"Almost a month has passed since a massive snow storm hit Houston, Texas, causing it to experience its first crisis of the year." --Reeghan Walsh, 6th Grade
Almost a month has passed since a massive snow storm hit Houston, Texas, causing it to experience its first crisis of the year. The power went out across the city, followed by a food and water shortage. This was the first of many crises.
Many problems occured over the course of February and into what is now March. Millions were affected, and thousands were left devastated, and those who weren’t devastated still experienced many issues and inconveniences. The cause of all the problems was the heavy snow storms that swept across the US, going from the Eastern edge of California all the way to Maine. Texas was not used to freezing temperatures, causing them to not be prepared for such events. Not even the infrastructures were prepared.
At the Family Place, a domestic violence shelter in Dallas, the power was out for 2 days when the waterlogged ceiling caved in, crashing onto 120 women and kids. Their few possessions, including hard-to-replace documents, were spoiled.
“They went through one horrible trauma, came to our organization to get safe and had another trauma,” said Paige Flink, chief executive of the Family Place, according to The New York Times. “It makes me want to cry just to say it. It is a total nightmare.”
The power went out in other parts of Texas, too. Lawrence Cortez, a resident in Lakeway, Texas, had power, and was able to work because he worked from home. Unfortunately, some of his co-workers were not able to do the same. Out of a team of 9 people only 3 were able to work. Cortez was snowed into his apartment complex as well. He took a picture from his balcony:
Many problems occured over the course of February and into what is now March. Millions were affected, and thousands were left devastated, and those who weren’t devastated still experienced many issues and inconveniences. The cause of all the problems was the heavy snow storms that swept across the US, going from the Eastern edge of California all the way to Maine. Texas was not used to freezing temperatures, causing them to not be prepared for such events. Not even the infrastructures were prepared.
At the Family Place, a domestic violence shelter in Dallas, the power was out for 2 days when the waterlogged ceiling caved in, crashing onto 120 women and kids. Their few possessions, including hard-to-replace documents, were spoiled.
“They went through one horrible trauma, came to our organization to get safe and had another trauma,” said Paige Flink, chief executive of the Family Place, according to The New York Times. “It makes me want to cry just to say it. It is a total nightmare.”
The power went out in other parts of Texas, too. Lawrence Cortez, a resident in Lakeway, Texas, had power, and was able to work because he worked from home. Unfortunately, some of his co-workers were not able to do the same. Out of a team of 9 people only 3 were able to work. Cortez was snowed into his apartment complex as well. He took a picture from his balcony:
While some community places were destroyed, citizens were faced with other infrastructure issues. Many people got hit with high bills for electricity to make up for those who lost their power.
Middle schooler Chole LaGrone lost power and only had it on for one hour a day. LaGrone’s family took this time to plug in their technology and sometimes even cook dinner. In addition, her water heater froze and her wood flooring now has some cracks in it due to the cold, when the temperature in her house started to get colder and colder.
There were also many issues with the pipes. The snow led to freezing temperatures, which led to some pipes left frozen and bursting. Because of this, houses started to flood, or just had no water at all.
Middle schooler Chole LaGrone lost power and only had it on for one hour a day. LaGrone’s family took this time to plug in their technology and sometimes even cook dinner. In addition, her water heater froze and her wood flooring now has some cracks in it due to the cold, when the temperature in her house started to get colder and colder.
There were also many issues with the pipes. The snow led to freezing temperatures, which led to some pipes left frozen and bursting. Because of this, houses started to flood, or just had no water at all.
College students Logan Muzyka and Cole Williams, who live on campus at Trinity University, lost water for a week due to some of their campus pipes bursting. Muzyka also had to ensure that animals that are taken care of on campus were all safe and warm.
Even though people were snowed in, there were many ways to be resourceful so that everyone could be safe. For those who had pets at home, but were snowed in, there were many ways to be resourceful to help their pet. People would use a small spot on their balcony, deck, or maybe even in a bathroom as a place for their animals to go to the bathroom.
If something froze, like a water heater for example, people would use a blowdryer to melt the ice, and for extra measure, kept the faucets slightly running. If someone worried they might not have water, they could fill their bathtub to make sure they’d have enough if and when their water went out. If the water was unsanitary, people would boil it to kill the bacteria, or buy bottled water.
If someone couldn’t flush a toilet, they would shovel snow into their toilet, and then flush. Lastly, if anyone was cold, people put a tent on top of a large bed, filled it with blankets, and bundled inside with family. With everyone’s combined body heat, the blankets, the tent’s insulation, and the fact that they were higher off the ground (because the ground tends to be colder), everyone would all be warm if they didn’t have power or heat.
“It is always best to prepare for any type of storm,” Cortez said. “Winter, hurricanes, heat waves, etc. Make sure you have adequate supplies because you can never predict what is going to happen.”
If you’re looking for ways to help Texans in this crisis, here are a few websites you can visit. You can donate to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s fundraiser to help Texans in need. You can also donate here to help raise money for people to book hotel rooms who don’t have water or shelter. You can donate here to help families get protection from the cold weather. If you would like a longer list of places helping Texans get shelter you can visit ECHO. Jails are also in terrifyingly bad conditions currently, so if you would like to help out, you can do so here. If you want to actually drop things off, you can click this link Funky Town Fridge.
Even though people were snowed in, there were many ways to be resourceful so that everyone could be safe. For those who had pets at home, but were snowed in, there were many ways to be resourceful to help their pet. People would use a small spot on their balcony, deck, or maybe even in a bathroom as a place for their animals to go to the bathroom.
If something froze, like a water heater for example, people would use a blowdryer to melt the ice, and for extra measure, kept the faucets slightly running. If someone worried they might not have water, they could fill their bathtub to make sure they’d have enough if and when their water went out. If the water was unsanitary, people would boil it to kill the bacteria, or buy bottled water.
If someone couldn’t flush a toilet, they would shovel snow into their toilet, and then flush. Lastly, if anyone was cold, people put a tent on top of a large bed, filled it with blankets, and bundled inside with family. With everyone’s combined body heat, the blankets, the tent’s insulation, and the fact that they were higher off the ground (because the ground tends to be colder), everyone would all be warm if they didn’t have power or heat.
“It is always best to prepare for any type of storm,” Cortez said. “Winter, hurricanes, heat waves, etc. Make sure you have adequate supplies because you can never predict what is going to happen.”
If you’re looking for ways to help Texans in this crisis, here are a few websites you can visit. You can donate to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s fundraiser to help Texans in need. You can also donate here to help raise money for people to book hotel rooms who don’t have water or shelter. You can donate here to help families get protection from the cold weather. If you would like a longer list of places helping Texans get shelter you can visit ECHO. Jails are also in terrifyingly bad conditions currently, so if you would like to help out, you can do so here. If you want to actually drop things off, you can click this link Funky Town Fridge.
