The state of Texas evokes images of hot summer days, barbeques on the lawn and couture consisting of tank tops and cowboy boots. And up until a few weeks ago, even in the dead of winter for the rest of the United States, that remained the case. Until the clock struck 12 and Texas saw its first actual snowfall in years. While a light powdered dusting once a year isn’t uncommon for the Lone Star state, fear set in when the snow didn’t stop. The perennially summer state received more than a foot of snow in many of its cities, breaking record snowfalls that hadn’t been seen since before the turn of the millennium. But that isn’t the story here.
This story is born from the horrendous mismanagement of the government of Texas that led to what was supposed to be an unusually snowy season turning into a life-or-death matter for the state’s citizens. While fingers are being pointed at Governor Greg Abbott (R) and Senator Ted Cruz (R) among other officials – and rightfully so – the major offender is the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). While the rest of the nation relies on national power grids, Texas is independently controlled by ERCOT, which has royally screwed over the state during this historic winter storm.
Instead of deciding to mandate up-to-code equipment standards in preparation for the extreme weather, the Texas government left the decision in the hands of ERCOT, which in turn cut costs and did not make the necessary upgrades. As a result, many people across the state were subject to “rolling blackouts” which weren’t executed as electric companies explained they would be, leaving many citizens without power for days on end. Deaths due to freezing temperatures and carbon monoxide poisonings have plagued the state in the last week, hand in hand with boil water notices for many highly-populated cities. Roads are frozen over, groceries are being limited and water has also become a scarcity along with electric power, though the rise in temperatures forecasted for the rest of the month is a hopeful signal that things will return to a degree of normalcy – bar the ongoing pandemic, that is.
The nation now has its eyes on Texas as it suffers through the deadly winter storm while local leaders turn a blind eye to the struggles of their people. The aforementioned Governor Abbott, who has faced the scorn of Texan citizens for his take on the COVID-19 pandemic, is now under fire for his shoddy management of the winter storm. Senator Cruz is also facing backlash from his recent decision to flee with his family to Cancun, Mexico, during the worst of the storm and the ongoing global pandemic. His apologies were underwhelming and stirred even more scorn, as he attempted to pin the blame on his 10- and 12-year-old daughters. Meanwhile, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, with help from Beto O’Rourke, raised $1 million in aid for the southern state, while the senator and his family are being forced to self-quarantine after returning to the country.
The leadership of Texas has failed us as its citizens by prioritizing money over lives. Simply attempting to vote them out proved moot, given the state’s historic reputation of gerrymandering and voter suppression. Let this winter storm be a lesson to the nation. Texas needs to be freed from a selfish, money-hungry local government and rid itself of its secessionist roots for good.
