DALLAS — This week the winter storm introduced us to a whole new set of sights and sounds in North Texas. It started Sunday with the howling wind and snow that blanketed all of the area.
"This is a lot of wind...strong strong wind," said Christopher Havard.
That snow would be a good source of fun as children built snowmen and sled down hills and had snowball fights. But snow gave way to ice as the temperatures dipped to zero.
"We don't get this very often in Texas," said Jamila Conner.
But silence is the absence of sound and too many people heard silence when the power went out. Power outages affected most of North Texas. Many Texans worked around rotating outages while some didn't have power for up to five days.
"It grounds you when you don't have it. It makes you appreciate it when you do," said Havard.
Hotels were fully booked and restaurants were not open. People were mostly fending for themselves while public scrutiny weighed heavy on ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.
"Walking through the snow to try to find some food, that was Monday," said Conner.
So many people were without power and water by mid-week. Frozen pipes inside homes began bursting just as the temperatures started to warm up.
"Their apartment is flooded, their stuff is ruined," said Conner.
By Thursday and Friday, ERCOT announced that power was restored to many residents and the rotating outages would end. People's heaters and lights were finally turned back on.
"It's the sound of hope honestly," said Christopher.
By Friday most of North Texas was thawing because we had finally gone above the freezing point. We heard the sounds of gutters dripping and icicles melting. The roads had turned to slush.
"It's a soothing sound," said one resident.
Things are beginning to get back to normal. For so many residents there are pipe burst damages to clean up and snow to shovel off driveways. Before you know it, there will be sounds we can recognize.
"I'm ready to see the sound of cars and things moving again," said Christopher.
