“We are in survival mode”: the nightmare of Argentines caught in the polar storm in Texas

Two saucepans boil on the burners Jennifer ingrey. Inside, the snow is melting. This is the only resource you have for getting water because one of the worst winter storms in decades cut all services down. Texas and in other southern states of United States, affecting more than 100 million people.

“We are in survival mode. I haven’t had any water since Monday morning. I put snow in pots and melt it to put it in the toilet tank, ”said Ingrey, an Argentinian who has lived in Dallas for several years. Water service companies, affected by power outages and frost that froze pipes and caused them to explode, they were forced to suspend their services in much of the state. In addition, they advised neighbors to boil drinking water, as the sewage treatment plants are also down.

Near three million users continue without electricity today since the weekend after the storm hit the state grid heavily, generating a energy crisis. “We have been without electricity since Sunday evening. The power plants were frozen and they provide us with electricity twice a day or sometimes just once a day, for an hour and three hours, ”Ingrey explained to THE NATION.

Ice stalactites hanging from kitchen faucets in Houston, ambulances in San Antonio couldn’t meet growing demand, and the Galveston Coast County government ordered refrigerated trucks for the corpses they hoped to find. in frozen and helpless houses. At -25 °, Oklahoma’s capital had the lowest temperature since 1899.

Austin Energy, a company that supplies the capital of Texas, has warned its customers to prepare for the possibility of massive blackouts continuing even beyond this Wednesday. “If you have energy, try to live as if you don’t have it,” insisted the mayor of Austin Steve Alder.

The Texas Electrical Reliability Council (Ercot) reported today that more than 600,000 households recovered service overnight, but There are still 2.7 million users without electricity.

Millions of people in Texas face their third day without gas as the 73% of the United States remains covered in snow. “Fortunately I have a gas fireplace and I can turn it on, but the company sends very little because they are trying to save gas. Luckily the ladies across the way take the car to the street and use it to warm up, as there are people who have died from the buildup of gasoline in the car in the garage, ”said Ingrey.

The snowstorm, born according to pole warming experts, claimed the lives of 30 people Around the country. Authorities have reported receiving at least 300 calls related to carbon monoxide poisoning. Joe Biden declared a state of emergency on Sunday after their registration the coldest temperatures in 30 years.

Many businesses have had to temporarily lower their blinds. “On television, they say there will be problems with the distribution of food to supermarkets, because the highways are frozen and covered in snow. Other cities, like New York, for example, are prepared with trucks dumping salt or cleaning the streets, but here we don’t have that, ”said Ingrey, who managed to stock up before the start of the storm. “There are people who have no food.”

“On Saturday the supermarket was in chaos. The parking lots were crowded and there were lines of people. Yesterday the gondolas were completely empty. There are supermarkets without electricity, but they always open the doors in case people need to buy things. They will buy with flashlights ”, he told LA NACION María Andrea Busico – Flight, an Argentinian who has lived in a city north of Dallas since 2007.

Busico-Flight is a teacher. Since August, the courses are online and also face-to-face. “We thought we were going to be able to do everything online by seeing the forecast. But we had to cancel them because with power outages and without the Internet, you can’t expect people to use the little connectivity they have for it, ”he said.

The State of Texas is not ready for what Meteorological service defined as “the worst of all winter events”. “The structures of the houses in this area are made of wood, so you go up to the wall and it’s very cold. The cold enters through the window. The temperature hit -18 degrees Celsius and we didn’t even want to look at the thermal sensation, ”the professor said. “The term insanity defines it quite well.”

Frozen and burst pipes, indistinguishable sidewalks, ice-covered garages. Neighbors use boiling water and protective bags to prevent the surroundings of their houses from freezing. “The pool froze. The ice sheet was about 4 centimeters thick. We had to separate the ice to prevent it from freezing further, expanding and breaking the ceramic and plaster on the walls of the pool, ”said María Andrea.

The cold snap also forced to close Covid-19 vaccination centers for several days and made delivery of doses difficult. “People cannot get vaccinated. If someone had to go to the emergency room, I don’t know how we could get there ”, he explained. Laurence Alden, American living in Texas.

“We tried to call 911 and waited 47 minutes on the phone. If you call 311, the city’s service line, no one answers. Imagine the frustration of people, they feel lonely, ”Alden added in conversation with THE NATION.

“In 2011, Texas had the same problem. The governor said he would repair all power plants and prepare them for another freeze. People are very angry with the governor because he has never done anything with the power grids, ”Ingrey said.

The Governor of Texas, Greg AbbottErcot reform told the state legislature on Tuesday. “It is unacceptable”, he condemned.

More information