What’s Happening in Texas and How You Can Help
In the wake of record low temperatures and snowfall in mid-February, many Texas residents are still without power and drinkable water. The devastating winter storm began on Feb. 11, when the temperature dipped below freezing and continued through Feb. 15 when Texans woke up to inches of snow.
Massive power blackouts began in the early hours of Feb. 15, as rolling outages were implemented in order to reduce the strain on the state’s power grid, which is managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Texas’ grid is designed to handle the high demand for air conditioning in the summer but became overwhelmed with the sudden record demand for heat on Feb. 14, according to the Texas Tribune.
ERCOT initially planned for the outages to be limited to up to 45 minutes in each affected area in order to regain control of the grid, but the system was incapable of keeping up as more and more households turned up the heat.
As power began to be restored on Feb. 17, many families discovered that their water pipes had burst and water treatment plants had failed, leaving some still unable to drink tap water and some without access to running water altogether. Only days after the storm initially hit, there were still over 13 million people under a boil water notice.
Then, to make matters worse, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz came under fire for leaving the state as millions of his constituents were left without power. He later released a statement, expressing his regret and saying it was “obviously a mistake.”
The devastation of the deadly winter storm in Texas reaches as far as our community here at Elon. Junior Anna Sheinberg is from Williamson County in Austin and though she says her area did not feel the effects nearly as much as others, it wasn’t left unscathed. She says both of her parents and her grandmother lost power and water and that a lot of the remaining problems have to do with infrastructure.
“Now the big concern…is that because of all of the plumbing issues, there’s now bacteria in the water systems,” says Sheinberg. “One of my neighbors has been sick all day. Last time I checked we were still under a boil water notice. You know, a week after this, it felt very apocalyptic.”
She also discussed the surprising nature of the storm, noting how incredibly rare it is for cold weather to make its way to the Lone Star State. She says that though the joke is that Texas natives can’t handle weather below 70 degrees and sunny, it really is just that the state doesn’t actually have the infrastructure to handle it.
“We don’t have plows; we don’t have things to salt. Nobody has snow tires. Houses aren’t equipped,” says Sheinberg. “And then when the snow came, we were using extra electricity…and we blew out the energy grid.”
Sheinberg says it’s been difficult being several states away from her family and friends at such a stressful time. She says she’s been more checked out of Elon-related things, but that she’s thankful that her friends and family have been okay.
She also stressed the importance of continuing to help people in Texas by donating to organizations dedicated to helping those still in need—especially food banks, who can provide supplies to those who were already food insecure during the pandemic and have now been hit doubly hard because of the storm.
To help residents of Texas recovering from the storm, check out these organizations:
For even more suggestions of organizations to donate to, see this continuously updated list.