The Winter Storm, in Photos: How Texans Are Surviving the Historic Freeze

As winter storms walloped Texas this week, the state has been hit with one related crisis after another: first the snow, then the blackouts, then the loss of potable water, and for some, like Democratic state representative Shawn Thierry, the devastating fallout from burst pipes. Resilient Texans, already living through the COVID-19 pandemic, have been forced to hunker down in the dark under layers of blankets, or leave home entirely in search of power and warmth. The emergency continues to unfold, and as of Wednesday, February 17, almost three million households remain without power. More than twenty Texans have died.

The photos below show Texans across the state coping with disaster with barbecue grills, with iPhone flashlights, and inside hastily created warming shelters. The images paint a picture of a state let down by its leadership and, for many of us, in need of a lifeline. As we enter new stages of the crisis, the photos will serve as a reminder of this historic moment, and how Texans survived.