This is bad. UPDATE 02-16-21

[Laelth]

Internet is very spotty, but I have a little right now, so I thought I would update the Lounge.

We made it through the night. Still no power. No running water. We have food and bottled water. The minivan is keeping us warm. We have 3/4 of a tank of gas.

We’re bored but safe for the moment. Lots of snow expected tomorrow. We won’t be above freezing until Friday.

Thank you all for the thoughts, suggestions, and good vibes.

-Laelth

[blm]

1. 🕯

[Irish_Dem]

2. Thank God you made it through the night!

Bored and safe is good news.

Stay safe!

[dixiechiken1]

3. Thanks for the update.

So very glad to know you are safe. Hoping the cold snap passes soon so you & your daughter can get some relief.

[FM123]

4. Laeith, so relieved to hear from you.

Please know that we are thinking of you and sending positive vibes your way. Sending you hugs too

[HUAJIAO]

5. Glad you are safe. Hope you stay that way.

[Walleye]

6. Very good. Hang in there. It's all about survival

[abqtommy]

7. Glad to hear you're safe. Your DU family is concerned for you.

see https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215115978

[UpInArms]

8. Hang in there

Wish I could send you some warmth.

[niyad]

9. Thank goodness!! We have all been so worried. Continuing vibes for your continuing safety.

Check in when you can.

[Hela]

10. IMPORTANT TIP!

If you are running your van outside to stay warm and it starts snowing, make sure you go out and clear the exhaust area so that it isn't blocked by snow. You want to make sure you don't get carbon monoxide backing up into the vehicle.

Hope you can continue to stay warm. Be safe!

[TryLogic]

14. And, of course, don't run it in the garage.

Use lots of blankets.

[Laelth]

40. Tip received. Thank you.

-Laelth

[world wide wally]

11. I hope your daughter is ok.

How old is she?

[kag]

59. If I'm remembering right...

She's an adult, but somewhat disabled.

[Laelth]

61. She turns 21 in March.

She’s got poor vision (can’t drive), but, otherwise, she’s healthy and smart.

-Laelth

[Wounded Bear]

12. Good to hear from you! Best of luck!

[Silver Gaia]

13. Happy you are safe!

[Lonestarblue]

15. What good news!

I hope they get your power back on soon.

[Ferrets are Cool]

16. Thank you so much for this update

[ancianita]

17. Glad you're okay. The days will drag, but it will be over so you can finally rest.

We're pulling for you both.

[judesedit]

18. God bless you, Laelth. Yay, mini van! I'm worried about my neice and family in Austin

Literally just moved there last week from Florida. They have no vehicle. SO's 2019 Toyota Tacoma wouldn't start, so they had it towed to shop. ??? New house. Contractor told them not to worry about pipes, they were insulated. Guess what? They have a burst pipe. They even have a generator. It worked for 20 minutes and died. They have a 5 year old. They have a grill and little food. I'm informed they were hunkered down last night. More precipitation anticipated over the next 2 days. I hope their new neigbbors, Sheriff's Office, FEMA, someone can help them get warmed up, get enough food and charge their phones, so they can let us know they're ok. I am praying for you all. The elderly and infirm need much help, too. I feel so helpless.

[Tumbulu]

19. Wishing you safety and warmth

Know that we love and care about you❤️❤️❤️

[gademocrat7]

20. Glad to know you and your daughter are ok.

Take care and stay safe.

[CaptainTruth]

22. Glad to hear you're ok!!! I'm sending warmth from Florida.

Stay safe!

[Stuart G]

23. Thanks for the update.

[jmbar2]

24. Thanks for the update

You were on my mind last nite. Glad you made it, but sounds like it will be a hard few days.

One day, your daughter will regale her grandkids about this event like the stories of folks who crossed the plains in covered wagons.

Stay safe and keep in touch. Continuing to send warm thoughts your way.

[mountain grammy]

25. Thanks for the update.. stay safe.

[mzmolly]

26. Thanks for checking in.

I'm glad you're safe.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

27. Wow... We haven't lost power at all in central TX

Is it imposed? Or lines down?

[Lithos]

45. Imposed

By Ercot, the state grid mgmt agency. The outage is from lack of oversight and preparedness over the other utilities. Things like winterization of essential equipment was never required and outside of a few utilities never performed. Every time the grid has tried to be brought up, various components fail and we are back to square one.

