Tag Archives: winter storm

local news

Salute the heroes

Today is one of those days when I am delighted I never wanted to be a utility crew member toiling in frigid weather to restore electricity, or natural gas, or water to stricken residents of my community.

They are heroes functioning as I write these few words throughout North Texas. I am hearing stories of crews working all night in zero-degree weather to get the lights turned on in homes from Farmersville to Granbury and all points between.

They deserve their communities’ eternal thanks for the work they do. So, too, do the police officers and firefighters who we ask to lend a hand when our cars spin out, when we have medical emergencies or when we have difficulty navigating along our icy streets.

We are coming out on the other end of another nasty storm to roll in over Texas. We remember what happened about a year ago to the region. We don’t want a repeat of that catastrophe. Gov. Greg Abbott told us today the electric grid that failed us in 2021 is holding up, that we have enough power to see us through to warmer days, which weather forecasters tell us will arrive a couple days from now.

Meanwhile, I am going to use this blog to say a word of thanks to the brave men and women who are battling the elements so that we can keep those elements at bay.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

local news

Well, we got through it

Update time on our storm preparation and whether it worked for us: Yes. It did work for my wife and me. Good thing, too, because the lights went out during the night for several hours.

North and West Texas are enduring a serious winter blast as I write this brief post. Our North Texas home went dark last night around 10:30. The lights flickered back on around midnight for about two or three minutes, then they went out again; they stayed out for about four hours.

I won’t blame Gov. Greg Abbott for what happened. Yes, he did promise “the lights will stay on.” He was talking about power supply and indicated there would be a minimum of what he called “load shed” events with the utility grid shutting down to reduce demand on electrical power.

Gov. Abbott couldn’t prevent iced-over tree limbs from falling on power lines, which is what happened in areas around Collin County during the night. As for our neighborhood, I believe a transformer shorted out.

Hey, no sweat. The heroes who comprise our utility crews worked hard in horrible weather to restore the power.

Believe me when I say that all of us around here are a bit nervous given what happened to Texas a year ago when the power grid failed and put millions of us in the dark for far longer than we should have been.

We don’t know what the immediate future — meaning tonight and perhaps the next time — will hold in store. We do know that we plan to stay ready for whatever happens.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

environmental news, local news

Getting ready for worst

As I write this blog post, I am sitting in my North Texas home prepared for the worst from the latest winter storm to roll in over us.

To be clear, it’s not that I expect the worst. It’s just that after what we endured a year ago when millions of Texans froze in the dark during zero-degree winter blasts, no one I am aware of is taking any chances this year.

A member of our family told us this morning she ventured to the grocery store to buy some food and found the shelves “terribly picked over.” Seems that others in her neighborhood had the same thought. Oh, by the way, she said she and her family are well-stocked and ready for what is coming.

The Texas Tribune reports: The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the grid, issued a winter storm watch through Sunday, saying it expects high energy demand through the duration of the cold front. But even with sleet, snow and ice predicted for a large swath of the state, ERCOT says it has sufficient power generation to meet the anticipated demand.

What a Texas winter storm means for the power grid | The Texas Tribune

The weather forecasters and the TV news presenters over the past couple of days have spoken to viewers with a twinge of frantic urgency in their voices. The blast that is rolling in isn’t as dramatic as what we endured a year ago, but our experience from February 2021 is too fresh in our memories for us to take it too lightly.

My wife has sheltered some of her treasured plants around the front of our house; she has filled several containers with fresh water; we’ve secured some candles; oh, and Toby the Puppy is going nowhere outside unless he insists that he has to relieve himself (he’ll let us know).

We didn’t suffer nearly the misery that many other Texans endured a year ago. Our lights were out for a few hours; we lost water for a little more than a day. Yes, there were those who suffered through several dark and waterless days in 2021. Still, we are prepared for the worst of this next winter blast.

We are going to hope for the best. We might even offer a prayer.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

local news, State news

Storm makes me nervous

I cannot possibly be the only Texas resident who is suffering the nervous jerks as we await the arrival of this winter storm.

We went through a damn rough period just about a year ago in these parts when the electrical power grid failed. We lost our water supply for a time, too. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the managers of our grid, came under intense criticism over the power failure; so did the Public Utility Commission of Texas. ERCOT’s management team quit or was fired, along with the entire PUC.

Gov. Greg Abbott vowed to fix the grid. I am not sure it’s been fixed. Neither is anyone else. Abbott said a few weeks ago that “I guarantee the lights will stay on” this winter. Just this week, he walked back that bold assertion; now he said there is no guarantee possible.

So, yes, I am nervous about the storm that is sweeping into Texas this week. The weather forecasters tell us it won’t be as nasty and as severe as it was this past winter.

I do hope they’re right.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com