Harvey’s northern cousin, Uri, came to visit.
The last time Houston had a snow fall before the recent events was back in December of 2017 that Friday. Events like these tend to bring excitement towards Texans, as they only see sun-scorching temperatures even during the sunniest wintry days. I remember how much of a frosty, chill day it was when I reported myself to high school at the time, so I figured I’d get excited to see snow in February.
Personal anecdote:
Monday morning. 8 am. I got out of my bed and peeked through my window — only to see three cars on the drive-way blanketed in snow along with the pavement, housetops, lawns, and the street. I threw on my long pair of socks, snow boots, pants, two layers of long-sleeved shirts, and my black suit coat to check out this windy wintry winter wonderland. I went outside my front lawn to document the snowy, white, and peaceful place surrounding my neighborhood. The cold, frigid air is what I first notice as it trickles towards my skin and chills up my face; it was this bitter air, in the teens, that always hit my face.
I then proceed towards the major street of Gessner, as I saw a thick blanket of snow that concealed the grey color of the pavement. It was a deserted block of Spring Branch where cars, if any, were non-existent on the streets. It felt real quiet. It had some sort of post-apocalyptic calm that surrounded the area where there was no one really around but me. Of course, I had to take advantage of such a marvelous sight of frozen particles of snowflakes that I twirled and danced in the middle of what was once a busy street in the Branch.
I pretty much thought it was a fun day that time and so did everyone else. I even walked around the neighborhood to see and record all of the amazing, snowy sights that my eyes have ever witnessed. I got to walk all the way to my former high school and see how blanketed the snow was along Tiger Trail. I got to hold icicles. I got to slip around for fun. Hell, I even got to taste natural-made snow lemonade that I found on the ground of a neighborhood park! (It tasted very acidic for some reason).
Well, it was pretty much all fun and games, until the power went out around 6 pm when I was in the middle of playing Super Mario Galaxy on my Switch. I had some immediate family members from another household that had to come to us before our power had to go out. We heavily relied on a generator with enough fuel to power the kitchen and the living room. We once had to (carefully and slowly) drive to a Shell gas station only to encounter a line of cars waiting to get all the gas that was left in each pump; we did not end up filling our jerry cans to power the generator. It was night time when we were making our way back home to where we had to rely on car lights to see what was ahead of us. It felt like an apocalypse just happened. No streetlights. No stoplights. All shadows surrounding around us in the chill of the night as we relied on our layers of clothing and the car engine.
Towards the end of the night, my parents, my sister and brother-in-law — along with their two Pugs, and I ended up sleeping without any electrical or water utilities that night. I was even awaken during my slumber because of the dark, frosty chills of the wind that penetrated through my bedroom, single-paned window to where I had to “burrito” myself with four blankets to stop the cold from chilling me. Out there was an Alaskan freezer rather than a Texas oven.
So yeah. That was the first part of the journey through the winter storm.
Generally, our minimal power relied on using a generator to power the kitchen so that we could cook food, stay warm, and boil water. I had to have my bathtub filled to where I have a bucket to fill a quarter-way and dump the water onto the toilet if I wanted to flush it. Speaking of the bathtub, I would take some liquid soap and wash my own hands using the said bathroom element in cold water to where it chafed my hands easily. I relied on using water bottles to wet my toothbrush and toothpaste to brush my teeth. And due to the lack of water utilities and the filled bathtub, I haven’t have a decent shower for four days. And I did not have very good wifi reception until now; we were cut off from the outside world. My parents and I set up a curtain on my winder where it was really a thick blanket that blocked out the cold temperature of the outside. Especially that the snow is going away, this storm felt more like a burden to Texans than a benefit.
How does this matter towards everyone else? What did we learn about this?
Well, a plethora of Texan individuals, families, and institutions were impacted by the disruption that the winter storm had on the majority of the state.
Ironically enough, people lost power due to unprecedented weather conditions which leads to a lack of heating within their households. These affected people pretty much had to rely on layering up in clothing and blankets, or they had to light up their stoves for heat, or they had to set up a fire on their fireplaces, or they had to live in their own cars and rely on the AC system to warm themselves up.