This is a classic case of hubris meeting business profit greed to the detriment of the public

And greetings from South Austin - going on 35 hours of no power. Was colder than expected last night, hit 4 before windchill. 6" of snow and expecting more. House is in the 40's. And lest haters question.. I am in the car listening to news and charging phones

[Laelth]

46. State-mandated power allocation.

It is NOT an issue of lines being down. The State has taken control of the power grid and is allocating electricity as it sees fit.

If you don’t have power, it’s because you are low priority.

-Laelth

[Lithos]

47. For explanation to those not in Austin

Downtown remains lit up like a Christmas tree. Plus almost of the high end sub divisions maintained power.

On edit: Laelth, keep strong we will get through this

[mzmolly]

73. That sounds criminal.

[Laelth]

76. Quite the contrary.

It’s perfectly legal because it’s a state agency that is doing it.



-Laelth

[mzmolly]

82. Horrible. We have a cold weather

rule in MN. It's illegal to cut off a primary heat source between October and April. Though we didn't always have such laws.

How are you and your daughter doing tonight?

[Laelth]

97. I posted an update this morning.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181471625

Thank you, so much, for checking up on us.



-Laelth

[mzmolly]

98. Thanks for keeping

us posted, Laelth.

[wnylib]

77. It would be in NY. Here, even if

someone is behind in their utility payments, it is illegal to turn off heat and electricity during the winter months.

Texas sounds absolutely barbaric.

[mzmolly]

84. Same in MN.

I agree.

Granted before laws were written to protect Minnesotans - people did suffer and worse.

[wnylib]

91. That"s the reason for the law.

People froze to death without heat. Often, the ones who were behind in payments were seniors on fixed incomes who were balancing higher winter utility payments with the costs of expensive meds. Or they were younger people just too poor to afford the higher bills in winter.

There is also a "code blue" heated shelter system here for homeless people when temps get below freezing.

[Clearly fogged in]

81. Everything can gave a worse choice.

Republicans in Texas made many. This is how we pay.

[mzmolly]

86. Assholes.

[Mersky]

49. Am curious. Where are you in central Texas?

We’ve been without power for 31 hours in East Austin. My Williamson county folks have lost power for many hours at a time.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

53. In Waco. Yes, read how Austin screwed up and couldnt

Figure out how to do or undo "rolling"? Left 40k without?

[Mersky]

58. It's more of a big fat FAIL from ERCOT allocations to municipalities

Austin perhaps did turn down too much initially, then not be able to actually roll the blackouts. There’s equipment failure along the way. Williamson county is significantly powered by Perdenales Electric Co-op, so why some areas can roll blackouts, while others experience little outage is not explained by one city’s utilities. Is an ERCOT driven clusterf’ck.

Eta: oh, and they started the statewide ‘rolling’ blackouts too late, cuz they can’t think ahead for crap.

[IaDemInTN]

28. Hello, Laelth, I am brand new here on DU as of today, but

you truly have my best wishes. I really wish you were closer to us (TN) as we have a small guest house with propane heat and plenty of electricity/hot water you would be welcome to use as long as you want! Please stay safe! And if you can get here, we'll leave the light on for ya!

[niyad]

41. Welcome to our DU family.

[IaDemInTN]

95. Thank you!

Where I retired (long story) I am surrounded by Trumpists, so it's so nice to be here!

[Delphinus]

93. Welcome to DU!

What a lovely invitation you offered.

[IaDemInTN]

96. Thank you!

I am so happy to be among you! It is so distressing to see people going through this storm with no utilities!

[Karadeniz]

29. Laelth's life sounds like ours. We have several members in Texas. I'm sure we're all in the same

Boat! This, too, shall pass! We heard...unreliable source...that the state was managing a rolling blackout and that's what its been like here in rural central Texas....one or two hours of electricity, then long blocks of nothing. We get the house toasty and that has to last during the outage. Out here in the boonies, always subject to temporary loss of electricity, we keep used up kitty litter pails full of water and park them in the bathrooms, so we always have flushable toilets.

But, one of our dearest friends lives in Kyle, between Austin and San Antonio...alone, but with her dog. This woman would win the Kindest Heart in the World award, in spite of every part of her body having incapacitating problems. She has vertigo always, now needs a walker. We heard from her that she'd had 24 hrs of no electricity. Now that made me mad! A consolation for this was thinking that our lack of electricity was helping others who needed it. But she wasn't getting any and that's so wrong.

