Austinites trudge through the aftermath of the first of a series of winter storms that have pummeled the state since Sunday, disrupting power and water supplies for hundreds of thousands of Central Texans. (Photo by John Anderson) By Wednesday night, most of Austin was dealing with four overlapping crises: the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, the arrival of winter storms that brought the coldest weather in decades, the near collapse of the state electricity grid, and water system failures that forced a citywide boil water notice. Each of these helped make the others worse. While COVID-19 infections have leveled off from the surges of previous weeks, area hospitals were nearly full before the storm hit. As the electric grid crisis forced nearly half of Austin into darkness and cold for three full days, residents dependent on power-driven medical equipment were forced to call 911 to be transported to hospitals. Many other Austinites required emergency medical care from exposure, falls, and traffic accidents.