Why Snowmageddon won’t change Texas

“TEXAS IS A mirror in which Americans see themselves reflected, not life-sized but…bigger than life,” wrote John Bainbridge in “The Super-Americans”, a book published in 1961 about the Lone Star state. Recently, the picture of Texas has been one of super-size suffering. A snowstorm and freezing temperatures caused power-equipment failures, leading to rolling blackouts. Around 4.5m households had to go without power and half of all Texans lost access to safe drinking water. Dozens have died and hundreds were poisoned by carbon monoxide. Survivors have had to contend with burst pipes in their homes, flooding and eye-watering electricity bills.

With most of the state shut down for a week, the disaster will probably become the costliest in Texas’s history, eclipsing the toll of even the worst hurricanes. President Joe Biden, who is planning to survey the devastation at first hand, has approved federal funds to help with disaster relief. In scenes reminiscent of a developing country, Texans lined up for food, blankets and bottled water.