My fellow North Texas residents I am sure have noticed the extra urgency in the tone of voice used by the broadcast TV weather forecasters as they tell us about the winter storm that is bearing down on much of the country.

I get why they sound so, um, excited.

The last one of these “major” winter weather events turned into a catstrophe. It was February 2021. Snow and ice blanketed the entire state. Hundreds of Texans died in the blast of cold. One U.S. senator, Republican Ted Cruz, infamously jetted off to Cancun while the state was freezing to death. He hurried back when the media exposed his getaway.

ERCOT, the agency that overseas energy production and distribution, acknowledged system failure. Legislators pledge to fix it. Now we’re on the verge of getting another big-time blast.

ERCOT is telling us the system will hold up. The media are reporting ERCOT’s assurances dutifully, as they should.

This kind of reporting has become a regular staple now when we hear about winter storms. Will the system hold up? Has ERCOT winterized the natural gas heating pumps sufficiently? Are local governments setting up enough warming shelters to give residents a place to go in case of power failure?

The 2021 storm did not affect my wife and me as it did many other families. We lost power for a couple of days, water for a couple of hours.We powered through it. To be honest, we did not expect to be without either power or water.

This time I am prepared for the worst. Got flashlights standing by. I even have a lithium battery-powered lantern I can deploy if I need extra light. Plenty of water on hand. Food in the cupboards.

I have been advised by the weather hounds of what to do.

Experience has taught us a bitter lesson to hope for the best but prepare for the worst.