Texas Winter Storm System 2021

This is the true story, of 5 friends (and a frenchie), forced to live in a house together, work together, and have their lives wrecked by an ice storm. Find out what happens, when people stop being polite, and start being real…real cold. The Winter Storm System of 2021 descended upon many parts of the state of Texas in early February. Though the names have been changed the events have been told exactly how it happened for those who experienced it.  Viewer discretion is advised.

Thursday, Feb 11^th– 5 am rain falls and freezes within an hour, ice is visible on side streets, but I attempt to drive to work. After the tires slipped I returned to WFH for the day.

Friday, Feb 12^th– Amazon Fresh order placed early morning, but my typical Saturday 5-7 am delivery time is unavailable. The next available time is Sunday between 7 and 9. This raises red flags. Mr.SJ  is assigned to pick up the following: whiskey, waffle maker, dog food, and fire wood (impossible to find).

Saturday, Feb 13^th– Galentine’s Brunch is cancelled because a slight drizzle produced a very thin glaze of ice on the roads. Waffles were made and shared with Mr. SJ and Sassy neighbor. Church is cancelled.

Sunday, Feb 14^th– (Hi 22°F, Lo 9°F, WC -10°) Light dusting of snow outside. Pool pump is running, pipes are dripping. The rarely used snow shoes and thermal pants are out “just in case”. Amazon order arrives at 10:30 am. Snow falls all day and increases as evening approaches and the upcoming weather conditions are described as “blizzard.” The internet is lost early in the afternoon…unfortunately it wouldn’t be the only casualty of the evening.

Monday, Feb 15^th 2:22 am– I wake up when the fan turns off. No power… Panic starts. Get dressed, start a timer, check pool, check water, check breaker, look at NextDoor for info… something starts to beep and dog goes crazy. Beeping is the smoke detector dying, change the battery in the dark to learn that “rolling blackouts” have started and should only last 15-45 minutes. Time is ticking, I’m pacing… 3:25 am power comes on pool pump is working and water is moving. Can’t sleep from worry and feeling the cold… (Hi 14°F, Lo 4°F, WC -16°F)

Sometime around 5 am– wake-up again, no fan noise = no power. I decide to get up when the power comes back on (45 minutes, right?). 6:30 am no power (twists fingers) Oncor says 7:00 am to res—no 9:00 am to restore power. I go outside and break up ice on the pool. 10:30 am no power, pool pump looking frozen, inside house temp 55 degrees, and baby dog is shivering. Decision is made to go to our friends’ the “Suitors” house.

12:11 pm Power restored, so we return to a 50 degree house. Dog is shaking still… pool pump is frozen, so equipment is turned off and we break the ice (with more anger). Heat pump is frozen, house is unable to warm. 3:55 pm power is lost. Overnight bag packed, indoor pipes wrapped, grab expensive meat from fridge/freezer (to save it) and whiskey and head to the Suitors’ house at 5:15 pm.

5:30 pm Receive text “we just lost power” from the Suitors’ as we park in front of their house. Disappointment grows, but they have a gas fireplace. Feeling fancy over a candle light dinner of steak and potatoes made over a grill in single degree temperatures lifts my spirits…but only temporarily. Wine and friends make everything better, right? Unless…no power, no updates from Oncor… so hey, “this is camping with friends, and we are the best of friends”. With all of the blankets we head upstairs… Temperature INSIDE: 56

Midnight– Irrational fear of dying of CO poisoning takes over. Worry over damage to the swimming pool that is growing ice by the second follows. Panic that my elderly dog is going to die from the stress becomes an issue. I think I hear scratching noises…”oh no an opossum is in our room” my imagination prevents any sleep. Temperature INSIDE: 49 (eventually falling to at least 44 and I stopped checking)

Tuesday, Feb 16^th– (Hi-18°F, Lo -2°F, WC -12°F) What day is it? Thursday? No one knows.  I’m finally starting to understand the biblical passage that “a day is as 1000 years” but in this scenario I do not have the joy of being in the physical presence of the Lord.  I don’t remember hearing the initial cannon but clearly, we are now in The Hunger Games.  Indoor temperature is 45-50°F depending on where you are in the house. Breakfast is eggs and cinnamon rolls on the grill, and No Doze tablets are used to fight off the caffeine cravings. Spirits are still high, we are still camping. (It’s at this point that Mr. SJ is fading.  He lays on the floor, barely attentive, not talking, like a human cell phone set to battery saver.)

10:00 am– the girls head to my house to get candles and check the pool. The pool is frozen. Floats are frozen. At least an inch of ice is floating and a hammer is only making holes… my stomach ties into knots and my heart sinks.

2:00 pm (21 hours without power, outdoor temp 9° F)- word is Chick-fil-a is open… the boys venture out to grab food. This experience rejuvenates Mr.SJ as sitting in the warm car for an hour is the most warmth he’s experienced since early Sunday afternoon.

2:45 pm A light flashes on!! “We have power! Hurry plug in the pho—“ and it’s gone.. my eye’s water up. Chick-fil-a arrives to a gloomy group. I’m crashing, despite my 3 layers I’m cold, and a 3^rd round of winter weather is coming. Morale is crashing for everyone, as we talk about “the next plan”…Mr. SJ needs to get out and heads to our house. He reports more ice on the pool and an internal house temperature of 50°F (which brings hope because it means the power at least came on for a short time). I make myself a strong diet coke and whiskey to take the edge off and to warm up.

4:30 pm– As we make plans to move to the parents’ house of the Suitors, a light comes on and there is a collective gasp… We are at 23 very cold consecutive hours of no power, and after the earlier tease we can’t get our hopes up. Another disappoint would be catastrophic. But it holds… “make 2 pots of coffee, plug everything in, showers…”

10:00 pm– Power is holding morale has improved now that the house is 66°F. Washing your hair in a hot shower warms the soul…”when/if we lose the power I can make it…” We prepare mentally for losing power and another cold night.  However, the warmth has opened the door to hope which we cling to like a returned loved one after years abroad.

Weds, Feb. 17^th– Fresh snow, but we still have power. Waffles and hot coffee for breakfast and some quick computer work before heading to our house where power is rumored to be on.

1:00 pm Arrive at house and it is 70 degrees upstairs! Fridge food is a loss, but the freezer is ok. The pool… it is rock solid frozen. But Baby dog is unconscious in the LoveSac and snoring in the warmth, and to see him comfortable…that’s everything.

As the afternoon fades into evening and the sun sets into night, we pray that we keep the power and we recognize how blessed we are to have friends like the Suitors who allow us to camp for 48 hours (and offered longer). Finally thinking a bit more clearly, we turn our attention to others.  We check on neighbors.  We connect with church members who may be still suffering.  Our house has heat…and we must be prepared to be for others what the Suitors were for us.

This is one of the hardest experiences of my life (and I went through Hurricane Katrina), and my heart breaks at some of the losses that we have with our pool, but I’m grateful for good friends. Here’s your chasing tip: “never trust rolling black out time tables and always keep a set of friends who will share whiskey and their fire with you in times of need.” A break is coming, but until then #chaseme into a warmer week and a vacation before the reality of this disaster really registers.