Alex Hoben/The Collegian
Texas was turned upside down once again for another snowstorm that progressed through the night Feb. 4.
Surprisingly, there weren’t as many power outages, with the number topping 21,000 Thursday evening, according to CBS News. It was certainly a better outcome than last year’s winter catastrophe. It is evident that this storm only caused minor damages, but that doesn’t mean the PTSD from last year didn’t remain.
Politicians tried to remain confident until the last minute. Initially, in November, Gov. Greg Abbott guaranteed Texans there would be no power outages. However, he retracted his statement Feb. 2, which earned him some criticism by his fellow candidate Beto O’ Rourke while he was campaigning his way through North Texas. Though, after the storm hit, Abbott retracted his statement again and said there was “plenty of power available” during a briefing in Austin. Even with the reporting of the governor, no candidate ran away from the storm this time like Ted Cruz did last year. However, Rourke did think the power grid would be a big issue this year and was counting on it. It would most likely affect his chances in the governor race since it was one of the main issues for his platform.
Texans, however, made sure they were overprepared this time for the snowstorm to hit. People rushed to grocery stores and cleared the shelves, ensuring they had everything they needed. The last minute shoppers, however, were very chaotic and rushed stores and lines to make sure they had everything possible to survive for the few days they would be in their homes.
Some think clearing the shelves wasn’t necessary because weather channels predicted the storm to be minor, but the public can’t be blamed for overreacting to the news since last year’s killed 246 people, according to the Texas Tribune. Texans were scared of what this snowstorm might entail because nobody knew what to expect. People lost their homes, businesses, power and loved ones all because Texas couldn’t provide proper knowledge and resources for a natural disaster. However, the outcome of this storm was much better than last year. Rather than having to fend for their lives, people were outside playing in the snow, not freezing to death inside.
Schools systems this year reacted responsibly by canceling school even though the predictions weren’t as major. Districts like Arlington closed without too much hesitation. TCC, on the other hand, could have done a better job at handling the situation better. Tuesday night, it wasn’t until 7:54 p.m. that it announced evening classes would be canceled. Students were left on campus with no decision for way too long. TCC should have closed the school sooner due to how fast the weather was escalating. Some teachers decided to either cancel class or have an online meeting to resume safely instead of waiting for a decision. TCC should have been more prepared and more understanding of its students and their safety. If the storm would’ve began earlier, students and faculty could’ve ended up traveling in hazardous road conditions.
Texas, however, did prevail this year and made sure the power stayed on, for the most part. By Friday, roads were cleared for travel if necessary, which was convenient. The roads were completely clear after two days since most of the snow melted.
Texas was able to look competent this time around. But that doesn’t hide the fact that it needs to update its power grid. Since snowstorms seem to be a new normal, Texas needs to learn how to prepare for any situation thrown its way. That way, the people who are in this state can feel safe and know that the people who are running it care about their safety.
