In mid-February 2021, a severe winter storm hit Texas and neighboring U.S. states, bringing record-low freezing temperatures, snow, sleet, and ice. Storm warnings were issued before the weather turned, but no amount of advisories could have prepared Texans for what was to come.
At the height of the storm, PowerOutages.US reported that over 4.5 million homes and businesses in Texas had lost power. And it could have been so much worse; according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the power grid was “4 minutes and 37 seconds away from a total collapse,” which would have sent the entire state of Texas into total blackout.
The storm also disrupted food and water supplies across the state, leaving about 12 million people on “boil water” notices and grocery stores unable to stock shelves to meet the growing demand for emergency supplies. AccuWeather estimates the total economic damage caused by the storm to be between $45 and $50 billion. And dozens of Texans have died so far due to hypothermia, carbon monoxide poisoning, house fires, untreated medical conditions, and winter weather accidents, alongside other reasons attributable to the storm. Still, officials will not know the full extent of the storm’s far-reaching effects for months to come.
In mid-February 2021, a severe winter storm hit Texas and neighboring U.S. states, bringing record-low freezing temperatures, snow, sleet, and ice. Storm warnings were issued before the weather turned, but no amount of advisories could have prepared Texans for what was to come.
At the height of the storm, PowerOutages.US reported that over 4.5 million homes and businesses in Texas had lost power. And it could have been so much worse; according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the power grid was “4 minutes and 37 seconds away from a total collapse,” which would have sent the entire state of Texas into total blackout.
The storm also disrupted food and water supplies across the state, leaving about 12 million people on “boil water” notices and grocery stores unable to stock shelves to meet the growing demand for emergency supplies. AccuWeather estimates the total economic damage caused by the storm to be between $45 and $50 billion. And dozens of Texans have died so far due to hypothermia, carbon monoxide poisoning, house fires, untreated medical conditions, and winter weather accidents, alongside other reasons attributable to the storm. Still, officials will not know the full extent of the storm’s far-reaching effects for months to come.