A Real Account: Winter Storm Uri and Food Prep

By Donna Hoaks, who lives on an 11-acre homestead in Texas.

In February 2021, a forecasted arctic blast turned into a full-blown, life-threatening emergency across much of the country — an event now generally known as Winter Storm Uri. Here in Texas, several things went wrong at once.

What Actually Happened

Water lines here aren't built to handle arctic temperatures, and many froze. City pumping stations lost power, dealt with broken lines, and had no backup generators — water service disappeared early on for a lot of people. Power outages stretched for days for some, while others faced rolling blackouts as utilities tried to manage extreme demand against a failing grid. Powerhouses shut down; wind turbines sat frozen and unmoving. Indoor temperatures for many homes dropped into the teens and twenties. Some warming shelters were available, but plenty of potential locations were themselves caught up in the same water and power failures and couldn't help.

In rural areas, the damage extended beyond households — one rancher near us lost over half his herd and posted about it, offering the frozen livestock to anyone who could get them processed before they went to waste. Winter Storm Uri ultimately affected more than half the country and reached into Mexico as well, where infrastructure was similarly unprepared for that kind of cold.

The Lesson Most People Learned the Hard Way

Plenty of people had gotten ahead of things and stocked up on extra food — but many hadn't thought through what happens when the power goes out too. There were people with plenty of food and no way to cook it, no water to prepare or clean with, and — more than a few — without even a manual can opener on hand. Whatever was left in refrigerators and freezers once the power failed for good had to be thrown out.

Why This Still Matters

Freeze-dried food doesn't solve every problem in a disaster, but having real, home-cooked meals that only need boiling water is one less thing to worry about when everything else is falling apart — power, water, transportation, all of it. The bigger lesson from a storm like this isn't just "stock up on food." It's stocking up on food that doesn't depend on the same power and water systems that are most likely to fail right when you need them most.

More on Building Real Emergency Readiness

Emergency food storage: where to start and how to build a winter emergency food plan both dig deeper into building a food supply that holds up when the power and water don't.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was Winter Storm Uri?
A severe February 2021 winter storm that caused widespread power and water outages across Texas and much of the central United States, along with parts of Mexico, and is considered one of the more serious cold-weather disasters in recent US history.

Why did people with stocked food still struggle during the storm?
Many hadn't planned for losing power and water at the same time as needing to cook — some had food but no way to heat it, no water to prepare or clean with, or lacked basic tools like a manual can opener.

Does freeze-dried food require power to prepare?
No — most freeze-dried meals only need hot water to rehydrate, which makes them useful during outages when cooking appliances and refrigeration aren't working.

What's the real lesson from disasters like Winter Storm Uri?
Food storage alone isn't enough — a genuinely resilient plan accounts for losing power and water at the same time, not just running out of groceries.