Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Video Of Road That Straddles Arkansas And Texas Highlights Stark Contrast In State Preparedness

Video Of Road That Straddles Arkansas And Texas Highlights Stark Contrast In State Preparedness
@CharlesPeekWX/Twitter

The struggle of the massive winter storm continues throughout large portions of the United States.

Texas, the state arguably dealing with the weather the worst, has finally restored power to millions, but the fallout of the state's policies continues to haunt them.


There was no better illustration than a road in the aptly named city of Texarkana. The city is split by the Texas/Arkansas border.

In the tweet below, the left side of the image is Texarkana, TX, while the right side is Texarkana, AR.

The drone footage captures the simple matter that caused Texas of all the states hit by the winter storm to buckle under the pressure. The state was completely unprepared for winter weather.

This is despite the fact the state faced a similar storm in 2011 and has had the last decade to make changes to the infrastructure. Republicans have been in power in the state during that time.

It's reported Texas has only 30 snowplows for the entire state, leaving this portion of Texarkana stuck in their snow.

The video shocked many who saw it.




While scenes like this visually illustrate the bind Texas is in, many in the state are suffering the consequences. While power has recently been restored, millions went without electricity or heat for days during the coldest days Texas has seen in recent memory.

Now that power is back on, new issues have presented themselves. Water pipes have cracked or completely broken, and roofs are collapsing under the strain of snow and rain.

A boil water notice has been issued due to compromised water filtration systems. And then the storm picked up again in the week, causing more ice and snow.

This is despite recommendations to winterize the power and utility equipment the state needs to weather this storm being given a decade prior.

A bit of preparedness for the state can go a long way.




All the while, officials such as the Texas Senator Ted Cruz have decided a trip out of the state right now was the best way to handle this situation. However, he was quickly called out on it, and forced back to help.

The state Governor Greg Abbott has likewise been ridiculed for suggesting that the policies in the Green New Deal, a proposal that isn't law or even a guideline, was to blame for the issues. This also flew in the face of the reporting from ERCOT, the council that manages Texas' power, which suggested multiple system failures, particularly in the fossil fuels that make up 80% of the power generation for the state were the cause.

The whole situation has many seeing the state officials as jokes.




Despite all this, there's hope on the horizon. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortz, a Democratic House Representative from New York who often clashes with Ted Cruz, raised $1 million for relief efforts for Texas. The money will be distributed among five non-profit organizations to get ground relief to Texas citizens.

Beto O'Rourke, a former Democratic presidential candidate and former candidate for Texas Senator, is organizing wellness checks for seniors and ensuring people are safe.

More from Trending

Sarah Jessica Parker
Marc Piasecki/WireImage

Sarah Jessica Parker Claps Back At Conservative Critics Who Want Her To 'Shut Up' About Politics And 'Act'

Nothing seems to get conservatives' goats quite like celebrities having political opinions—well, liberal and leftist celebrities, anyway.

They seem to love it when weird right-wing celebs like Kevin Sorbo get on the internet and say bizarre, usually counterfactual nonsense, or when JK Rowling does her darnedest to make her legacy not about Harry Potter but about her weird obsession with trans people.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ann Coulter
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Ann Coulter Faces Fierce Backlash After Saying 'We Didn't Kill Enough Indians' In Deleted Post

Far-right provocateur Ann Coulter is facing fierce criticism after she made a genocidal remark in a now-deleted post on X in response to University of Minnesota professor and Navajo Nation member Melanie Yazzie's speech about colonization.

Yazzie, in a speech at last year's annual Socialism Conference, said "decolonization is the only thing that is going to save us as a species" during a panel hosted by Red Nation, a Native American nonprofit that advocates for Palestinian and Native American rights. She also said that the United States is the "greatest predator empire that has ever existed" and said it should be dismantled.

Keep ReadingShow less
James Gunn
Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage

James Gunn Bluntly Fires Back At 'Jerks' Who Criticize Superman's Pro-Immigrant Themes

Superman director James Gunn issued a response to the "jerks" who criticize the political themes inherent to the superhero's story, expressing his hope that seeing the movie will "make people a little nicer."

Speaking with The Times of London, Gunn stressed that the story of Superman is more relevant than ever considering the ongoing political turmoil in the United States largely centered around the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

Keep ReadingShow less

Things People Do In Relationships That Seem Sweet But Are Actually Toxic

Content Warning: Controlling and Toxic Relationship Behaviors

We've all either been involved in or witnessed a relationship where we saw something that we thought was cute or sweet at first, but we eventually found the behavior to be troubling or "too much."

Keep ReadingShow less
A piggy bank surrounded by loose change.
coin bank

'Poor Person Habits' People Won't Give Up No Matter How Rich They Get

When money is tight, we look for every possible way to avoid spending it.

As much as we might find ourselves missing out on some of the nicer things life has to offer, we find ourselves contented by the fact that we will always have enough money in our bank accounts to pay our bills on time.

Keep ReadingShow less