Things are very very bad in Texas

[LiberalArkie]

Tuesday February 16, 2021 · 10:47 PM CST

First off this isn’t localized or even limited to big or even medium sized cities. There are rural areas that don’t have power either. This is a classic cascade failure. It is worse than a hurricane.

1. It started with ERCOT misprediction of energy demand by about 30%.

2. Sunday demand spiked to new historic winter levels. A full 10 MW higher than the previous Winter peak. Texas runs on electric heat. Virtually no one has fuel oil heaters. Fireplaces are things you have for ambiance.

3. Then it froze. The whole state in one night. That sounds not weird to most people but south of say San Antonio it hardly ever freezes. It barely ever snows. Like once every hundred years. But this was a deep freeze. Our normal once a decade freezes are it goes in the high twenties for a few hours overnight. This was a freeze that lasted two days. Lots of people just don’t have clothing to deal with this either.

Snip

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/2/16/2016516/-Things-are-very-very-bad-in-Texas

Very good read

[LiberalArkie]

1. Reply

11. Meanwhile ERCOT tries to get everyone to start producing more power. Turns out energy production is as winterized as our houses. Gas power plants that had been told they wouldn’t be needed had gas lines freeze. Nuclear plants had instrumentation failures due to cold(a holy shit in it’s own right). Wind Turbines sited to provide surge power for Summer afternoons and built without heating elements had their gear casings freeze and lock up(they still outperformed ERCOT estimates). Even coal plants got knocked out with instrument failures. Roads being frozen means any maintenance response is limited.

[roamer65]

2. The nuclear plant is definitely scary.

Especially in the wake of Fukushima Dai’ichi.

[Cirque du So-What]

3. Hope fail-safe technology kicks in and hope for the best

[jaxexpat]

22. In Texas, fail-safe technology may have been deemed an unnecessary expense......

"The security guards can handle the spent rod stockpile cooling pumps manually and all that safety stuff. Hell, they're making $11.73 Hr. to just sit around anyway. Don't bother me, I'm in a bidnis meeting."

You guessed it. It's , maybe.

[louis-t]

35. We don't need no stinkin' regulations.

[jaxexpat]

54. Regalayshins jis treye tuh tayk mah freeedumbs

[MLAA]

4. What a total screw up and poor preparedness.

I think we’ve (most of America) have cut costs to squeeze profits and mismanaged for so long infrastructure of multiple kinds simply won’t hold up to weather and environmental pressures. With climate change there is so much more to come.

Sending 💕💕💕💕to all.

[PatSeg]

7. My god, that is horrifying

Has an Armageddon feel to it, as if anything that could go wrong, did go wrong. This is where many people wake up and realize that competence in government really does matter, more than same-sex marriage, abortion, and owning the libs.

[GopherGal]

10. Competence in government requires regulations (gasp!)

iI you don't have some minimum standards enforced by regulation, "free market" results in a "race to the bottom" - the winner being whoever can provide the service most cheaply. This ends up meaning it's done without building in any "wasteful" surge capacity to accommodate less-common conditions (in this case, single-digit temperatures in Texas)...

[PatSeg]

36. Yes, those pesky little things like rules and yikes, laws!

"Don't need no damn gubmint tellin' me what to do, cuz this is 'Merica!" And of course, the "free market" will regulate and correct itself, because everyone knows that rich, powerful people and corporations will do the right thing. It's in their best interest. How long have they been spewing THAT crap?

Yes, sometimes there is such a thing as government overreach and some regulations and red tape can become excessive and cumbersome, but that doesn't mean we don't need government and the rules that come with it. If humans were inherently principled and decent, maybe we would need fewer regulations, but the price we pay to live safely in a civilized society, requires that we live within certain legal guidelines.

Some of these people have no idea how good they have it. There are countries where people would give anything to be as "free" as we are here, even with all those stinking regulations.