Speaking of using a car as a warming place, I figured that people did not know the hidden dangers of carbon monoxide emitting from the car exhaust and not being filtered at an outdoor space. Unfortunately, a woman and her eight-year-old child died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning due to the state-wide blackouts. Also, some Texans had to figure out a way to use fire as means to warm themselves in such critical chilling temperatures. Unfortunately, flames will sometimes result in house fires, such as the one that killed a grandmother and three grandchildren in Sugar Land.
Aside from these tragic consequences of the winter storm, I have also witnessed some insensitivities among people and institutions.
This is what a former Texas mayor posted on Facebook:
First off, he deliberately wanted to “hurt some feelings” while having some internet connection, so he was acknowledging the fact that he was going to receive some criticism. Boyd does convey his idea that the local government does not have a responsibility for “supporting [residents] during trying times,” and that the “City and County, along with power providers or any other service owes [them] NOTHING! [sic]” Along with a lack of sympathy in his tone, he actually contradicts the idea that the government ought to be responsible for the governed; that notion derived from the Enlightenment, when Jean-Jacques Rousseau came up with an idea of a social contract between the government and the governed. Essentially, this former mayor suggested some ideas that are not only insensitive towards the affected residents, but also would set back government as far as when the Third Estate was planning an overthrow against Louis XVI (just right after the American Revolution).
Aside from using historical analysis against Boyd’s ideas, he does bring up a few key words that ties to a right-winged perspective. He claims that “God has given [residents] the tools to support [themselves],” as well as describing a government as “socialist” and diminishing essential public services and aid as “handouts.” There is nothing political about protecting those we care about and those who are in need of support. Human rights — which includes the right to live — should never be politicized. Ever. And although the small town is situated in a rural Texas county (which tend to be mainly conservative), that kind of messaging from a mayor is quite insensitive towards those being governed by them. If he isn’t going to help his citizens in a natural disaster, then I am personally glad that he resigned.
As for the Republican Senator, Ted Cruz, as if acquitting the former president over Congressional violence wasn’t bad enough, had to travel to Cancun while a winter storm affected our families. There is a rule in the Army, where a soldier isn’t allowed to desert their fellow service members or that would be perceived as treason against one’s own country. In Cruz’s case, that is what he did DURING an state crisis. Okay, I do understand that he wanted to be sure that his two children are safe and warm during the fierce weather. I get that. I get that he cares a lot about for his family and for their safety like anyone else would.
However, he ended up exerting his privilege onto his family in a form of a flight to — what most consider — a tropical vacation spot in Mexico. People in Texas also have children that they needed to keep warm and safe. They unfortunately do not have an option to visit a tropical paradise, but rather local warming centers such as the Gallery Furniture store that Mattress Mack opened for the public (and kudos to him). Should Cruz decide to be a protective father who cared much about his children, while not being perceived as insensitive, he should have stuck with going to a warming center like everyone else instead of showing off his privilege as a politician. Should the children beg for their father to travel to a beach, Cruz should have been a bit blunt to them by having a conversation on how they have privilege and how they cannot show off in front of other Texans in need of such necessities. His children should understand what privilege is like and how they should check it.
And get this: he left behind a dog in the freezing house — something that Keanu would not approve.
Anyways, I really hope Cruz gets held accountable for upsetting and shorting a majority of Texans — including myself — for such an inconsiderate gesture that strikes all of us like a middle finger.
I cannot believe any store would ever advertise their water that way. The fact that it’s been price-gouged and that they had the audacity to commercialize a necessity in a way that frames it like a luxury good disappoints me. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like how stuff gets commercialized, such as the Billboard pop songs overplayed on the radio; otherwise, their meaningfulness are diluted thanks to money. Anyways, this store had to frame Aquafina as if it was not worthy for those who desperately need it the most. If anything, it quite an insult towards human beings.
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Food and Water distribution in Houston
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