Single-digit temperatures and a few inches of snow might seem like child’s play to accustomed Northerners. However, with large portions of towns and major cities without electricity, water, and heat for upwards of 24 hours, the storm is faring to be much more than just an unseasonably cold winter — it’s indicative of deep-rooted issues in Texas’s government and handling of electricity.
As NBC DFW reported, Texas is susceptible to electric issues in brutal winters “because the state’s main electric grid operates largely separately from the rest of the country and is designed primarily to handle the most predictable weather extremes” — hence why the state is able to handle sizzling summers.
But as the climate crisis continues to worsen, Texas hasn’t been able to catch up with the disasters that lie on the opposite end of the spectrum.
As is with most natural disasters, low-income residents have faced the effects of these storms the worst. Photos of Austin’s nighttime skyline show its affluent downtown area fully lit, while the historically lower-income East Austin remains dark. Limited power has, naturally, been redistributed to the wealthy.
Below, you can find places to donate to help residents of Texas during this brutal time:
Dallas:
Dallas Mutual Aid Venmo: @feedthepeopledallas
OurCalling
Houston:
Houston Mutual Aid Venmo: @mutualaidhou
Austin:
Austin Mutual Aid Venmo: @austinmutualaidhotels
Austin Area Urban League
Austin Mutual Aid GoFundMe
Solid Ground Ministry
San Antonio:
Salvation Army San Antonio
Rio Grande Valley:
Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley
