The Crisis That Keeps On Giving

I get why the Ted Cruz story gets clicks, but this one feels much more important. At least 58 people lost their lives from winter storms in the United States this week. https://t.co/7QRxvRDUEQ

— Gabe Fleisher (@WakeUp2Politics) February 20, 2021

I’ve heard it was over 70.

When the lights went out this week and Texans lost access to power and clean drinking water, the Texas Division of Emergency Management failed to provide accessible and life-saving updates on outages and inclement weather. Why? https://t.co/asRHHAdPq4

— stacy-marie ishmael (@s_m_i) February 20, 2021

Why we need the Texas Tribune. They know to ask these questions. Meanwhile, Gov. Absent wants to be helpful.

As millions of Texans went without power and water, Gov. Greg Abbott told residents to call 311 and use Google to find resources.

The only problem: Many people didn’t have internet access or cell service. https://t.co/Oq8VhHhkH8

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) February 20, 2021

The crisis that keeps on giving.

As lights came back on in Texas on Friday, the state's power outage disaster had firmly transitioned into a water crisis.

About half of the state’s population is still battling water infrastructure problems, from complete outages to boil-water notices. https://t.co/S3hUax1fKo

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) February 20, 2021

And just to underline that:

Update from Austin, mid-day Friday:

1. We are home safe and sound. We have water and power. We are so lucky.

2. The power crisis seems to be pretty much under control. Water? Not so much. https://t.co/zwoyGoQEfU

— KSV (@KSVesq) February 19, 2021

Among the not so lucky:

In Abilene, first responders found a 60-year-old man dead in his home on Wednesday.

His wife was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. She said they hadn’t had power in days. Fire department members said it felt as cold inside the home as outside. https://t.co/zaCEmZ8cBs

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) February 19, 2021

Guess they should have called 311, huh, Governor?

As snow blanketed much of Texas on Sunday, an 11-year-old gleefully played outside. It was his first time seeing snow.

Less than 24 hours later, as temperatures plunged to near single digits and homes lost power, the boy died. https://t.co/LiaH0BfGqS

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) February 19, 2021

Sorry, I have to go scream now. One can only take so much.