Take care, everyone!

[summer_in_TX]

34. Reports of rolling blackouts have been far too rosy.

KUT-Austin, the area NPR affiliate, reported this morning that ERCOT, the energy reliability Council of Texas, said that they are worried about the grid and that what was supposed to be rolling blackouts are being extended for hours and even days In some places.

[Laelth]

48. Rolling blackouts started here, Van Zandt County, at 2AM yesterday.

Last edited Tue Feb 16, 2021, 02:34 PM - Edit history (1)

Power went out at 5:27 AM yesterday, and returned for about 15 minutes at 8:30 AM. Then we went 18 hours without any power at all. Power came back at 3 AM and lasted until 4:04. Seven and a half hours later, at 11:30 AM today, electricity returned. It remains on now (12:34 PM). No clue hope long it will last.

-Laelth

[Rorey]

66. I'm SO relieved that you're okay

This whole thing is just ridiculous! I wish there was something we could do to help.

[Peacetrain]

30. Dear Laelth.. just caught this.. had no idea you were in the middle of that mess

I keep watching the TV and seeing all the stories about how hard Texas is hit.. Keeping all of you in our thoughts..

[Fla Dem]

31. How absolutely terrifying for you.

May you and your family stay safe until and after the weather improves.

[Greybnk48]

32. I'm sending all the good vibes I have!

I know I'm not the only one who had trouble sleeping last night thinking of you and other friends inTexas and other States that are in this desperate situation. Help will be there asap. Bank on it.

[BobTheSubgenius]

33. Fantastic news to hear!

Onward and upward from here!!!

[cate94]

35. Glad that you are safe.

[liberalla]

36. Thanks for checking in. I've been thinking of you!

[summer_in_TX]

37. Oh thank God!

Thank you for checking in and letting us know you are safe. We have been so worried.

[FailureToCommunicate]

38. Hang in there. My son & fianc are near Dallas and they had to evacuate their apartment...

building due to flooding from frozen pipes (flooding and frozen pipes in other units).

And no one had power for lights or heat because of the "rolling blackouts"... that don't seem to be rolling.

They sat in their cars last night trying to stay warm (aware of the danger of exhaust gas).

The notion of going to warming centers is fraught with it's own peril these days with the pandemic, so that's not a great option.

It's a crumby situation. We're hoping that their coping skills are sufficient to get thru this.

Unfortunately, the weather prediction is for more ice and snow and below freezing temps for the next several days. Yikes.

Ironically, parts of New England are above normal temps. Also, our buildings and houses are built to somewhat better deal with extreme cold.

So sorry for all of you having to go thru this bizarre cold weather.

-FTC

[Solly Mack]

39. Keep us posted as much as possible.

Thank you for letting us know how y'all are doing.

[Laelth]

54. I will--internet permitting. n/t

-Laelth

[LuvNewcastle]

42. I hope your fortunes change soon.

Sounds like you can't catch a break right now. Sounds like you might have to go to a shelter if you run out of gas and the power doesn't come back on. I wouldn't want to be in a shelter right now, either, but I think that might be your best option, if there is a shelter in your town.

[TheBlackAdder]

43. Were you able to drain your pipes so they don't freeze?

[Laelth]

51. Yes. I got the trailer dry prior to the freeze.

I am not expecting any burst pipes. Many of my neighbors will not be so lucky.

-Laelth

[TheBlackAdder]

55. The next thing is to keep snow and ice away so there isn't any heaving that could stress caulk.

[Laelth]

57. Right. n/t

-Laelth

[marlakay]

44. My daughter in San Antonio her husband

Two teenagers and 2 dogs are in her SUV right now keeping warm, they just filled up with gas.

She was tired of freezing in her house.

[pandr32]

50. Thanks for the update

So glad you are okay, so far.

[Mersky]

52. Glad to hear y'all are making it through

We’re in it with you and will keep making things work.

[matt819]

56. Glad you're safe

I second the suggestion by another poster about looking at homeless shelters. Covid aside, I know that this is a tough step for people to take. (I have volunteered with a local shelter for 6 years and I've talked to people about the emotional barrier to taking this step.)
Add in the Covid consideration, and I can understand the reluctance to taking this route.

That said, I would assume that shelters throughout Texas are bursting, and you've probably looked into this anyway. In any case, here's the number in Van Zandt Country.
EDGEWOOD HOUSING AUTHORITY
108 Cedar Street
Edgewood, TX 75117
[phone]

Are churches reaching out?

