When the polar vortex pushed the massive winter storm Uri deep into the state of Texas this week, millions of people suffered. And are still suffering, even as many residents have finally regained electricity.  According to the Texas Tribune, half of the population of the state is experiencing water problems, from complete outages to boil water notifications. In the Houston area, including outlying suburbs and our sister city of Galveston, the death toll has already reached 22 — with an additional 8 deaths still under investigation (ABC News).

I lost power around 2 a.m. on Monday morning, and spent 85 hours without electricity — with 2 exceptions. I had power for 1.5 hours Tuesday morning, and for about 15 minutes on Wednesday. Finally, steady electrical service was restored to my apartment late Thursday afternoon. Our condo management turned water back on to our buildings on Friday afternoon — and we were incredibly lucky not to have any broken pipes. The water has remained on, although it must be boiled for more than two minutes to be safe to drink or to wash dishes.

Whenever life hands me these experiences, I always think, what are the major words that express my feelings about living through this?

For Freezemageddon 2021, these words would be: misery, anxiety, sadness, and anger.

Looking at the forecast for the week, I expected that power outages might occur on Monday, February 15, because ice and snow could down some tree limbs and take out power lines. I had plenty of food and bottled water, and figured we might have a day without power. What I did not anticipate was that Texas was completely unprepared to supply power across the state during a big winter storm. It wasn’t iced power lines that took us down. It was the massive ineptitude of our state government.

As everyone knows now, after the nationwide coverage of the winter storm disaster in Texas, the state has its own power grid, rather than connecting to the two major grids in the United States. The Texas grid is managed by ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.

The name now makes me want to be physically ill. RELIABILITY COUNCIL???!!!! Really?? These asses? I am renaming it EDCOT, the Electric Disaster Council of Texas. The deaths, illnesses, misery, and financial losses caused by the absolute lack of ANY kind of decent emergency planning should be laid at the feet of the these imbeciles.

I’d like to see public pillories made legal as part of the punishment for these people. I’d start by having the discipline administrator shove jalapeños up the ERCOT managers’ noses. I mean, it IS Texas. A little heat is in order. And then the public could pelt them with the rotten food that spoiled in our refrigerators this week. Following that, a tattoo on each of their foreheads, labeling them as bedbugs for the rest of their lives.

I survived this week by bundling up with my two cats, and going to sit in my car for several hours each day to charge my phone, warm up, and listen to the radio. It was 85 hours of dark and cold and misery. I was fortunate that the temperature inside my apartment did not drop below 43° F.

Those who died of hypothermia, carbon monoxide poisoning, and home fires were not so lucky.