Texas is really, really bloody scary right now

[JesusInTheCabbageVan]

People were struggling with poverty even when things were going well. They've been hard hit by COVID, and now this.

Link here www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/18/texas-food-banks-crisis-storm-freezing-supplies

Terrifying.

Your comprehension skills are seriously lacking. “Struggling to find sympathy” is not in any way the same as “wishing misfortune on people” ffs.

You are correct, there is a difference but it does not change the fact you are an awful human being.

What is going on in Texas is horrendous whatever political party they voted for.

I just hope when this situation gets better, some people need to have a long hard think about the likes of Ted Cruz being a good daddy by flying to Mexico because it was cold. Whilst Beto O'Rourke, now only a private citizen with a voice, who I really rate, has literally non stop been tweeting points of contact and has personally manned phones and taken calls to the elderly day in day out.

Self serving or service....

However, whilst this is going on, politics are irrelevant and I hope to god the temperature goes up some degrees to alleviate the suffering that so many are going through.

I will admit, when I saw the very first headlines I thought "ahh, a few flakes of snow and they are freaking out" and then saw it got down to -20 c. Which is crazy cold, especially for a region not at all used to those temperatures.

@MechantGourmet

This is caused by Texas' isolationism though- they didn't want to be part of a national grid, because other states would take all their power... so you have three grids in the US- east, west, and Texas. Will this catastrophe change their practices?

@MechantGourmet

I didn’t know that- does that mean the power outages wouldn’t have happened ( or not so badly) if they were tied into other grids? My understanding is that their power plants aren’t adequately weather-proofed for cold weather, whereas plants in other areas, such as New England, are. Power plants in Texas would normally be concerned with overheating, rather than freezing!

Regardless, it’s an appalling situation.

The way this is unfolding as a humanitarian crisis is terrifying. I sincerely wish any Texans on here all the best. I hope the worst of the weather passes soon and the power is restored.

Politics aside I've always had the impression Texas has a community spirit, I hope this is true and people can help each other through the worst of this.

I have just spoken to my friend in Texas, who is most certainly not a Trump supporter. She said it was unbelievable and they had never seen anything like it. They had no power or water for a few days but were well stocked and were fine. They just aren’t equipped for weather down there, the only reason she has a warm coat is because she moved from somewhere even hotter.
Some people must really be suffering there and they do have my sympathy, however they voted

@oil0W0lio

It's shocking to see third world conditions in a first world country, but a wealthy country with high levels of inequality is not a 'rich' country it is a cruel and morally bankrupt country

it's a sobering thought that applies to many wealthy countries - the US, the UK, South Africa and no doubt others too.

@ThePelicansBriefs

I’m in Texas. Yes we had no power for 2 days straight. House was freezing and nowhere to go. No hot water. No means to cook. Freezer food all thrown away. And I did keep thinking, what about the homeless, the elderly, those with small children? It has been hell. We are lucky our power came back on but so much loss for all the community in terms of wasted food and still places with no water. Unbelievable this has happened.

Is there no contingency planning for this kind of thing?

I'm sorry, I wish I could help you.

Honestly, I don’t think it’s simply down to politics. I live in a Democratic stronghold on the East Coast and the city is appallingly run - a lot of poverty, potholes in the roads, political scandals, the list goes on. Poor management and corruption can be rife anywhere.

One thing that is striking me here, is how much fun is always made of preppers on this site. I'm a bit of a prepper. I always have at least a month's worth of jarred, tinned and dried food in my kitchen with a focus on protein and high nutrient foods. I have a heater and a camping cooker that run on bottled gas and spare gas bottles. I have camping lights and several power packs for my phone that I keep charged. And a Berkey water purifier (that's in constant use). I'm a single parent and I'm not going to take a chance on suffering through preventable hardships. Sure the vast majority of the time it's not going to be needed but sometimes it will. If you prep, the worst that can happen is you have to be mindful of the dates on the food you take out of your cupboard. If you don't, one day the shit actually could hit the fan and you're left struggling.

@RubysArms

I see Trump Jr was on Twitter yesterday off his tits telling Texans that they should direct their anger at their Democratic governor.

Even though Texas hasn't had a Dem governor since 1995 or thereabouts.

Lol, has he back tracked now he realises it’s a republican?

