Texas

[JamesVincent]

How are you guys in Texas and Central US managing? Have a couple friends near Dallas who messaged saying they've had some power issues the last few days. You guys staying warm?

[Pottapaug1938]

My daughter is in Arlington, west of Dallas. She has power; but she and her boyfriend are under a boil-water order, because the delivery systems are suffering cold-related problems. Fortunately, she is from Massachusetts; so she knows a thing or two about dealing with cold weather.

She also works in the hotel industry; and after the cold, snow, and ice arrived, the Dallas-area hotels were mobbed by people, frozen out of their homes by burst pipes, lack of heat, and more, searching desperately for a place where they might find heat, hot water, and a place where they can eat.

Most of Texas relies on fossil fuels for energy generation; and the cold is interfering with its delivery because of frozen infrastructure.

[The Observer]

I have heard from one of my friends in the FWD metroplex. He was fortunate and did not lose power, although the cold freezing temperatures were another challenge.

Another friend in Hill Country had a more difficult challenge: he came down with COVID three days ago and is currently in ICU in critical condition. For him, the weather is not a priority on his mind. At least this morning, according to his daughter, his oxygen levels have improved.

[rogfulton]

Here in Austin, we are also under a boil notice. I just submitted a form from the city's website reporting my water is out and asking if the water is turned off in my neighborhood. I haven't heard back yet. I feel lucky I haven't lost power.

[eric]

Don't worry, Rudy and Erin are ready to tell you what to do:

Actually you guys have my deepest sympathies. Houses not built to handle the cold, local utilities not constructed to handle it, and state-wide systems with problems. I will have to check back, but I remember reading ten years ago a report on the resilience of the Texas power grid and fuel supply such as natural gas in the case of a state wide disaster and it wasn't pleasant.

[Famspear]

Monday morning, February 15, the temperature outside on our back porch was 16 degrees Fahrenheit. The electric power went off at 5:20 am. The ground was covered with ice and about an inch and a half of snow. The water also went out around the same time.

The power stayed off for over 19 hours, until 12:15 am Tuesday, when it came back on for only a few seconds. The power was restored at 12:30 am.

The power was off again/on again/off again through Tuesday and Wednesday. The power finally came back on and stayed on Wednesday night about 11:30 pm.

Our last night of freezing weather was Friday night/Saturday morning. As of this afternoon (Sunday), there was still a small amount of ice on the ground in our yard.

The "boil water" advisory was lifted by the City of Houston this afternoon, but my water comes from a municipal utility district, and we have been advised to continue NOT drinking the tap water (unless it's boiled for 2 minutes) until some time Monday.

What a nightmare.

EDIT: Our low temperature Tuesday morning was also 16 degrees. This is an almost unheard of temperature in south Texas. In December of 1989, it did get down to 7 degrees. I think the all-time low record for Houston is 5 degrees (at least, since they started keeping track of this sort of thing).

I had snow on my ground from Monday, Feb 15 to Saturday Feb. 20. I am almost 70 years old, and I have never before seen this. I have lived my entire life in south Texas and south Louisiana, except for about 7 months in Oklahoma City.

EDIT #2: It is now shortly after 4:00 pm on Sunday, Feb. 21, and the temperature on my back porch is exactly 70 degrees. A few minutes ago, I saw a girl jogging down the street in shorts and a T-shirt.

[notorial dissent]

I am hoping all our TX crew is safe other than slightly chilled. This kind of weather is not fun, even when you are more used to it.