Severe blizzards plague Texas
A series of intense blizzards and harsh weather conditions hit the state of Texas on Feb. 10. The storms and deadly cold left the state top to bottom in sheets of snow. More than 30 gigawatts of electricity were taken out, leaving more than four million Texans without power in their homes.
When the first wave of power outages hit across the state, nearly two million people living in Texas were struggling to survive without any power to support their houses. Now, even after many power lines have been restored, 325,000 people still remain without power due to downed power lines.
The abrupt storm left families struggling for food and heat. Food banks became empty due to the cold storms making it extremely difficult for people to step outside of their homes. School meal programs were suspended and food deliveries were stopped due to hazardous road conditions. Families were seen lining up outside of grocery stores to salvage whatever they could.
Due to the freezing temperatures caused by the storms, nearly 12 million Texans have been greatly affected by frozen pipelines and electricity issues. Keeping faucets running, families across the state hope to keep their pipes from bursting to have fresh water to drink and use. In 141 different Texas counties, 590 different public water systems have experienced interference due to the weather conditions.
Texas is on a separate power grid, which contributed to the loss of power. With the infrastructure not made to handle these weather conditions, the isolated power grid was not able to receive power from other states. Until now, Texas made a decision to not require equipment upgrades to better withstand winter temperatures, which left the state in a crisis when the storm hit.
As of now, the state is working to ensure necessary funding to help restore power in homes. With the low amounts of electricity, food and resources to support the people living in affected communities, residents have been forced to adjust to their current living conditions and cope with this tragedy that plagues their home state.
