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Tips and resources for support during inclement weather. PG. 4.
Thursday, February 18, 2021 – Volume 33 • Special Edition
POWERLESS Cold collapses infrastructure
Azul Sordo/The Collegian
Power outages and water shortages have left Texans in dire straits since late Sunday night. Many have been forced to adapt for survival.
Students improvise in unprecedented weather conditions across Texas ALYSON OLIVER campus editor
Millions of people including TCC students, faculty and staff, have gone without power and water due to the historic weather conditions ongoing in North Texas. NW student Collin Johnson said it felt too quiet when he woke up early Feb. 15 — his power had gone out. Without electricity, he knew the situation was serious. His wife, an ICU nurse, stayed in a hotel room provided by her hospital so she could be near work. He was alone with his 2-year-old and 10-year-old children. He tried to weatherproof his house as much as he could before he loaded his kids into the car with the heater turned on. He drove around for most of the day and parked by his house that night. Then later at night, he drove around until they fell asleep. His electricity came on briefly Feb. 16 but has been out since. “Leading up to the storm, I did not honestly expect power loss,” he said. Inside, he warmed his kitchen with candles, terracotta pots and sheets blocking off the rest of the house. He and his kids spent most of their time in the car to keep warm. “I have been blessed with the ability to keep gas in my car, but pray for the people who don’t have what I do,” he said. NE student Sydney McCallum lives in Denton County where power outages began as early as Sunday morning. After a few sporadic outages,
“I have lived in Texas my whole life so I have never experienced anything like this, and neither have my parents.”
Madeline Hill NW student
rolling blackouts began — on for an hour, off for an hour. This was frustrating her because not only did the power go off, but so did her cell service, meaning she had to structure tasks like homework and cooking around the hourly outages. “I’ve just learned that Texas is really not prepared for this kind of weather,” she said. She described this as a once-in-a-lifetime event for the state. NW student Madeline Hill said she woke up on Feb. 14 to a text from her manager telling her work was closed until further notice. Her water supply and her internet were on and off, and she had to boil her water, but said she was fortunate to still have power. “I have lived in Texas my whole life so I have never experienced anything like this, and neither have my parents,” she said. “We are just doing what we are being advised to do and trying to look at the positives.” More snow fell overnight and into early
Wednesday morning marking one week of consecutive below-freezing temps causing pipes to burst in homes and businesses all over Tarrant County. McCallum said people began to panic-buy supplies on Feb. 16. She and her boyfriend had to stop at multiple stations before they could find gas. And while grocery shopping, meat, bread and vegetables were scarce. “It feels like the start of the pandemic again,” she said. Hill said she and her family were underprepared for the storm. “We did not expect for it to be as serious as it is,” she said. “My mom just told me that the weather was going to get bad, and with the wreck that happened on Friday I knew that it was scary, but not to the extent that it has been.” Johnson said he hopes this kind of scenario can be prevented from happening in the future. “I feel like we need to seriously look at the sort of monopoly that ERCOT and ONCOR have over our power grid in Texas,” he said. People should talk to legislators about improving infrastructure so that situations like the winter storm are not a problem, he said. And to top everything off, the Public Utility Commission of Texas held a meeting Monday where an order was introduced that will raise energy prices to match the demand of the storm. Translation — after days in the dark, Texans will see their bills increase. Hill said this experience has reminded her to stay prepared and to be thankful for what she has.
Feature
Page 2 • February 18, 2021
Results of a rare snowy polar vortex in Texas
February 18, 2021 • Page 3
No power, no water and no preparations
Azul Sordo/The Collegian
A resilient plant sprouts up in spite of the freezing temperatures. Tarrant County was covered in several inches of ice and snow.
Kristal Blankinship/The Collegian
River Legacy Park in Arlington, spanning 1,300 acres, was blanketed in snow during winter storm Uri.
Photo courtesy of Lauren Foster
Bird’s-eye view of the once-bustling district of downtown Fort Worth, now frozen during historic weather conditions.
Jocelyn Tatum/The Collegian
Looking south down University Boulevard at the Trinity River, which is frozen over for the first time in many years.
Jocelyn Tatum/The Collegian
The Fort Worth Zoo is normally open 365 days a year, making the empty parking lot this week an unusual sight to see.
Photo courtesy of Lauren Foster
View of snowy, powerless downtown Fort Worth from floor 15 of the Omni Hotel.
Kristal Blankinship/The Collegian
Heavy snowfall in North Texas hasn’t occurred since February 2015. There was little snow in 2020.
Azul Sordo/The Collegian
People begin preparing for the storm at a Target in Weatherford. The polar vortex left Texas residents without electricity and water.
