Natural Disasters
Analysis: One Way or Another, Texans Will Get the Bill for Fixing the Electric Grid
It's going to be expensive to make sure the state's electricity stays on during winter storms like the one that blacked out most of Texas last month, and the money will come, one way or another, from average Texans.
A Bolder Way To Tweet About Boulders: How A Traffic Alert Typo Rocked the Internet
On Jan. 27, 2020, San Miguel, Colorado Sheriff's Office PIO Susan Lilly tweeted a warning of a highway obstruction: a "large boulder the size of a small boulder." The rest is internet history.
Coming Soon to a Snowy Road in Minnesota: 'Plowy McPlowFace'
Plowy McPlowFace was the runaway winner in an online contest to name eight Minnesota Department of Transportation snowplows.
Texas Workers Struggle to Pay for Groceries and Rent after Losing Wages During Winter Storm
Many hourly wage employees across the state lost working hours last week during the storm and power outage disaster. Now, they’re left with a choice between paying for rent or groceries.
'I Need to Find Water, and I Need to Find it Now': A Local Official Takes Disaster Relief Into Her Own Hands
Paige Ellis, a city council member in Austin, Texas tracked down 10 pallets of bottled water and distributed it across her district after winter storms left thousands in the state without power or water.
Texans Blindsided By Massive Electric Bills Await Details of Gov. Greg Abbott's Promised Relief
Electric bills are likely to rise for everyone, experts and consumer advocates say, but some Texans on variable rate contracts have been hit with immediate, massive price spikes. Lawmakers and the governor have promised to help, but haven't said how.
'One Thing After Another': Rural Texans Faced the Same Storm — With Unique Hardships
Last week's winter storm was brutal for the whole state, but rural Texans faced particular hardships, like distance from helpful neighbors. And newborn calves.
One month in, How Biden Has Changed Disaster Management and The U.S. Covid-19 response
COMMENTARY | The Biden administration is re-empowering key federal agencies to return to the roles and responsibilities they were designed for within a planned national disaster management framework.
Texans Running Out of Food as Weather Crisis Disrupts Supply Chain
Texans running low on food are finding empty grocery store shelves. Food pantries are running out of supplies. And the freeze has wiped out substantial portions of the state's citrus and vegetable crops.
'We’re in It Alone': Power Outages Leave Millions of Texans Desperate for Heat and Safety
Texas residents said the storm — and ensuing partial collapse of the state's power system — sapped what mental reserves they had left after eleven months of a global health crisis that has cost thousands of jobs and claimed more than 40,000 lives in the state.
Power Outages Across The Plains: Four Questions Answered About Weather-Driven Blackouts
COMMENTARY | An energy expert explains why weather extremes can require power utilities to take drastic steps that can leave millions of people without power.
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