by Delilah Alvarado This story was originally published at Prism. In February, severe winter storms sweeping across the U.S. caused an extreme power crisis in Texas. People across the state went without power for an average of two days, and some lost access to fresh water for even longer and had to boil the water that was available. Now as the temperature lowers and the winter months approach, Texans who are still feeling the effects of the last blackout are anxiously waiting to see if the weather could cause a repeat of February’s disaster. Efforts have been underway to reform the state’s power grid since the last major storm, but experts say the grid is still vulnerable and could create some future problems. The worst-case scenario considered—fossil fuel outages and very high demand for power—does not capture the amount of power lost in February, along with a lack of winterization for the gas sector, where half of the outages came from. The February storm exacerbated the disparities low-income and communities of color face in Texas, and those vulnerable populations ended up suffering the most, with longer effects. Read more