Winter Storm Uri and the Texas Energy Crisis: Implications for Climate and Energy Justice in San Antonio, TX

Abstract

Winter Storm Uri hit Texas in February 2021, leaving millions of people without power. This winter storm and energy crisis provide an example of failed climate planning but present an opportunity to understand response and resiliency during climate change-related events in Texas. In San Antonio, where climate resilience research is falling behind, it is important to understand resiliency during extreme climatic events. Impacts experienced by the public can be compared to communications of elected officials and utility providers to help us understand whether the responses were sufficient enough to address the needs and wants of the communities during the disaster. We performed text content analyses using Twitter data collected from San Antonio’s elected officials, utility providers, and the public during a four-week timeframe covering the pre- and post-disaster period. The results demonstrate two main outcomes: 1) elected officials' Twitter activities spiked during the storm focusing on warnings, resources, and situation updates but not so much on recovery, and 2) communications were not translated into sufficient action to prepare for future climate change-related events.