Current Events > Texas completely failed its people

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/19/texas-emergency-communication-power-outages/

As millions of Texans fought to survive brutal winter weather without power and water, Gov. Greg Abbott told residents Wednesday to search for emergency warming shelters on Google and to call 311 for additional assistance.

The only problem: Many people lacked internet access, cellphone service and the ability to watch the governors press conferences. When the power went out, the state suddenly lost the ability to provide essential information to people desperately in need of help.

Telling people to Google it is not OK. Its the result of non-imaginative or non-planning in general, and its very, very unfortunate, said Dr. Irwin Redlener, a senior research scholar for Columbia Universitys National Center for Disaster Preparedness. And I think there needs to be some accountability for why they hadnt made the infrastructure more resilient, and also why they hadnt planned for a situation where the powers out.

During natural disasters and other humanitarian crises, the Texas Division of Emergency Management can use the national Emergency Alert System to share important updates, including for weather events, with Texans in specific areas. Impacted residents of the state would immediately receive a cellphone notification through that system with basic information like boil water notices or updates on when power might be restored.

But according to residents and lawmakers around the state, TDEM failed to provide such emergency alerts during this crisis, effectively leaving Texans without the kind of information necessary for living through a disaster. Instead, Abbott and TDEM officials encouraged people to search for resources on social media or Google.

The governors office and TDEM did not immediately respond to requests for comment on their tactics for sharing information with the public over the past week.

Suzanne Wallen, a resident of Austin, told The Texas Tribune that when she lived in Boston, the mayor would send out robocalls to everyone in the city providing information about power outages or road conditions during weather emergencies. This time, though, she felt at a loss for where to find updates on the situation.

That kind of [robocall] I think is more effective, and I would say the same is true of the vaccine rollout, Wallen said. To expect everybody to go online is just ridiculous.

Normally, disaster planning involves constant communication between state agencies to create protocols for any possible emergency situation, according to Redlener. The Texas House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee oversees the Division of Emergency Management, but Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, said the committee only meets with TDEM officials on an as-needed basis.

When it comes to disaster preparedness, I would say that they dont really give us instructions or advice or even a network to say in an emergency Heres who you should be reaching out to, Goodwin said.

Why is basic communication so hard?

Don't mess with texas also my second post in your other topic good for you getting so much material out of this I want to reiterate that, you've done well for yourself with this

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I did notice they declared a state of emergency 4 days ahead of time and then did...nothing to prepare.

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The Trent posted...

Don't mess with texas also my second post in your other topic good for you getting so much material out of this I want to reiterate that, you've done well for yourself with this

calm down

thronedfire2 posted...

I did notice they declared a state of emergency 4 days ahead of time and then did...nothing to prepare.

The Trent posted...

Don't mess with texas also my second post in your other topic good for you getting so much material out of this I want to reiterate that, you've done well for yourself with this

You ok?

I cant reis my toes are cold and I live in a failed state!

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ZannoL posted...

You ok?

No for above reasons!!!

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The Trent posted...

I cant reis my toes are cold and I live in a failed state!

it's OK buddy you'll be fine just breathe

Texans: *deregulates power grid cuz money*
*power grid fails because it was never properly regulated like everywhere else*
Texans: "Socialism did this."

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Reis posted...

it's OK buddy you'll be fine just breathe

The air is too full of cold and corruption to breathe in!!!

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nope, it was da cold air

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It's a real embarrassment tbh

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Jabodie posted...

It's a real embarrassment tbh

Never thought I would say that Mississippi is doing better than texas right now

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I mean there's certainly not many ways it could have been handled worse
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They definitely failed on the communication front and refusing to take responsibility for anything. Austin has had two press conferences and sent several big blanket emails with platitudes about "unprecedented times" but no information about what failed and why (particularly with local water), had to get all that from elsewhere on the internet.


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Buzz Killjoy posted...

They definitely failed on the communication front and refusing to take responsibility for anything. Austin has had two press conferences and sent several big blanket emails with platitudes about "unprecedented times" but no information about what failed and why (particularly with local water), had to get all that from elsewhere on the internet.

Pride. Texas has that in spades.

It helps to accomplish nothing.

Buzz Killjoy posted...

They definitely failed on the communication front and refusing to take responsibility for anything. Austin has had two press conferences and sent several big blanket emails with platitudes about "unprecedented times" but no information about what failed and why (particularly with local water), had to get all that from elsewhere on the internet.

