I know some of you are making funny memes about the windmills here in Texas, but things are worse than most people think.

We are undergoing a “cascading effect” disaster. We lost power throughout Austin (and most other Texas counties) about 30 hours ago, and last estimates say it might be another 24 hours before it’s restored. I actually think it will be longer, because we will be hit with another big snowstorm Tuesday evening (tonight). With power being out so long, the city’s water system has completely shut down from lack of power, and prolonged aub-freezing temps might result in frozen pipes in the water mains. I have a 4wd jeep that won’t start because the engine block is frozen (hopefully that clears up tomorrow). I used to live in Alaska, so I can cope with the cold, but it sucks not having a vehicle that can safely navigate these unplowed/unsanded roads. I’m already seeing reports of people being caught without any spare water and are melting snow in order to keep the toilets working. Many people with fireplaces are exhausting their wood supply, and people can’t find food or water at stores because they’re powerless, too. I’m thankful that my wife and I learned some good lessons from being without power for 5 days in 2006, and we are not really under too much stress. Aside from it just being frickin cold in the house, we have plenty of blankets, water, and food - most of my neighbors have underestimated how much food and water they need if they have kids - those of us that can spare some are doing the best we can to help our neighbors. All city infrastructure and emergency support is overwhelmed right now, so the most important thing is we keep a check on our neighbors. We are definitely experiencing a disaster now, but there’s little that can be done other than “shelter in place.”

One other gem: My guess is that cellular tower backup generators will start to fail today or tonight. Not that it matters much, because cell service is jammed tight during waking hours.

Anyway, the memes are funny, but the reality is that millions of great Texans are suffering. I’m not looking for sympathy, I just want y’all to understand that most folks drastically underestimated how prepared they needed to be, so things are pretty bad now.

I also want to give a shout to the linemen and civil engineers that are working long hours in these freezing temps trying to restore power and water. They’re the true heroes this week.