‘9-1-1: Lone Star’ Turns the Texas Ice Storm Into Cold Exploitation
The Austin-set firefighter show devotes four episodes to the 2021 freeze while ignoring all of the real-life drama.
The Austin-set firefighter show devotes four episodes to the 2021 freeze while ignoring all of the real-life drama.
State leaders did little to prevent future blackouts, but ERCOT should have the electric supply to meet skyrocketing demand this week—so long as there are no major system failures.
One year after the deadly blackout, Texas officials have done little to prevent the next one—which could be far worse.
Last February’s deep freeze and the blackout that followed were brutal. But without the selfless actions of countless Texans, the situation could have been much worse.
Ted Cruz had a very, very, very bad year. Maybe he’ll blame it on his daughters.
Texas experts share their best advice on emergency kits, weatherizing your home, connecting with neighbors, and more.
Our electric system can’t deliver the power we need when we need it most. But political leaders don't seem all that interested in fixing the problem.
Governor Greg Abbott said the Lege has done everything necessary to prevent future blackouts. We ask four experts whether that’s true.
The much-maligned—now bankrupt and outlawed—electricity provider offered just the sort of experiment Texas’s energy deregulation sought.
Fearing primary challenges, GOP lawmakers focused mostly on wedge issues such as guns and abortion, rather than the COVID-19 pandemic and the failure of the state’s electric grid.
In Houston’s Third Ward, where some residents’ homes were extensively damaged, a fight for repairs has reached a breaking point.
Many industries bear a portion of the blame for the failure of Texas’s electric grid. But one seems to be escaping strict requirements to better prepare for future storms.
The February power outages were a deadly man-made disaster, but punishing those responsible may prove elusive.
The lieutenant governor has long responded to crises with more talk than legislation. But is something different this time as he deals with the aftermath of the blackout?
Public Utility Commission chairman Arthur D’Andrea apologized to investors last week for the “uncertainty” around its profits.
Houston’s newborn Eden survives its first major weather event.
When the power went out and the water stopped running, Trae tha Truth and DJ Mr. Rogers were there to pick up the slack.
Last month’s winter storm decimated the state’s populations of the winged mammals, which may have lasting ecological effects.
The bankruptcies and staggering electricity charges are beginning to arrive. Could it go from bad to worse?
Plus: Meshack’s BBQ works to recover, Texas Twinkies, and 17,000 pounds of chicken.
State leaders have pointed fingers at everything from windmills to the bureaucrats at ERCOT. But the real issue is the electric grid’s reliance on a lightly regulated natural gas production industry.
Exotic species brought to Texas from Africa and Asia fared poorly in freezing temperatures.
There’s plenty that needs fixing to avoid another electricity disaster, but our isolated grid isn’t the problem.
Families got creative with disaster-induced improvised meals they really enjoyed ... or hope never to eat again.
Plus: Taylor Kitsch gets back in the TV game, Travis Scott manages to get people excited about magazines, and Megan Thee Stallion does her best ‘Mean Girls.’
Plus: Aaron Franklin's steak taco recipe, Wichita's booming taco scene, and a strange new addition to Taco Bell's menu.
Restaurant staff handed out thousands of free meals, brewery employees boiled countless gallons of water, and food truck owners braved the icy highways—despite their own struggles.
Our governor and lawmakers want to blame everyone but themselves for the February blackouts, the latest crisis of their own making.
Infectious disease expert Dr. Peter Hotez describes last week’s statewide disaster as a harmful delay “in the face of an advancing enemy.”
Celebrities and regular folk alike came together to offer hot food, clean water, and warm beds.
Taco trucks mobilized to feed hungry Texans during the storm, and now they could use your support. Here are nine tips for first-timers.
The Houston-based energy economist is our blackout Cassandra. Will state officials finally heed his advice?
The West Texas city was spared the worst effects of this week’s storms, thanks to its preparations in the wake of a devastating 2011 deep freeze.
Like many Texans, residents in one Austin apartment complex faced a kaleidoscope of worst-case scenarios. And like many Texans, they had to get through them alone.
Texas Monthly talks to the ERCOT chief about why the blackouts happened and what needs to change now.
Those in charge of Texas’s deregulated power sector were warned again and again that the electric grid was vulnerable.
Galveston’s Terry Fisher on where to find your water meter, what to do when pipes thaw, and when to call a professional.
These organizations could really use your time or money.
Austin’s mayor, Steve Adler, and the state’s junior senator, Ted Cruz, are the latest Texas politicians to take ill-considered vacations.
May you make direct eye contact with your neighbor during your yard pee.
As multiple crises unfold across the state, photographers captured Texans doing their damnedest to keep warm and safe.
Conservationists worked to bring the endangered animals to shore—but getting the turtles warm amid a blackout is the next challenge.
An energy expert explains why some four million Texans suffered a barrage of winter storms without heat in their homes.
Texans on social media have kept warm by burning the fuel of white-hot rage.
But when will the overseers of our so-called Electric “Reliability” Council learn?