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.

Am I right in thinking that when hurricane Katrina hit and there was so much destruction many relocated to Houston etc. in Texas.

It is truly awful and as for Cruz, words fail me.

Most Texas energy is from gas & coal, it's the gas energy generation that massively failed, and most experts say this was mostly due to not paying attention to the weather forecast. Wind/solar energy generation problems not to blame.

I can feel bad for individuals in Texas while still thinking it's the traditional Texas values that got Texas into this mess.

-former avid reader of Molly Ivins books

oh yeah, one of the nuclear power stations went down, too.

"About a third of our thermal fleet is offline," said Joshua Rhodes, a research associate at the University of Texas in Austin who specializes in the power grid. "We typically count on about 90 percent of it being available during a peak event."

"From freezing gas wells and gas lines, to depressurization of our natural gas infrastructure because so many homes and businesses are calling for gas at the same time, we just don't have enough fuel," he said. - NBC

When I see films that have been set in USA - all the homes seem to have fire places even in places like Florida. Do houses in Texas not have actual fireplaces (with chimneys) where they can burn wood etc.?

*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 speak like you are proud of the fact that you think people who have different values to you are lesser people, what a disgusting outlook. Thank god most people don’t think like you or humanity really would be fucked.

People honestly dont realise how poor much of America is. I've spent time in india and I've spent time in Texas and honestly driving through the shanty towns there isnt much difference and yet people understand there is immense poverty in india more so than they identify it with america. On top of everything they have had no financial help with coronavirus (no furlough scheme there. Your business shuts you dont get paid, you get covid you dont get paid as very few jobs have sick pay or paid annual leave) and if you dont have a job, you dont have healthcare. I know someone who does have healthcare and their emergency csection (and all the care surrounding it like hospital stay etc) amounted to $20,000 WITH health insurance. They JUST had to cover the $20,000.

@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.

Which values do they all hold?

@tara66

When I see films that have been set in USA - all the homes seem to have fire places even in places like Florida. Do houses in Texas not have actual fireplaces (with chimneys) where they can burn wood etc.?

I don't know Texas houses, but where I am in Maine if we're planning on burning wood as a source of heat then we either have an insert in the fireplace, or a woodstove. An open fire without an insert isn't very effective as a heat source especially if you're heating a big house with little insulation.

My house is 5-beds, fairly spread out, and with the woodstove we can just about keep it above freezing as long as it's not below about -10C outside.

I have close family in Dallas. This weather really is so extreme compared to their usual climate, both in temperature and duration. It would feel extreme to us in our well insulated houses with central heating.

My relations' house has a combined heating/AC system, is light build and poorly insulated. Completely typical for southern states of the US. It's been too cold to run their heating system for several days and they are amongst the lucky ones that haven't lost power and water. They're doing OK but it hasn't been easy.

The lack of empathy on here from some posters is astounding.

@IndiaMay

People honestly dont realise how poor much of America is. I've spent time in india and I've spent time in Texas and honestly driving through the shanty towns there isnt much difference and yet people understand there is immense poverty in india more so than they identify it with america. On top of everything they have had no financial help with coronavirus (no furlough scheme there. Your business shuts you dont get paid, you get covid you dont get paid as very few jobs have sick pay or paid annual leave) and if you dont have a job, you dont have healthcare. I know someone who does have healthcare and their emergency csection (and all the care surrounding it like hospital stay etc) amounted to $20,000 WITH health insurance. They JUST had to cover the $20,000.

Your business shuts you dont get paid, you get covid you dont get paid as very few jobs have sick pay or paid annual leave

and if you dont have a job, you dont have healthcare

Neither of these statements is true.

@TheCatThatGotTheCream I'm assuming the poster is referring to Texans as being typical gun-toting, Trump loving, anti homosexual, racist, wall building southerners etc. Very set in their ways. Although this isnt true for all, it is true for many (I have a huge amount of family in Texas)

@lljkk

Most Texas energy is from gas & coal, it's the gas energy generation that massively failed, and most experts say this was mostly due to not paying attention to the weather forecast. Wind/solar energy generation problems not to blame.

I can feel bad for individuals in Texas while still thinking it's the traditional Texas values that got Texas into this mess.

-former avid reader of Molly Ivins books

You could also call it an over-investment in renewables and an under-investment in natural gas.

Nobody should rely on renewables in extreme weather (since they are unreliable, this is an undeniable fact) but they definitely didn’t put enough funding in weather-proofing natural gas pumps.

