Recently, Texas has entered a winter storm with a lack of preparedness, resources, or infrastructure to handle its crisis. As a result, roads have become very unsafe to travel and the electrical grid is overwhelmed by the arctic freeze.

      Texas power grids, which are the networks within the state that help provide electricity to every house there, have been failing due to the harsh winter storms, creating widespread power outages, eliminating the use of air conditioning, heaters, chargers, lights, and so on for many. These power outages have left millions in freezing temperatures, sometimes for days. Historically marginalized communities, which are places that are treated as insignificant areas, were hit with blackouts first and suffered the longest, making it no surprise that Texas has been suffering so recently. Many of the city’s hardest-hit communities already have poor infrastructure and lack of financial resources to rebound after a crisis, providing a reason to worry for thousands. Additionally, the temperatures have dropped as low as -18 degrees fahrenheit and, as of now, 30 people have died due to the current winter storm, including a family that passed due to carbon monoxide poisoning from their car exhaust. In addition to the freezing temperatures, 7 million residents of Houston are under a boil water advisory, which essentially advises residents to boil their water rather than drink it straight out of the tap so as to eliminate any germs due to treatment plant outages. And, possibly saddest of all, it’s not only the humans who are suffering either. Animals and marine life are freezing in these dangerously cold conditions. 

      You may be wondering why only Texas is being affected by the storm. Well, Texas has its own power grid, which happened because Texas politicians wanted to avoid environmental regulations, which has, in turn, forced the state into the situation in which, when necessary, the state cannot receive power from any other state, leaving them vulnerable in similar situations. As climate change worsens, there is no doubt that there will be more extreme weather events like this with similar outcomes for the helpless inhabitants of the state.