[meadowlander]

61. Also taxes. You get the government you're willing to pay for.

[Lonestarblue]

21. Republicans in Texas vote on religious and culture issues, not competence.

The state is so gerrymandered that religious extremists have taken over the state legislature and all they care about is bathroom bills, getting rid of abortion even if it means closing all healthcare clinics for the poor who have no health insurance, and turning public education into anti-science theories and whitewashed history. Texas has the largest percentage of uninsured citizens in the country, one of the highest maternal death rates, and the lowest Medicaid use because of a strict earnings cutoff of $285 a week for a family of four. I’d like to know how families can live on $1140 a month!

The other thing Republicans care about is drawing business to Texas, mostly at the expense of property owners whose taxes pay for all the infrastructure needed and support the schools that the children of their employees will use of need to have built because of generous tax concessions where the businesses pay no property taxes for decades. Come to Texas to get a free ride if you’re a large enough business.

Republicans like to brag about the jobs, but then do nothing about gridlock on the freeways or the costs to homeowners of ever-increasing taxes to pay for tax concessions.

[PatSeg]

43. And that is because republican politicians

made religious and cultural issues, political issues in order to win votes, often from people who had been pretty apolitical until the Nixon administration. It was hard to get such people interested in foreign policy, the deficit, infrastructure, etc., but you could get their attention by talking about abortion or same-sex marriage, the tabloid version of politics. You push enough buttons and you can get them to the polls. You can even get them to vote against their own best interests.

As for drawing businesses to Texas, I wonder how much damage these fools have done to the image of Texas in that regard. How many businesses are going to want to move their operations to Texas after this debacle? No tax concessions could possibly be a big enough enticement. Meanwhile, I wonder how many lawsuits will result. Blaming wind turbines, green energy, and Democrats isn't going to cut it.

[Dustlawyer]

42. Governor Abbott is already making the rounds to blame windmills and solar.

Don’t let them get away with it.

Just gladly paid the plumber to fix broken pipe in the wall. Everyone I know had power cut off except me and my elderly mom. My son had no power for 2 days in Austin, daughter 12 hours, other daughter 12 hours, ex-wife #1 power still out 24 hours, ex-wife #2 18 hours. That means no heat with single digits, low water pressure and boil water mandate. My city is just sending river water to keep up some pressure. Wonder what this is doing to our pipes (Flint)?

[Laelth]

5. Two days? LOL.

At this point it’s 4 days and counting. We might exceed freezing tomorrow (for an hour or so), but it will be Saturday before the freeze really lifts and temperatures get into the 40s.

-Laelth

[brewens]

6. I'm in Idaho and have a coat and boots I wouldn't have if I lived down there. Some winters

those never come out of the closet. It has to below 20 for me to need them outside.

I'm telling myself I'm going to spring for a generator that will run at least one space heater and a light. I can walk to get gas if I have to, even at as low as ten below. Knowing me, I probably won't really do it, but I should. Even 40 miles from a hydroelectric dam, the people running this state could screw us.

[PatSeg]

9. I've lived most of my life in the north

and I'm quite familiar with severe winters as well. Years ago we moved to Mississippi for a couple years. We got there right after an uncharacteristic freeze. A large percentage of the homes had burst pipes, because they weren't insulated for winter weather. We had to stay in a motel for awhile, as the plumbers couldn't keep up with the demand. Other than that, I can't remember ever having to wear more than a light jacket during the winter.

Years later I lived in Texas (east of Houston) for over a year and it was the same there. Winters got chilly at the worst. When I moved back to Chicago, I had no winter clothing.

[Happy Hoosier]

13. A few years ago, I nearly got frostbite in my feet while snow blowing...

I decided that even if I only need them once a year, I needed boots that would keep my feet warm.... they were expensive, but worth it.

[brewens]

51. Thermal socks and tennis shoes do pretty well for me until it gets down to 25 or so.

I walk and hour a day. I start feel it after about 45 minutes if I misjudged a little, but it's no big deal. Real cold or slop like we'll be seeing in a day or so requires the big boots.

[Happy Hoosier]

52. I think the issue here was just having my feet encased in snow.

Just reg'lar ole cold weather I don't do anything for, even like today when it's single digits for the highs.