Let's blame the cold weather and call everyone Heros

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i live in the texas of germany

picked yes but i'm not 100% sure tbh

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Unsure. My province is run by a buffoon who decided not to shut down immediately when covid got bad leading to one of the worst outbreaks in my country. Currently, he's succeeding at privatizing the hydro industry here.

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Texas got great food.

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I mean we had effectively the same crisis and handled it much better so yeah.

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Nah, my governor ignores half the state

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Even states like Arkansas and Mississippi have a better way of handling such storms.

this proves that the ideologues (pushing for almost inexistent government investment, extreme deregulation and low taxes while leeching off federal money) rendered the state incapable of doing the typical activities the state should do.

the state is supposed to serve its constituents, it is not supposed to be a revenue generating mechanism for its own existence and nothing else. The major that said we dont owe you anything, not electricity, nor water said the silent part loud.

so much for Texas being the Republican answer to California or New York

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if I failing its people, you mean servicing the 1% to the exclusion of everybody else, then they didn't fail at all.

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SPE posted...

Even states like Arkansas and Mississippi have a better way of handling such storms.

this proves that the ideologues (pushing for almost inexistent government investment, extreme deregulation and low taxes while leeching off federal money) rendered the state incapable of doing the typical activities the state should do.

the state is supposed to serve its constituents, it is not supposed to be a revenue generating mechanism for its own existence and nothing else. The major that said we dont owe you anything, not electricity, nor water said the silent part loud.

Nailed it.

Lol regardless of what happened i will always and forever be a texan.
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Frostmourne posted...

Lol regardless of what happened i will always and forever be a texan.

no no no listen to all these other people on the internet who know how shitty your situation is

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Frostmourne posted...

Lol regardless of what happened i will always and forever be a texan.

Texan as in your will vote to keep this from happening again or a Texan pawn for greed and profits?

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what if you're texan but don't vote which team are you on probably greed and profits right

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The Trent posted...

no no no listen to all these other people on the internet who know how shitty your situation is

I've lived here for 37 years and so i'm so used to this state that s*** like this doesn't bother me much. Sure it sucks not having water right now. But not much can be done until they fix it. I will just live life as i always had and just be patient.
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I live in Georgia, so...maybe?

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Why is Trent trolling over a natural disaster
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I dont live in the US, but replace "State" with "Country" and you still get a yes from me

And my country is probably on the higher end of countries that has done well...

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My home state gets much colder than Texas and doesn't completely shut down every winter, so yes.
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TBF, what Texas is going through right now is a freak natural disaster. It's something that doesn't generally ever happen. It'd be like if a tsunami somehow hit Pennsylvania and they were unprepared for it.

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A lack of emergency preparedness is still exactly that. Nothing against people from Texas but yeah, the leadership there is showing a great deal of disengagement and incompetence.

LostForest posted...

TBF, what Texas is going through right now is a freak natural disaster. It's something that doesn't generally ever happen. It'd be like if a tsunami somehow hit Pennsylvania and they were unprepared for it.

No. It's the politicians. If this was 2010, maybe. But it's 2021. Humans > nature now. Just like in 2020, humans > nature but political ideologies failed us.

I'm with you

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Bio1590 posted...

Why is Trent trolling over a natural disaster

What else is he going to do?

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too bad bio1590 can't double block me

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LostForest posted...

TBF, what Texas is going through right now is a freak natural disaster. It's something that doesn't generally ever happen. It'd be like if a tsunami somehow hit Pennsylvania and they were unprepared for it.

not anymore. Climate change is causing this and will cause more of it. Texas was warned this would happen eventually


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SPE posted...

not anymore. Climate change is causing this and will cause more of it. Texas was warned this would happen eventually

so when will our next incredibly insane record breaking temperatures take place for a sustained 5 day stretch?
like 2030? less? cause previously it was 1895 so do we have longer to dick around or do we have to get our shit together now?

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The Trent posted...

so when will our next incredibly insane record breaking temperatures take place for a sustained 5 day stretch?
like 2030? less? cause previously it was 1895 so do we have longer to dick around or do we have to get our shit together now?

does it matter if it will be tomorrow, in 10 days, 10 months or even 10 years? It will happen and you need to prepare now, you can't prepare for it in a couple months


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i shall begin chopping wood posthaste

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But the liberals!

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I wouldn't move back to Texas because it was too hot.