Mayor Adler says situation is 'dire,' calls for changes to Texas energy policy

AUSTIN, Texas — During an interview with CNN on Thursday morning, Austin Mayor Steve Adler said the situation in the city was "dire" as an unrelenting winter storm has left thousands without power and now a city-wide boil water notice.

"We started out with COVID," Adler said. "Layer on top of that snow and ice, 18 degrees below [freezing] for a sustained time, no one here is used to that."

"And then you add on top of that power outages, people don't have heat, and now we're adding on top of that water issues--it is too much to ask of anybody," Adler continued.

He also takes aim at former Gov. Rick Perry's comment that Texans would rather go without power than deal with more federal overreach.

"That sounds like something somebody would say who hasn't been without power," Adler said of Perry.

Watch the full interview below.