[sop]

8. This catastrophe underscores the need for a massive national infrastructure spending plan.

We're gradually becoming a third world backwater under Republican low-tax, deregulation, privatization and austerity policies.

[Evolve Dammit]

14. Amen

[infullview]

24. Ya, except Texas want to be its own country so why should we give them a dime?

With all that PRIDE about the LONE star state going it ALONE and NOT being on the national grid.... and now they have the nerve to ask the Fed for help? As a tax payer I'm incensed. Why should we bail them out of their own stupidity. Had they remained on the grid, it would have buffered the extreme power load and prevented their grid from crashing. I am sorry if my opinion offends any of the good people on DU that live there.

[RAB910]

11. If they were part of the national energy grid there wouldn't be an issue

Normal people understand that the problem in Texas that is killing people is that the anti-American Republicans refused to allow Texas to be part of a national energy grid

Those that have been brainwashed by the anti-America right-wing hate/propaganda machine are foaming at the mouth and blaming AOC and her "cancer-causing windmills"

[harumph]

15. Pray tell how Texas being hooked to the national energy grid would help?

Would that not have caused brown-outs elsewhere due to Tx being a drain on the
system as a whole? Tx isn't the only central state facing brown-outs. I think purchasing
freeze resistant wind turbines in the first place and burying gas pipes at deeper depths probably would
have sufficed for Tx.

[dianaredwing]

17. Wouldn't national regulation

Have required that? Don't know, just asking. If Texas is the only state having this problem, they are surely not the only state freezing.

[Thekaspervote]

20. TX unwilling to do upgrades to their power grid leaves them unable to tap into US grid for power.

It doesn’t meet US standards. Their so called independence has lead them to this point. With climate disruption being what it is, it will happen again if they do not make the necessary upgrades.

[RainCaster]

23. TX is enjoying their decision to ignore national mandates for power providers

All those years of lower energy costs must make the Texans really smile when they are freezing in their homes. Will they learn from this experience? My guess is NO.

[RAB910]

27. If they were connected to the national grid they could important power during times like thid

[getagrip_already]

29. you answered your own question.....

Being part of the national grid would mean they would have to comply with national policies for construction and maintenance.

Even if zero watts came across the border, those other elements would have been required.

Texas is in the cold because they flaunted regulations and best practices to save money and increase profits for operators.

It was aided and abetted by politicians bought and paid for with money from customers.

You get what you elect.

[IronLionZion]

57. El Paso is on the national grid and they have power

they also winterized their equipment according to federal regulations.

[SWBTATTReg]

12. I hope all stay well and healthy. People won't forget this event made worse by ...

absolutely dismal republican leadership for many years...

Karma has a way of biting back...

[bringthePaine]

16. this shit happens every time RefuKKKchickens run ANYTHING of public value - like USPS; as for TX,

my 11 months residing in Houston was "the worst 10 years of my life" - over 40 years ago!

[Thekaspervote]

18. In an MSNBC interview yesterday, Beto called out abbot and his ilk for being concerned about

Nonsense when the state has real problems!

Concluded by saying it’s close to being a failstste

[Alacritous Crier]

19. So GOP profits over people plan...

not viable after all??

What a shock!

[DownriverDem]

25. I sure hope

the folks in Texas do not believe the lies of the governor.

[Tommymac]

49. The Qanon Crowd and the MSM will be lapping his lies up...

Reasonably sane folks will know better.

[hlthe2b]

26. I DO feel badly for them. As to clothing, there is an attitude among many that keeping such

clothing/equipment around is foolish when they don't use them. I know. I've sent family members near my size my still good condition Goretex jackets, insulated pants, technical ski gloves, ultra-warm socks and other technical gear including ultrawarm sleeping bags only to find they've discarded them within a year because they "simply don't need/won't use them."

I don't know what to do about those that won't prepare. I do know what to do about those who "can't prepare" and it is those I'm spending time on at the moment.

[Danmel]

28. This is what happens when you drown government in the tub

You're on your own.