'Oh the land of the free....as long as you're white, male & rich'

(Applies to pretty much every First World Country, too).

@elp30 I'm so sorry you're dealing with this, and this thread is an absolute shitshow with some absolute selfish wankers.

I've never been to Houston but I've spent some time in Austin, and it's such a wonderful city. I saw Beto at a town hall during his run for Senate, and he was so so inspiring.

Stay safe and cosy

@alittleprivacy

One thing that is striking me here, is how much fun is always made of preppers on this site. I'm a bit of a prepper. I always have at least a month's worth of jarred, tinned and dried food in my kitchen with a focus on protein and high nutrient foods. I have a heater and a camping cooker that run on bottled gas and spare gas bottles. I have camping lights and several power packs for my phone that I keep charged. And a Berkey water purifier (that's in constant use). I'm a single parent and I'm not going to take a chance on suffering through preventable hardships. Sure the vast majority of the time it's not going to be needed but sometimes it will. If you prep, the worst that can happen is you have to be mindful of the dates on the food you take out of your cupboard. If you don't, one day the shit actually could hit the fan and you're left struggling.

Me too. I turned to DH and said, "what would we do?" Then I thought; three types of non-electricity cooking, stash of bottles water, loads of food and we have some iodine for water in emergencies.

That takes time, money, space and planning though.

No one is prepping for an ice storm in Texas. Yes, general prepping is good but things like heat and thick blankets would be out there to Texans.

How much notice did people in Texas have? I know it was a freak storm, but was there a couple days' notice?

I didn’t know that- does that mean the power outages wouldn’t have happened ( or not so badly) if they were tied into other grids? My understanding is that their power plants aren’t adequately weather-proofed for cold weather, whereas plants in other areas, such as New England, are. Power plants in Texas would normally be concerned with overheating, rather than freezing!

It's been a combination of factors.

Power plants and pipelines with no safety margin built in, so they stopped working because of the cold weather.

Texas choosing not to be part of electricity sharing with other states (to avoid federal regulations) meaning that no one could send them power.

Houses being inadequately insulated, meaning that the need for power was highest right when the power went out.

They were not prepared for the kind of extreme weather we're starting to get as a result of climate change.

I'm sure nothing will change as a result...

@MrsTerryPratcett Oh, I totally get that not everyone can prep at all times. But it's the constant piss taking and demonisation of people who keep stocked up and have alternative plans for heating/cooking.

@Porcupineintherough

They are suffering as a result of the values they uphold. I am really struggling to feel sympathy for them - which probably makes me a terrible human being but there it is.

You say this about the UK too, I don't think this is a helpful comment

@Porcupineintherough

They are suffering as a result of the values they uphold. I am really struggling to feel sympathy for them - which probably makes me a terrible human being but there it is.

That’s a massive over generalisation

Whatever the politics this a freak weather issue. To have temperatures like this in a hot region was going to test even the most robust contingency plans.

It amazes me how clueless and supercilious so many Brits are about the extreme gap between rich and poor right in their own country and so point fingers and look down on others whilst ignoring the elephant in the room with an air of superiority.

Completely agree. We vote for politicians that openly celebrate the huge growth in the number of food banks here happening under their watch. Astonishing.

@alittleprivacy I always like to have a stock of tins and basics in, torch and batterys easily accessible etc etc. I think there is a difference between being personally preparered (or over prepared in my case probably) and seeing it as an alternative to state preparedness or as something that everyone can or should do. You dont see it with all preppers, but with a minority there is almost a sense of looking forward to being proved right a "they'll all be sorry when they're starving" which I find distasteful. I dont mean you (or me) though.

It is an appalling situation. Worth learning the lesson about preparation for the unexpected. In the UK we abandoned some crisis and disaster planning, and this is part of the cause of the high death toll we have had with Covid 19.

They aren't a hive mind - nearly half of them voted for Biden

And those that didn’t? They deserve to freeze to death?

Texas got caught with their pants down on a once in a generation cold snap.

It is scary but worth pointing out re savings etc, people in US finance their lifestyles very differently from Uk and even more so than Europe.

Debt is quite accepted and payments more common via credit. I’m not saying that’s good but it’s how many structure their lifestyles. Hence why savings are referenced as low.