As power flickers on, costs loom for storm-weary Texans - The Texas Tribune
Over the weekend, state Rep. Shawn Thierry drove her elderly mother and daughter to a hotel to wait out the frigid storm that zapped power and heat for millions of Texans. She left the faucets dripping in her Houston home and wrapped the pipes to help prevent them from bursting. On Wednesday, she returned to a “nightmare.” It was raining inside. The ceiling had holes. Insulation was everywhere. Precious family photos were ruined, as were financial documents like her tax returns. Her daughter’s room was flooded, and her kitchen and home office drenched. The crown molding was cracking. Sheetrock was splitting. “I know that I cannot come back to this house for … probably at least two months,” said Thierry, who may move back to her childhood home — the room she used as a teenager — with her daughter while she gets back on her feet. Her daughter asked: “Mommy, are we homeless?” The freezing temperatures and icy snow that this week knocked out power for millions of Texans has spawned a...