[Jirel]

30. Texan here. This is not entirely true.

It’s not a cascade failure. It’s a stupid computer algorithm.

ERCOT promised rolling blackouts, but it was mostly BS. That’s not how their algorithm works. Let’s say it‘s about to lose 10,000 KWH. It needs to find that somewhere to shut off. It looks for the most densely packed area with 10,000 KWH to cut, and drops it. There is no automatic mechanism to turn it back on, however. In a few instances, power is coming back up after far longer than promised. In many, it is not. I have a good friend in trouble halfway across the state. He has been down for 2 days. Why did he pull the short straw in his exurb/rural edge community? Because they’re just far out of DFW to have cheap land to build some plants that run 24/7, and the community around them is exploding. Tons of cheap new houses, all running 100% electric, populated by angry Dump cultists screaming that it’s their right to use as much power as they want, and blaming the Dems... despite the fact that Texas’ power woes were engineered by Rethugs in a supermajority Rethug state, to avoid that worst of all Rethug banes, regulation of the power grid.

Rural areas are not as dire as stated. I live in rural TX. Most of my neighbors have at least a gas stove, or propane heat, or a wood burning stove, or a fireplace. They are NOT for “ambiance.” WTF?!? That’s like saying millennials are poor because they constantly eat avocado toast and Starbucks. It’s just stupid. Everyone out in these parts (south central Texas) who has those, uses them for HEAT, many times through the year. We DO get cold here. We get into the teens and single digits YEARLY, sometimes several days at a time, just not quite this extreme with below zero wind chills. It is only somewhat true for people living in cheap suburban housing or apartments, but even in the cities, many houses have heat sources that work on more than just electrical power.

The bigger problem is supplies. You can’t get gas or propane any more, in our town. People are running out of firewood. Our local Facebook groups are lit up as we all run to each other's aid with bread, or water, or firewood, or whatever will keep our neighbors safe.

It’s BS that it hardly ever freezes in San Antonio. It freezes EVERY DAMNED YEAR, often I to the teens and sometimes single digits. Multiple times. I’ve gone bar hopping on the Riverwalk with all fountains and shallow pools frozen, and thick ice threatening to send people sliding into the river. We lose people in house fires EVERY DAMNED YEAR because it’s so cold that someone tries to put that space heater right next to the bed, or tries burning a portable charcoal grill in the living room. The only thing different this year, is how LONG it lasted without a thaw, and that we had sub-zero wind chills for extended periods, AND people couldn’t get out for supplies because the roads were frozen AND the freezing rain nailed a lot of people’s heat exchangers and they didn’t know how to unfreeze them. It was just that perfect storm (pun intended) of multiple factors that people can easily handle 1-2 at a time, but not all at once.

As for the rest of that lying article... I could go on all day. Yes, Felicia, we DO have insulated pipes. Don’t give me that crap. Some people don’t, but if they can afford some pool noodles or short chunks of insulation, or what have you, AT ALL, after their first freeze they got some. The problem is that it doesn’t matter how much insulation you have on the pipes, when you’ve lost power more than a few hours and it’s 0 degrees out and your houses aren’t insulated to northern standards, and it never gets over freezing for days, yes, the pipes will freeze.

Boiling water is not an issue. As stated before, we almost all have multiple ways to heat things. Also, the #1 cooking obsession here is BBQ. Everyone has an outdoor grill of some sort to boil water, if push came to shove. The only people who don’t are apartment-dwellers. Here in town we’re providing them as much relief as possible... such as bringing them clean water.

This article feels like either massive exaggeration, or one that’s written by a transplant living in an inner-city apartment. It’s not like we’re all ok here. We’re not. But neither are we Texans helpless or hopelessly screwed, or unfamiliar with cold and ice and even snow, or totally unprepared. It’s pretty insulting.

[lame54]

39. Damn near as deadly as Texans on ice...

https://g.co/kgs/hkSCFc
Austin Resident James McMurtry

[Jirel]

56. Hey, thanks for that!

I hadn't heard that song. It's about as dark and cynical as it gets, but it's good.

