So after 75 hours and change I've got power back. And hooo man, that is one huge hit of serotonin.

Now to be clear: I'm very privileged. I still had a gas stove and fireplace and a couple charged powerbanks , so this was an inconvenience more than anything. But mentally... oof.

One of the things that I think is and will likely be overlooked is the emotional toll that this is gonna take on folks, especially people who were/are less lucky than I've been. Just losing power and heat for that long is demoralizing. Moreso if you have no other heat source.

But then there're all the compounding effects. Lots of folks had pipes burst or freeze. All of Austin is under a boil water notice, so even folks who still have water may not be able to *drink* it.

There're warming stations but good luck getting to them, the roads are iced.

And then there's the lack of information. ERCOT has been singularly BAD at keeping people updated or informed about what's going on, including to city officials. So the mayors and city councils have had to say "look we have no idea" to their constituents looking for help or hope.

Meanwhile @GovAbbott has been *worse*. First he blames the outage on wind and solar because scoring points against The Libs is more important than solving problems. Then his suggestion is just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, not FIXING THE BUSTED ASS GRID.

Because hey, guess what? The Governor gets to choose who's sitting on the ERCOT board, which decided to maximize profits by cutting corners instead of preparing for even unlikely-but-still-possible emergencies.

And he's still offering NO help, hope or advice.

His current advice for Texans who are still without power & water or facing ruinous repair bills for burst pipes? Talk to your insurance company. Call a plumber now so they can get in as soon as it thaws.

Woo, so very helpful.

And of course @tedcruz fucked off to Cancun.

So yeah, despair is in the air right now. People are understandably feeling like they've been abandoned to *die* by their elected officials. And the folks in charge are far more interested in scoring points or insisting that this is a necessary sacrifice for a deregulated market.

And all that's on top of the pandemic, which Abbott has made worse with his "fucked if I care" stance towards the vaccine rollout or prevention guidelines.

This is a VERY ugly situation for people, and I think the emotional and psychological toll is going to be huge. /fin

Oh, and one more thing: ERCOT has decided to pass on the supremely jacked power rates to the consumer. So once folks get their power back on, there's gonna be a hell of a shock when the bill comes in. On top of any repairs for water damage, replacing pipes, etc.