During the winter season in Saratoga Springs, it is normal to experience one or two Nor’easters. Students don heavy coats and boots, classes continue, and life carries on. As the national news reports, however, other parts of the country have been affected severely by strong winter storms this year.
Over the past two weeks, Texas – a state not known for having much snow – has been hit by two heavy winter storms. As a result, Texans have faced record-low temperatures, icy roads, widespread power outages, and inaccessibility to clean water.
Texans were urged by state officials to keep off the roads while the storms passed through. Unlike in New York, roads in Texas are not sprinkled with salt to help melt ice. Furthermore, most cars do not have snow tires, which makes navigating icy roads especially dangerous. State infrastructure in Texas was overwhelmed by the ice and snow storms, not accustomed to deviations in the normally warm climate.
“We’re Texans. We’re not built for that weather,” states Bella Rodriguez Fuentes ’23. Her family lives in Austin, a city that the storms directly hit.
More than 15,700 residents in the state are currently without power, and further 8.7 million residents do not have reliable access to clean water. Grocery stores are running out of food, and food pantries fear they will not have enough meals for those who need them.
“A lot of the stores are out of commission,” Rodriguez explains. “The Walmart near my house has not received any supplies and my mom has to drive an hour to get some. She went to Costco the other day and waited two hours to buy a case of water. That case is helping my family wash dishes and prepare food.”
For some families, the lack of electricity has meant no heating or gas. Deaths due to hypothermia have been reported all over Texas, although the official toll will not be known for a while.
For others, exorbitant electricity bills have been at the forefront of their minds. The New York Times reports that some Texans are being charged as much as 70 times the normal cost for keeping the lights on.
Now, residents are blaming local officials for their lack of preparation, and are calling for investigations. According to the Texas Tribune, experts warned that power grids would not hold up against the impending cold surges and winter storms. Instead of directly working to solve this, officials left the preparation to power companies, who did not make necessary upgrades to systems.
“From what I’m hearing, the wealthier areas of Austin are in better shape compared to the impoverished areas,” Rodriguez adds, highlighting the inequity of help given during this crisis. “It’s annoying to see my family go out of the way to get food and water. Meanwhile, other households already have electricity and running water.”
In addition, some officials were not present in the state as their constituents froze. Senator Ted Cruz reportedly flew to Cancún, Mexico during the storm. He has since issued an apology.
Despite this dark period in Texan history, Rodriguez is confident that her city and family will get through it. “My family are troopers, even if they are stressed. I’m stressed, but I work at Skidmore. If need be, my money can go to them. I’m feeling the best I can be, given the situation.”
As this crisis progresses, many people are still in need. If you are able to help, please consider donating to the following organizations: