Everybody is talking about a massive power outage in Texas, caused by extremely cold weather. Finger pointing abounds. Who is to blame? My answer: probably nobody.
This storm is an exceptionally unusual event, in Texas. It probably would occasion little notice in the Dakotas or Minnesota. I know it wasn’t much remarked in Wyoming as I had occasion to contact a business acquaintance there on Monday.
This sort of “outlier” weather simply happens very infrequently in TX and people aren’t ready for it. Let me describe an example from the DrsC’s lives.
The house we sold earlier this month in north central CA was built for us in the summer of ‘87. A few years after that, a freak cold spell - locally known as “the Arctic Express - descended upon the region. For about 3 days the highs were not above freezing.
Many trees were killed, including a largish eucalyptus we’d planted shortly after moving in. Pipes froze and houses were damaged when they thawed; whole categories of plant life simply died. In short, it was much like what hit Texas a week ago.
How unusual was our Arctic Express? I have resided in this region since 1970 and it happened exactly that one time, nothing even close before or since.
If it happened again tomorrow would the damage be as great? Probably greater. People don’t build or plant to withstand the worst weather conceivably possible, they do take into account the worst thing in the past 10-20 years.
We resided in Texas for a year and I promise you they weren’t braced for what just happened. Nor was NorCal braced for our once-in-fifty-years-or-more Arctic Express. That’s human nature.
