Winter Storms Rage

The last few weeks have been rough ones for Texans as they recover from the winter storm, Uri. While power outages, shortages of supplies, and general unpreparedness for the cold were detrimental, a lot of politics went into making things exponentially worse for those stuck in the storm.

The storms highlighted ways in which privatized infrastructures could be a major cause of disasters such as the one Texans experienced. Of course, the big-ticket story of February was Senator Cruz skipping town for the tropics. But, that isn’t the only thing hurting Texans. To avoid federal regulations the state is on its own power grid, meaning it can’t borrow electricity from other states. And within that avoidance of federal regulations, the state regulations were lowered, leaving the grid vulnerable to incidents like this. The last time there were massive outages Mexico had to step in and help. This left millions without power for weeks, turning to social media sites like Twitter for advice on how to get by.

Power outages weren’t the only problem, however. Pipes across the state burst, leaving people without access to water. Massive lines formed at water distribution sites and people online advised those with any running taps to fill a bathtub in case they lost access. People slept in their cars to escape the cold, leaving many with carbon monoxide poisoning.

Citizens are upset with their state governments. For not evacuating people, for trying to go on vacation in the midst of a disaster, for not winterizing the grid. And with climate change, the pendulum is only going to swing harder and storms like these will only get worse.

By Eva Colabatistto

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