February's winter storm likely killed hundreds more people than the state officials have so far acknowledged, according to a new data analysis by BuzzFeed News. Reviewing federal mortality data, the news site estimated that 702 people died during the week of the storm, which cut off power to millions of Texans during freezing weather. That toll is multiple times higher than the official count of 151 shared by state health officials. https://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2021/05/27/data-driven-report-says-700-died-in-texas-february-power-outages-not-the-151-reported-by-the-state

ALT "This astonishing toll exposes the full consequence of officials’ neglect in preventing the power grid’s collapse despite repeated warnings of its vulnerability to cold weather, as well as the state’s failure to reckon with the magnitude of the crisis that followed," BuzzFeed's reporting team wrote. BuzzFeed based its study on Centers for Disease Control mortality data. It crunched the numbers using a method called “excess deaths” analysis, which has been used to estimate the complete death toll of the COVID-19 pandemic. The data suggests that many medically vulnerable people, including those with diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions would still be alive had they not been exposed to blackouts, extreme cold, stress and other factors. BuzzFeed had three independent experts review its analysis. https://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2021/05/27/data-driven-report-says-700-died-in-texas-february-power-outages-not-the-151-reported-by-the-state