With power outages and water shortages sweeping nationwide after a powerful winter storm hit Texas this week, some have turned to TikTok to document the impact of the historic cold.
In the videos, homes are flooded due to burst pipes, families strolling under low blankets and some even boiling snow before being used for drinking and cooking, giving the world a glimpse into the dire conditions that plague many in Texas still experiencing.
In Austin, Texas, Matt Qualman, 27, turned to TikTok after breaking down and burning his son’s baby gate to stay warm as the temperature became within nine degrees inside his apartment. (Warning: video contains blasphemy.)
“It’s snowing and freezing, and we had no heat. I had no firewood at that time, nor did I know where to buy, because no place sells firewood and the nearest to me was a baby gate, “Qualman said, adding that his fire pit had warmed up the place properly.
Qualman said his family was not prepared for such a major storm, and it was “miserable” to wait for the force to arrive again.
Blaine LaBron in Dallas used the social media platform to show that most large business buildings have power, while he and other residents were left in the dark for days due to the storm.
“Guess who still has power? Every building in downtown Dallas, all of these offices sit empty, but they have power,” LaBron said as he zoomed into the brightly lit offices across the street.
In Temple, Texas, Arreon Castillo and Andris White, both 20, have not had water or electricity at their apartment complex since Monday. When the couple got hungry, they decided to cook outside, where Castillo took a video of White braaiing during their snow-outdoor braai setup.
“We had to find a way to cook our food, so we decided to do what we know best is BBQ, and we had no lights, so we had to get it right,” Castillo and Andris told NBC News said.
Meanwhile, Earl Wilson, 28, a primary school teacher in Plano, Texas, gave his followers a tour of his flooded apartment Monday after a pipe burst in a nearby unit. Wilson said his house was dark and wet and that he ‘felt like he was in the movie Titanic’.
“I was sitting on the couch when I heard water pouring in from everywhere, but I did not know where it was coming from, and I immediately panicked,” said Wilson, who was heading to a hotel later that evening.
The next day, Wilson said he returned to his apartment and used his clothes to absorb as much water as possible; however, he said his bedroom and closet with floor coverings were still wet and probably destroyed.
“I recorded the video because I wanted people to see how crazy it is here,” Wilson said. “It’s amazing, and I’m so glad I got the video, because if I just talked about it, no one would realize how much water was actually in this place.”
While Wilson’s strength was restored, he said it was a ‘very stressful and cold week’.
Not too far away, Johnson and Beth Ellis, who also live in Plano, Texas, recorded walking around their home with all the appliances they could not use due to the power outages.
“Lovely oven and microwave … woman, is a wonderful cook … love it, it can not use it,” Johnson said at one point in the video.
Shortly afterwards, the couple sent the recording to their family group chat, and their daughter Sheridan Ellis posted it on her TikTok account, saying that ‘it had to be shared’.
“My parents have been married for 35 years, and they are obsessed with each other, and I think they wanted to put humor in a difficult situation … I knew people would enjoy it and make them laugh,” Sheridan said.
As of Friday, power has been restored for millions of Texans and in some areas hit by the storm, temperatures have finally dropped above freezing. Millions of people are still at home without safe water, and residents looking for groceries or bottled water said they arrived at shops with bare shelves and long queues.