This is bad. 02-18-21 UPDATE.

Good morning, DU. Once again, I am happy to report that things in Laelth’s world in the Free State of Van Zandt (East Texas) are not too bad.

The temperature is currently 25 degrees with a high of 28 expected today. Our last day above freezing was Sunday, Feb. 14. Current weather forecasts predict that our next day above freezing will be Saturday, Feb. 20 for a total of six straight days of sub-freezing temperature—a rare occurrence in these parts. Needless to say, we have no water due to the widespread freezing of underground pipes, but that’s our biggest irritant. Otherwise, we are OK.

We only got about an inch of snow yesterday. So far this week, about 11 inches have fallen here, but some of it has packed down, and some of it has sublimated. At the moment, we have a hard-packed, crunchy 5 inches on the ground. The minivan, thus, is not stuck. We can still “get out” if need be (though there’s really nowhere for us to go).

The main source of our relief is that we have only had one, momentary loss of power in the past 30 hours. We’re warm. We can microwave food and, given that we have internet access, we are much less bored. No clue whether we will lose power again. No promises have been made by ERCOT, but we have a half a tank of gas and can still use the minivan for heat if the need arises.

There are reports of massive water infrastructure damage all over the state. Our own RV park shows evidence of big, slushy patches of snow that indicate water line breaks. No clue when water will return. We have a good bit of bottled water left, however, so the lack of water is merely an inconvenience, as opposed to a source of serious concern at this time.

Many, many thanks to you all for the good vibes, well-wishes, suggestions, and offers of assistance. We will continue to update. We’re not out of the woods yet.

-Laelth


Previous “This is bad.” threads are linked below, solely for their historical value.

This is bad. https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181470783

This is bad. 02-16-21 UPDATE.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181470956

This is bad. 02-17-21 UPDATE.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181471625