People wait in line to fill propane tanks, in Houston, on Wednesday, February 17, 2021. David J. Phillip/AP
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.
The view from above of a rarely seen blanket of snow covering Houston, as pictured here on Monday, February 15.
Houston Chronicle/AP
A Fiesta supermarket in Houston conserves energy by powering down its freezer section.
Go Nakamura/Getty
A man seeking relief from subfreezing temperatures paces through a makeshift warming shelter at Travis Park United Methodist Church in San Antonio.
Eric Gay/AP
A tale of two crises: a mass vaccination clinic at Ratliff Stadium in Odessa, covered in snow.
Odessa American/AP
A grounded United Airlines jet is deiced at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.
David J. Phillip/AP
Houstonites, clad in whatever winter outerwear they could cobble together, stand in line in the cold to fill propane tanks.
David J. Phillip/AP
A Houston man sits on a couch inside a Gallery Furniture store turned temporary shelter.
David J. Phillip/AP
In Dallas, people collect firewood from a wood heap opened to the public.
LM Otero/AP
With the grocery store in darkness, Raul Alonzo of Dallas uses his phone as a flashlight to peer into the meat case.
LM Otero/AP
Austinite Jorge Sanhueza-Lyon stands on his kitchen counter to warm his feet over a gas stove.
Ashley Landis/AP
In Houston, Karla Perez and Esperanza Gonzalez use a barbecue grill as an emergency heat source.
