So, today I had planned on doing a post about my favorite budget-friendly Beautycounter products. But when I opened my laptop, I realized that talking about anything other than this current issue seemed less-than, insensitive and irrelevant. I went to college in Austin, and a huge piece of my heart is still down there. I have family members, and friends who I consider family members, living down there with no heat, no power, no water & no support from the Texas government. It’s breaking my heart that I am a thousand miles away and have no way to help them.
If you’re wondering how this disaster happened, it was pretty much the perfect storm of events that lead to this huge crisis. First, Texas has a privatized power grid. They are the only state in the nation with this system, where the grid is owned by private officials, a company called ERCOT, which essentially means they run and control their own grid that powers the state. This also means that they do not have to meet the standards and regulations that the federal government puts on our nation’s grid system, like winterizing equipment and ensuring the grid can withstand frigid temperatures and high winds. In short: Texas’s power grid was not prepared for the freezing temps that swept the nation last weekend. The temperatures were too cold, and the demand for power was too high, so the grid system buckled. The state is now on its fourth consecutive day without power, and families have been forced to stay at home with no heat or electricity, and no specific end date in sight.
On top of this, there is now a water crisis, too. In approximately half of the counties in the state of Texas, there is little to no water pressure due to burst pipes from extreme temperatures that damaged infrastructure. In addition, the power outages across the states also affected the water plants, so residents of most major cities are under a water boil advisory to protect against growing bacteria. The situation in this state is bad and only getting worse. And to really seal the deal on this horrible week, instead of getting to work to help the residents of his state during this crisis, Senator Ted Cruz just took off for vacation with his family to Mexico.
So this is a lot. You might be thinking, “How can I help, even if I don’t live in Texas?” Well here are a few organizations helping Texans during their hour of extreme need. I will link each organization to their website, which will explain who they are and how you can help them, even from miles away.
Donate to a Mutual Aid fund, which will help put unhoused residents in hotels with supplies. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AustinMutualAid/; Venmo for Austin: @austinmutualaid; Venmo for Dallas: @feedthepeopledallas; Venmo for Houston: @mutualaidhou; Venmo for San Antonio: @pmgmutualaid
Feeding Texas – Facebook page
If you are currently in Texas and need support, here is a comprehensive Texas-wide list of resources and assistance sources:
Here are the sources where I got my information from.
Stay safe and hang in there, friends!
XO Megan
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