Power grid down in Texas

We just got our power back after about 16 hours in the dark with no heat. We have all the heaters blasting now and finally have the temperature out of the 40s. The big problem is that people in South East Texas don't have homes built for this and don't have clothes for it either. Tennis shoes don't get it in 5 inches of snow. The normal for this time of year are highs in the 60s with a lot of days in the low 70s and lows in the 40s with an occasional light freeze.

We are not supposed to thaw out until Friday or Saturday with highs in the low 30s and COLD nights. I am really glad to be retired. We had some weather like this 15 or 20 years ago and I spent two weeks wet, cold, and laying in my under houses fixing busted pipes.

We are doing OK. We moved into the bedroom and I brought in a heater and propane from my shop. We just shuggled in bed and read. I am a survivalist and am always sort of prepared. There is a battery-powered lamp hanging in every room so light is taken care of.

If nothing else my Granddaughter Danni is having a ball. This is a BIG snow down here and something that she may not see again until she has kids of her own. This is the first time in my life that we have had two snows in the same winter. We went about 20 years between snow before this.

It is up to 55 now in my living room. That feels a lot better than it was. I'm about to try and cook something. Hoping the power will stay on long enough to get something done. If not I will just set it outside and let it freeze. It is supposed to be 6 degrees tonight.
 
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TexDanm said:
We just got our power back after about 16 hours in the dark with no heat. We have all the heaters blasting now and finally have the temperature out of the 40s. The big problem is that people in South East Texas don't have homes built for this and don't have clothes for it either. Tennis shoes don't get it in 5 inches of snow. The normal for this time of year are highs in the 60s with a lot of days in the low 70s and lows in the 40s with an occasional light freeze.

We are not supposed to thaw out until Friday or Saturday with highs in the low 30s and COLD nights. I am really glad to be retired. We had some weather like this 15 or 20 years ago and I spent two weeks wet, cold, and laying in my under houses fixing busted pipes.

We are doing OK. We moved into the bedroom and I brought in a heater and propane from my shop. We just shuggled in bed and read. I am a survivalist and am always sort of prepared. There is a battery-powered lamp hanging in every room so light is taken care of.

If nothing else my Granddaughter Danni is having a ball. This is a BIG snow down here and something that she may not see again until she has kids of her own. This is the first time in my life that we have had two snows in the same winter. We went about 20 years between snow before this.

It is up to 55 now in my living room. That feels a lot better than it was. I'm about to try and cook something. Hoping the power will stay on long enough to get something done. If not I will just set it outside and let it freeze. It is supposed to be 6 degrees tonight.
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I was worrying about you when I saw what was happening. I'm glad you checked in! Having lived in the South for 10 years, I understand how you guys are not set up for this kind of thing. Stay safe and warm and keep us posted, Dan.
 
This was the first place that I came to when we got our power back. We are trying to get the house warm again. It was in the 40s in the living room when we came up here. I am hoping to get the entire house up to 75 before we lose our power again. The problem is that we have built wind-powered turbines all over West Texas and they were never meant to operate in these conditions. Until they thaw and start working again the power companies can't power everyone at the same time so are turning off the power in some places to make power available to others.

Most people use electrically powered heat so no power means no heat. Losing your power for an hour doesn't let your house get freezing cold so it is tolerable. This is just not what we are used to or built for. We have a lot more days with temperatures between 115 and 120 than days around zero in a decade.

When we do have a cold night it is mostly one and done. It will be next Saturday before we get above 35. I don't ever remember a cold front like this that lasted for an entire week. Danni is having a ball though. She is running back and forth between the houses and having snowball fights with whoever will go out to play with her. It really is pretty...as long as you are inside looking out. There are places down here that have snow for the first time in the 2000s.

I am sooooo glad that this time around that it won't be me that will spend the next two weeks laying in mud and cold, under houses fixing busted pipes for people. I got to do that when a similar freeze hit us 20 years or so ago.

Once things thaw out next week is going to be when the results of this are fully known. When the pipes thaw THEN we will find out how many pipes are just frozen and how many are busted.

This does make life interesting though.
 
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Laughs in Chicago.
(Take that with a light heart.)
 
Tex , glad you you are ok. I hate winter.
 
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