In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the inhabitants of Texas have been facing a new calamity for three days: an unprecedented cold snap.
The concrete consequences were quickly felt: millions of households were deprived of water, heating and electricity when they had to fight against polar temperatures.
On social networks, some recalled the not-so-distant memory of stalls robbed in supermarkets, as in the early days of confinement, almost a year ago:
Others, many, shared photos of their frozen interiors:
In this southern state where it hardly ever freezes, hundreds of thousands of households are learning to manage as best they can the sometimes unexpected consequences of temperatures that can drop to -10 ° C in some places: frozen pipes that explode, ceilings collapsing, flooded houses ...
To survive in these extreme conditions, Texans quickly realized that they could only count on themselves, and on the advice delivered on social networks by fellow citizens living in states further north, and used to these extreme episodes. .
Everyone has their own experience: one explains how to heat an entire room with a candle, an earthenware pot and a few bricks:
Another from Pennsylvania gives her advice: start by filling her bathtub with water to the brim, and shut off the water supply to prevent the pipes from exploding:
On Facebook, another recounts how she kept her children warm by setting up a bivouac tent on their bed and placing blankets over them.
“
It kept our family warm when the temperature dropped to 4 ° C in the room, but inside the tent it was 26 ° C.
We have used a $ 20 tent from Walmart that has been in my garage since last year.
If you have one and you don't have power, I recommend that you do or buy one because who knows how long you will have.
The children had a great time and went to sleep warm and comfortable, ”she
explains.
Already around thirty dead
In fact, several people have already frozen to death.
On local channel ABC13, a woman from Galveston County, a suburb of Houston, said her 57-year-old brother, who she was with, died at home despite being wrapped in four blankets.
Some residents took refuge in their vehicles to face the freezing temperatures of the night.
In the midst of the coronavirus epidemic, many fear turning to the shelters provided for this purpose.
David Hernandez, 38, spent the night in the shelter at Lakewood Church in Houston after his vehicle broke down.
“I was trying to sleep in the car but it was just too cold.
All liquids turned to ice cubes so it was like sleeping in a freezer, ”
he said.
"I had to come here, I had no choice."
According to the American media, the national death toll is, for the moment, about thirty deaths, many being attributable to car accidents on roads that have become impassable.
Authorities had to remind pedestrians to avoid walking on highways, reminding them that they could be mowed down at any time by a vehicle losing control.
Several deaths were also caused by faulty heaters or other makeshift means, causing fires and carbon monoxide poisoning.
To add to the feeling of abandonment and exasperation of many Texans, when more than 500,000 homes were still without electricity on Thursday, State Senator, Republican Ted Cruz, packed his bags to fly for a more lenient destination: a seaside resort in Cancùn, Mexico.
The controversy began when photos circulated showing him at the Houston airport, then on a plane to the famous tropical tourist destination, located in the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula.
In a statement, the senator explained that because school was canceled for the week, his daughters had expressed a wish to travel with friends.
“Wanting to be a good father, I flew with them last night,”
he said.
The one who had for a time been given the mocking nickname of "Lyin 'Ted" ("Ted the liar") by Donald Trump, was quickly given a new nickname on Twitter: "Flyin' Ted" ("Ted the flying" ).
Comedian Trevor Noah, who hosts the Daily Show, told him on Twitter about a
"heartbreaking"
scene
:
"A resident of Texas forced to travel more than 2,700 kilometers to find water, electricity and heat "
.
The day before, the mayor of Colorado City, Texas, had to resign after saying of the ongoing crisis:
"Only the strong will survive."
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United States: Texas under the snow following a rare winter storm