For those unaware Texas was recently hit with the coldest temperatures in over 100 years. Millions were without power due to improper planning leading to the deaths of over 70 people including children. Now as temperatures get back to Texans are still experiencing "rolling blackouts" as the power companies try to get the coal and natural gas power plants back up and running after a 80% failure rate during the cold snap. Most if not all the problems could have been avoided however if the companies that found themselves flat footed in this natural phenomenon had spent the time to winterize their plants. Its the typical case of hubris, greed, and lack of commonsense that we have come accustom to with businesses that haven't had real competition in years.
However, this isn't a recap of the news. This is my personal account of the events. The issues my family and I had to contend with, and how we weathered the storm.
-- Sat 13th Feb 2021 --
The snow started to fall gently reluctantly blanketing the warm ground as it often does in Texas in February. The tempature was still in the high 20s so out family was filled with the joy of "first snow" and the desire to watch it as it fell. By nightfall the wind began to howl and we started to feel the bite of bitter cold. We hung blankets over windows, shoved towels under doors, but for every entry block the wind found entry through another. Still the house was warm where it needed to be, we've had cold nights. We'll be fine...
-- Sun 14th Feb 2021 --
The house is now hovering around 50 degrees the snow is continuing, but the wind has subsided. The temperature keeps dropping outside and our space heaters are running at full blast to keep up. The heater in our kitchen window reads 75 but the air coming out feels as cold as the room. As the day continued and the roads began to lose their battle against the cold we decide to send our two son's to the grandmothers. Her house is newer,and sheltered from the north winds that cut through our typical winter clothes. She had power, she had water, she had been vaccinated. What could go wrong?
-- Mon 15th Feb 2021 --
17 degrees Fahrenheit (-8 C) the snow is beautiful, my back yard pond is now frozen, we've given up trying to keep the entire house warm and reallocated the space heaters to keep the bedroom,bathroom,and living room comfortable. It isn't working. Still our power was on, our kids were safe, and our dogs are more than happy to keep us warm. Then there was a sound, like wind, but also like water. I step out side to see whats going on and a thousand robins have come to land in our trees, each a little poof of red to counter the white and gray.
I rushed to get my camera, before they took flight once more, but I hadn't charged the battery in some time,and the cold made short work of the remaining power. I was only able to get one shot, and it was pitiful.
-- Tue 16th Feb 2021 --
The first power outage and the murmurers of power plants going offline are starting to make it to our new aggregators. Our water is still working, Its now -6 degrees Fahrenheit (-21 c) outside, our dogs water bowl in the kitchen is frozen solid. The drip from the sink has started forming a stalagmite of ice that has anchored itself to a dish left in the sink. At two PM the first blackout occurs, we're down for 30 minutes maybe more. The lights come back on and all seems to be well. The news reports that their isn't enough power to go around and that its some how connected to solar panels and wind turbines.
-- Wed 17th Feb 2021 --
Our power has remained on but our water is now frozen, the average temperature outside no longer matters because the average temperature inside is below freezing in the rooms with no heat, only 10 degrees warmer where there is. We've lost contact with my mother-in-law and we expect that her phone line is dead. Reports have come in that Runaway Bay (where she lives, and where my boys were) had lost power on Monday and it never returned. Other reports tell the same story for countless people, some found dead in their homes.
Wednesday afternoon the roads have been cleared but the bitter cold has not subsided. We stay warm by bundling up and keeping close. In desperation I moved a space heater from the room where I was trying to work to under the house just below the bathroom. Maybe, if we were lucky it would get the pipes above freezing.
-- Thu 18th Feb 2021 --
The water starts to flow in the restroom and we can flush the toilet and fill up water kettles. Still no word from my boys. My wife gets word from one of her friends that power and water wouldn't be restored in Runaway Bay till at least Saturday. They didn't have Water! I made a decision at that moment to go and retrieve all of them, They were happy to see me, and more than willing to come with me. Our house might have been in the 40s but at least we had water and power.
With everyone packed up, and probably every type of junk food they could pack we drove back. That night we all camped out in the living room,after eating more than our fair share of junk.
-- Friday 19th 2021 --
The cold has broken, and the temperatures go from the 20s up to the mid 50s we've had reports that the power is fighting to say on in Runaway Bay and that water had been restored for half of the town. We decided it was best if she stayed for another night to make sure everything was well. It was not.
Around midnight the smell of burning electronics permeated the living room where the boys and their Ma-mah slept. The house couldn't sustain the heaters any longer and they had to be turned off. Fearing fire the family convinced me to take them to Runaway Bay, which seemed wise, if not a little over board. However, we were still without hot water, and a chance to shower and shave was hard to pass up. So back into the car they went, and over the hills and through the woods to grandma's house we went. It was 1AM by the time everyone was settled in for the evening.
-- Saturday 20th 2021 --
I have gone home to check on the house, the dogs, the fish, and the reptiles. All were well, I spent the day rewiring outlets and checking for faults. We had made it, no major fires, no deaths.
-- Sunday 21st 2021 --
The sun is shinning, its 72 degrees, through out the week we had heard a myriad of explanations to what went wrong, and a good number of stories of how people survived. We were lucky, this small town we live in did an amazing job keeping its citizens safe and I'm thankful that they have always opted to be in control of their own utilities. The death toll will probably rise this week as people try to contact loved ones, but for me and mine. We're all okay.