No, we’re not on vacation. The frigid blast that hit Central Texas resulted in rolling blackouts that left our drafty old house too cold to stay in.
La Quinta Here We Come!
The power would come on for 45 minutes to an hour, then go off for two or three hours. So the 150-year-old house just would never get above 50 degrees at the most. We headed out in the early evening Monday for the only hotel we could find with a vacancy, a very nice La Quinta.
No Water a Couple of Times
The problem has been no water a couple of times. But except for a two-hour power outage when we first arrived, we’ve had continuous power and GLORIOUS HEAT!
Why Did This Happen?
I just watched a long press conference with two executives in charge of maintaining the Texas power grid. And based upon that and articles I have read the problem is they hadn’t winterized the power structures.
Why the Heck Not?
The officials said they didn’t do it because Texas doesn’t get this kind of weather. BUT it did, and they weren’t prepared. The result is many people were left in the cold. We can ill afford the hotel expense, much less toting belongings and three dogs to a hotel.
But We Could Do It
But we have the means for the hotel. What about those who don’t? Some people have been without power for more than a day, water too. It’s pretty hard to keep the faucets dripping if there is no water. Then what happens when the water comes back on and freezes in your pipes? And what about people who rely on medical equipment that requires power? This has evolved into a Texas humanitarian crisis.
Amazing Charity Groups
As for the homeless population in our town, charitable groups quickly mustered volunteers and funds to house the homeless in hotel rooms through Friday. They also have been carrying meals to them. The shout-outs really go to Zach Sambrano, Hannah Durrance, City Councilwoman Alyssa Garza, Roland Saucedo, Ruben Garza, Ramika Adams, the Salvation Army, Southside Community Center and HOME Center of Central Texas. They did an amazing job in a short period of time and no doubt saved many lives. They also helped senior citizens who had been abandoned by the staff at subsidized senior apartment complex by taking them food and arranging for three school district buses to park outside as “warming stations.”
Childhood
This wasn’t fun like my memories of childhood snow and ice storms in Northwest Missouri. School would be dismissed because of impassable roads. My buddy Gayle and I would spend the day out with our sled. I remember staying out so long my lips felt frozen! I’m not into sledding these days. But my grandson, Joey, 7, would spend only brief times outdoors because he doesn’t like the cold.
I’m sure my father didn’t enjoy the time he spent shoveling the driveway and front walk. In fact, when my parents retired to Texas to be close to my family in 2000, snow was among the chief reasons he had.
I guess I didn’t like the cold too much either, but I was super bundled up. And super young and adventurous!