The southern American state of Texas was hit by an arctic storm on the week starting on the 15th of February. Due to this, people in the state simultaneously switched on additional appliances such as heaters in order to keep warm. This resulted in mass power failure surging through the state.
How much of this can be blamed on Texas’ policies though? Texas has always insisted on standing alone and has a separate power system from the rest of the USA. Their power comes mostly from natural gas and wind turbines, both of which were not built to perform in below-average temperatures, and froze due to the cold. Additionally, the freezing temperatures meant that water in the pipes was frozen, leaving people without water or power. By the 19th, an estimated 200,000 were without electricity and at least another million without water, with some even boiling snow to use for water. The extreme weather has led to a minimum of 37 deaths.
Texan senator, Ted Cruz, has spent this troubling period for his constituents in Cancun, far away from the bad weather. Texas, a red state, has received more aid from AOC ( Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) than their own Republican senator.
Written by Medha Gupta
Artwork by Zara Masood
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