Feature
Page 2 • February 18, 2021
Results of a rare snowy polar vortex in Texas
February 18, 2021 • Page 3
No power, no water and no preparations
Azul Sordo/The Collegian
A resilient plant sprouts up in spite of the freezing temperatures. Tarrant County was covered in several inches of ice and snow.
Kristal Blankinship/The Collegian
River Legacy Park in Arlington, spanning 1,300 acres, was blanketed in snow during winter storm Uri.
Photo courtesy of Lauren Foster
Bird’s-eye view of the once-bustling district of downtown Fort Worth, now frozen during historic weather conditions.
Jocelyn Tatum/The Collegian
Looking south down University Boulevard at the Trinity River, which is frozen over for the first time in many years.
Jocelyn Tatum/The Collegian
The Fort Worth Zoo is normally open 365 days a year, making the empty parking lot this week an unusual sight to see.
Photo courtesy of Lauren Foster
View of snowy, powerless downtown Fort Worth from floor 15 of the Omni Hotel.
Kristal Blankinship/The Collegian
Heavy snowfall in North Texas hasn’t occurred since February 2015. There was little snow in 2020.
Azul Sordo/The Collegian
People begin preparing for the storm at a Target in Weatherford. The polar vortex left Texas residents without electricity and water.
Viewpoint
Page 4 • February 18, 2021
It’s So Cold h
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Winter storm safety tips MARY MATURO editor
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People across Texas have spent days without electricity, water and internet in the midst of freezing conditions. Even those who have gone unaffected by these outages are facing record-breaking temperatures. If you are currently without power, some methods for keeping warm include staying in a central room of your house and keeping the door shut as often as possible, or using a terracotta pot and a candle to create a makeshift heater. If you have electricity, you can cook many simple meals using the oven and warm the house at the same time. Placing a wrapped popsicle atop your thermostat ensures that it continues operating. This activates the sensor on the thermostat. Heat can escape through cracks on the edges of doors and windows, so it is best to line them with rolled-up towels. Covering windows with tacked-up towels or other thick fabrics helps with keeping the cold out as well. Remember to keep
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your pets close — they are cold too and provide much-needed body heat. Hydration is incredibly important, as the combination of cold, dry air and exposure to heaters means your body is more likely to get dehydrated. Drip hot water in a closed bathroom to create a moist environment. It is also important to keep faucets dripping all over the house to prevent pipes from freezing. If your pipes do burst, turn off all electricity in that area immediately and call your landlord, apartment maintenance or a plumber. If you are currently without water or facing a water shortage, use a bucket or other container and collect snow from the tops of bushes. This can be melted and used for toilets or washing hands. Using your car to charge your phone or other electronics can be very helpful, but remember to leave your garage door open to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Take advantage of a mobile hotspot for limited internet access. Close all of your application that are not in use to conserve power.
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The City of Fort Worth opened an overnight shelter at the Fort Worth Convention Center Monday for residents without power. It’s located at 1201 Houston Street and will be open 24 hours until Thursday at noon. Worth Heights Community Center located at 3551 New York Ave. Phone: 817-392-8722. Warming center only. Handley Meadowbrook Community Center located at 6201 Beaty St. Phone: 817-3922830. Diamond Hill Community Center located at 1701 NE 36th St. Phone: 817-392-5485.One Safe Place at 1101 Hemphill St. Euless has opened a warming center at the Euless Family Life Rec Center, officials said, which is located at 300 W. Midway. Bedford, Hurst shared this location as a warming center: Central Junior High, 3191 W. Pipeline Road in Euless. Haltom City The Christian Center at 4301 NE 28th Street. The Recreation Center at 4839 Broadway Avenue. The City of Grapevine has opened a warming shelter at The REC of Grapevine located at 1175 Municipal Way. If you need assistance, you can call them at 817-410-4455.
The City of Keller has opened a warming station at the Public Library located at 640 Johnson Road. North Richland Hills police officials said the city has opened warming stations for area residents to come get warm and charge devices. To find the nearest one, police advise people call their Warming Station Hotline at 817-427-6001.
The Southlake Department of Public Safety has opened a warming station at its north training facility at 100 East Dove Street. The center is open 24 hours a day. The City of Mansfield has opened a temporary warming center at Chris W. Burkett Service Center. Address: 620 S Wisteria Street. Call 817-728-3609 for more information. The Colleyville Library, 1000 Main St., opened Monday as the city’s warming center. For more information on the Colleyville center, call 817-503-1111 or 817-312-2030. Arlington has partnered with hotels to provide special rates for residents without power. The Salvation Army also is open as a warming center at 712 W. Abram St.
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Resources for Tarrant County Residents
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Illustration by Amber Davis/The Collegian