[lame54]

58. He has many more...

[Scruffy1]

55. When the article talked about fuel oil I quit reading.

I haven't seen a fuel oil furnace in 40 years or so and at least here in El Paso nearly every place is heated with natural gas, not electric heat. I still have an old millivolt wall furnace in my house that will run without ac power, but newer houses don't use these and need both electricity and natural gas to get heat. There is probably a whole lot of people kicking themselves right now for not having an emergency generator right now, but then hindsight is always 20/20 and even you are using a heat pump for heat you would need a damn big one. They also need an electrician to install the switching.

[duforsure]

31. Energy companies don't spend anything on once in 100 year weather events,

And its always all about the profits instead. Now they'll jack up costs, then still do little to weatherize their plants.

[malaise]

32. My nephew is trying to save his cows

It's really bad - saw pics - I've never seen snow in those parts before.

[VA_Jill]

45. Where is your nephew?

I'm worried about a friend with a ranch near Pampa.

[malaise]

62. Coke County

[stopbush]

33. I have a monthly medication I take that is shipped from Tx.

It has to be refrigerated and is shipped via UPS Overnight. I was told to expect delivery Friday as the pharmacy is unable to ship things right now due to the crisis in Tx. Should have been here today. I live in SoCal.

Fortunately, not a life threatening situation for me, but I imagine it is for others.

[Danmel]

34. This is what happens when you drown government in the tub

You're on your own.

[Baclava]

37. Any reports on the electric vehicle situation in Tx? Must be a lot of dead cars, I'm curious

[lindysalsagal]

38. Thankfully the cold spell breaks next week.

But they'll need years to upgrade their infastructure. And that's with U.S. help.

[Tommymac]

50. No - with BLUE States help. Let's be accurate.

Another Rethug Red state sinkhole to drain Our Blue State tax dollars.

[Lasher]

40. Everybody knows things are always done best in the private sector.

I was in Dallas in December 2000 when a little snowstorm hit. Roads were barely covered. Being from WV, I am accustomed to driving in conditions like that. But folks in Dallas are not. Want to get traction? Pedal to the metal. Want to slow down? Lock them brakes up. WTF, there's not even any hills or curves. They are just not used to it.

[GumboYaYa]

44. My Dad is in Houston.

He has had power for about five hours over the past two days. He has no water now and is not sure when he will get it again. The ceiling to his garage has caved in because his pipes burst. He started collecting water melting off his roof yesterday and is struggling with surviving right now.

[backtoblue]

47. Wow. Sending your Dad some warm thoughts and a prayer

I'm frozen inside. My windows started freezing on the inside of the panes two days ago. We get snow in the Ozarks, but this is hell.

So far the electricity has only shut off for short amounts of time. My grandparents nearby have a generator for their oxygen tanks but I'm running a fever and can't risk staying with them.

My heart is with your Dad today. I hope he has some close neighbors.

[GumboYaYa]

53. Thank you.

We are trying to figure out some place he can go for a few days, but everyone in Texas seems to be doing the same thing right now.

[bottomofthehill]

46. This whole Climate Change Hoax is getting all too real.

[flying rabbit]

59. Those Democrats are crafty...

... Soros with his weather control thingy.

[BobTheSubgenius]

48. First of all, that things are very, very bad seems like a slam dunk.

Greg Abbot is the governor, isn't he?

Also, most fuel-burning domestic heat sources require electricity for at least thermal regulation and ignition, and for fan-forced circulation. In the case of oil, there is also a pump.

My across-the-street neighbour has a generator that I'd have in a heartbeat. Obviously, the gas tank is large, but the important thing is that it can provide 3kw of power for 72 hours of continuous operation before needing to be refueled.

The downside is that it cost $3000 Cdn, or about $79.95 US.

[Xolodno]

60. Once this crisis is over, its going to come back and bite again in just over a year.

In the form of higher property and casualty insurance rates. All those burst pipes and water damage may be repaired by the insurance company, but they will eventually recoup that loss. I suspect there will be new underwriting rules as well, such as, are the pipes insulated, etc.