Stranded without power, a resident walks along a snow-covered road in Austin, Texas, Feb. 16, 2021. A failed attempt to provide "rotating blackouts" during Texas' historic winter storm left at least nearly 200,000 people without power in single-digits temperatures from the early hours of Feb. 14. (CNS/Isabelle Baldwin)
As families continue to suffer the effects of the winter storm that ravaged Texas and its energy grid two months ago, faith leaders across the state have vowed to hold lawmakers to pass legislation quickly to weatherize the power grid and provide financial relief for repairs.
"This was man-made — not the weather, but the response. Congregants, schools, homeowners, renters were all affected," said Jacqueline Hailey, a minister at New Hope Baptist Church, in Houston, during a press conference April 12. "This is still affecting us. We are not going to forget, and we want to ensure that this will never happen again."