A sobering portrait of grief and loss from last year’s freeze, from the Chron.
A year ago, a blast of frigid weather swept across the state, paralyzing the power grid and setting off a catastrophe. Power generators went offline, leaving millions in the dark for days without heat or water. Frozen pipes ruptured, damaging tens of thousands of homes in Houston alone. The state’s overwhelmed electrical grid came within five minutes of a total collapse.
Hundreds of Texans died from a variety of freeze-related causes, including automobile wrecks, hypothermia and carbon monoxide poisoning from fires or generators brought inside their homes.
In a place all too familiar with natural disasters, many still remain shocked by the failures of the electrical grid and government leaders, who failed to heed prior warnings about the importance of ensuring power plants prepared for winter storms.
Add to that the fear that another winter storm could spell disaster once more, even as residents across Houston and Texas still are fixing property damage, awaiting the results of lawsuits and mourning those lost in last year’s freeze.
“I think about her every day,” William said of his mother. “If it weren’t for that freeze, I feel like she would still be alive.”
This is a more focused and intimate look at people who lost loved ones last February, rather than a broader look at the numbers. (*) It’s about the people, not the policies and the ways that they failed us, and it’s tough to read because you can feel the sadness and guilt and despair. It’s worth your time.
(*) If you want to read a story about the numbers, it’s here.