We denizens from Illinois have the advantage of dealing with four seasons of weather. Especially dealing with the unforgivable Polar Vortex of 2019. As the temperatures of the midwest have gone under -20 degrees. While we were able to withstand the cold treatment of said vortex, other states have had a difficult time especially with the weather that is unfamiliar. It has been unfortunate that Texas had to face something worse for themselves in early to mid-February.
The snowstorm had started to fall on Feb. 13. While it was not the first time Texas has experienced snow, it always manages to catch unprepared people.
On the first day, Texas had developed icy roads and low temperatures. Residents in Texas have had to close off windows and hunker down in their homes. Dealing with lower temperatures was not the worst event as the next day many residents were in a blackout within their homes.
An unfortunate effect of those blackouts was rising cases of carbon monoxide poisoning. As people looked to their vehicles as a source of heat, some sadly had forgotten that staying in a running car in a small area will result in carbon monoxide poisoning. Not only was the poisoning bad but there were people in their homes struggling to heat up their homes. It was a bad time for those who had the elderly or the young in their homes as they were more susceptible to lower temperatures.
Not only the struggle for heat was an issue but another obstacle was the cold temperatures affecting the water supply. Water was an issue in Texas as the water supply would freeze. Preventing residents from access to drinking water or even toilet water. Not only they could not use water, but the water pipes within the homes would also burst and damage homes that definitely did not need damage.
Another unfortunate effect of the cold temperatures was the food shortages as people did not have easy access to grocery stores. Not only did people not have access to the grocery stores, but the stores themselves have also had a hard time with their expected shipments arriving at the stores.
Hospitals were having a hard time as they had to accept more people into the building along with the pipes bursting in some hospitals. But overall, water disruptions were a big concern in Texas as they would damage houses and deny people access to water.
On that Saturday, President Biden had finally declared Texas a major disaster declaration, which would help Texas as it would gain more federal resources to help with the disaster.
It is Mar. 10, it has seemed that Texas has somewhat recovered from that disaster but the aftermath still hit its citizens. Residents in Texas that were lucky enough to keep the lights on within their home were hit with a large electrical bill. Governor of Texas, Greg Abbot has spoken that he was working with legislators to provide relief to residents that had such a high electrical bill. Giving Texas citizens some sort of closure at the end of an unforgiving winter.
Anthony Perez is a First-Timer Senior in the AT Torch Staff. He chose to take part in the Torch to improve as a writer and to get out of his comfort zone. He decided that was the best choice as he loves the work because he views it as challenging yet fun.