Good luck.

[Mr.Bill]

60. Glad to hear you're safe.

Thanks for keeping us updated. Good thoughts are sent your way.

[Joinfortmill]

62. Said another prayer.

[c-rational]

63. More positive vibes to you and yours Laelth. You've got this. Stay positive.

[BelieveCassandra]

64. Fingers crossed that the electricity stays on.

VZ County seems to be totally shut down. I left a message with the County Commissioners suggesting that they post information
about where to find temporary shelter.

From a power outage report it looks like there are a few thousand people with no electricity.

Take care and glad you are ok.

[lunatica]

65. Thanks really good news

I’m relieved that you’re OK.

[JackHughes]

67. Over 36 Hours freezing in the dark in West Harris County (Houston)

This is a catastrophic infrastructure failure made inevitable by Republican "governance," i.e., de-regulation of public utilities so that operators spend the least amount of money and never have to plan for a worst-case scenario -- as we are seeing now.

Republican governance always leads to disasters. What is untold human misery as long as campaign donors make a few extra millions?

[wnylib]

78. I just heard on NPR that body trucks

are being brought in for people who freeze to death.

There need to be some unlawful death suits brought against the utility company or state organization that decides who gets heat and who doesn't. Actually, they should be criminally charged, too.

[Mersky]

68. 39 hours in Austin without electricity

And the cold is starting to get to me in a new way. One block of 2-4 hours ahead of the ice that’s coming tonight was just too much for Texas to provide help to the neighborhoods in the state’s Capitol?

We’re okay enough at my house, but it’s very draining.

[malaise]

69. Stay safe Laelth

[SheltieLover]

70. Good vibes on the way!

Not sure where you are, but I sure hope things get fixed quickly!

[MustLoveBeagles]

71. I'm glad you're both okay

[Bayard]

72. Oh, good!

Thinking about you when seeing the horrible mess in Texas.

Stay safe and warm!!

[Generic Brad]

74. Make sure your tailpipe doesn't get covered by snow

And crack a window when you run your engine. Carbon monoxide is sneaky and can overwhelm you without warning.

[GeorgeGist]

75. So good to hear.

May the good vibes carry on.

[smirkymonkey]

79. So sorry to hear of your difficulty Laelth.

Just remember to layer to stay warm. That is the best thing you can do. Air between the layers is the best insulater and will keep you warm until the weather gets better. You can always remove layers if you get too warm, but it's hard to warm up if your body temp drops too low.

I know, I am from way upstate NY where it used to get down to 40 or 50 below, and our pipes would freeze and the furnace would kick out. We learned how to keep warm in the harshest weather.

Best to you and your daughter! We are all thinking of you!

Hey, people, can we think of some good things for Laelth and his daughter to do to keep them from getting bored, assuming they have nothing else to amuse them? I had a long work day, so I am a bit tired out, but I know there are all kinds of games that you only need your mind for.

[TigressDem]

80. Been thinking about you all day.

Glad you are still hanging in there.

Austin is more progressive than a lot of Texas. Do they have solar and wind power up anywhere?


Ahhh.... FROZEN TURBINES are part of the problem...


https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/02/14/historic-winter-storm-freezes-texas-wind-turbines-hampering-electric-generation/4483230001/

[marble falls]

83. Where are you?

[mzmolly]

85. Laelth is in Texas.

Van Zandt County if I understand correctly.

[nocoincidences]

87. One day/night at a time.

Are there warming centers opening up near you? Use them as backup, respite to get through the next few days.

[Clearly fogged in]

88. Glad you're back up, per your reply 48

[JudyM]

89. Hang in there, Laelth!

Sending warm feelings, hope that helps a bit.

[Aussie105]

90. I can't imagine those conditions.

From the opposite end of the climate spectrum:

Adelaide, South Australia, 6 pm.

Currently 38 degrees C, or 100 F.

Same for the next 2 days.

At least we have power, and dressing lightly, washing one's face often, cold water of course, then sit in front of the A/C, helps.

Somewhere on this planet, the climate isn't trying to kill people. Wonder where?

[yokbizzi]

92. Use candle(s) to help keep you warm in the van.

One candle can heat a vehicle. Just have a window cracked a bit. We are snowed in here up in Canada but we are set up for it. Keep safe and warm. Best of luck.

[marmar]

94. More good vibes Laelth.