When I was a kid in the American Midwest, we had wood-burning stoves for the winter in case of events like this. A few times in my childhood ice storms would snap power lines so you’d have to have a source of heating in that case. Wouldn’t happen every year, maybe once every five years or so.

There were always households unprepared for this, even with a 5-10 year occurrence. So it’s not surprising, as I said, that Texas got caught with its pants down.

@ZZTopGuitarSolo I have close family in america and this is the reality that they are facing although I know its different for everyone.

Although admittedly my uncle does have healthcare despite now being retired, when my aunt was undergoing chemo and was so sick she was unable to work she lost her job and thus the healthcare that came with it. My cousin has had covid and does not get sick pay. He gets 5 days paid annual leave a year so not enough to cover time off.
My cousin unable to work in his role due to a clinically vulnerable child only received the first (very small) cheque from the government. He didnt work for 3 months and this cheque covered 2 weeks rent.

@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 must vastly over-estimate the value of your own personal sympathy.

It is awful. But I trust Biden and Harris to show compassion and take sensible, appropriate action far more than I would have done Trump/Pence. So hopefully Government will prevail.

when it gets very, very cold there tends to be little wind

Maybe because where you live what you consider very cold is where the low pressure centre is.

But in many parts it gets very cold and very windy too.

I think what's terrifying is that this is the impact of climate change on the richest country in the world.

What hope have most countries have?

I really think things like this need to be seen as a wakeup call and the sort of scientific and political drive we've seen this year in fighting the pandemic needs to be applied to urgently reducing carbon emissions.

Talking to american I know who said locals are stealing bread and milk off the doorsteps, porches in their area. She said they must be hungry, others piled in to say that was no excuse. I asked if they had local food bank organisations as we do. I sent them a link to how it worked. You would think I had two heads. Someone did say that they thought their local church might do something but they were not sure. And anyway no one would stand in line for free food.

[quote IndiaMay]@ZZTopGuitarSolo I have close family in america and this is the reality that they are facing although I know its different for everyone.

Although admittedly my uncle does have healthcare despite now being retired, when my aunt was undergoing chemo and was so sick she was unable to work she lost her job and thus the healthcare that came with it. My cousin has had covid and does not get sick pay. He gets 5 days paid annual leave a year so not enough to cover time off.
My cousin unable to work in his role due to a clinically vulnerable child only received the first (very small) cheque from the government. He didnt work for 3 months and this cheque covered 2 weeks rent.[/quote]
Under the Affordable Care Act your aunt could switch to an Obamacare policy - pre-existing conditions are covered. She could also, under COBRA, continue the insurance she had through her job.

These are federal laws - I have used both.

Under the CARES Act both your cousin should be receiving payments due to having Covid. Your other cousin I believe should also qualify.

Also under the CARES Act unemployment insurance was increased by $600 per week, on top of whatever the states were already paying. In January this dropped to $300 a week, but many states are offering more.

I work in disability insurance, and this stuff is our daily routine, so am happy to answer any further questions your family might have if you want to PM me.

I know someone who does have healthcare and their emergency csection (and all the care surrounding it like hospital stay etc) amounted to $20,000 WITH health insurance. They JUST had to cover the $20,000

This bit is rubbish too.

www.healthcare.gov/glossary/out-of-pocket-maximum-limit/

5.8 million Texans voted for a President who they knew had incarcerated children.

They voted against ‘socialised’ healthcare because they think it’s unacceptable to be responsible for people who aren’t related to them.

Now they’re learning.

[quote MissConductUS]I know someone who does have healthcare and their emergency csection (and all the care surrounding it like hospital stay etc) amounted to $20,000 WITH health insurance. They JUST had to cover the $20,000

This bit is rubbish too.

www.healthcare.gov/glossary/out-of-pocket-maximum-limit/[/quote]
I notice British like to swap American horror stories. I guess it makes them feel better about themselves.

@Unfucked

5.8 million Texans voted for a President who they knew had incarcerated children.

They voted against ‘socialised’ healthcare because they think it’s unacceptable to be responsible for people who aren’t related to them.

Now they’re learning.

What are the people learning who didn’t vote that way?

Your lack of compassion isn’t compatible with nationalised healthcare etc.

@Unfucked

5.8 million Texans voted for a President who they knew had incarcerated children.

They voted against ‘socialised’ healthcare because they think it’s unacceptable to be responsible for people who aren’t related to them.

Now they’re learning.

Jokes on you if you think Biden is going to change anything of significance on these issues.

@SimonJT I’m sure there will be an aid package for Texas, but it won’t be courtesy of the Republicans.