People.com
Human Interest
See Photos from the Record-Setting Winter Storm Uri: Its Impact on Texas and Beyond

See Photos from the Record-Setting Winter Storm Uri: Its Impact on Texas and Beyond

The massive snow storm — which brought record low temperatures, ice and snow — has left 47 dead and millions of Americans without power

By Andrea Wurzburger

Updated February 21, 2021 01:45 PM

Skip gallery slides

1 of 40

Credit: Montinique Monroe/Getty

Over President's Day weekend, Winter Storm Uri hit huge swaths of the country, causing damaging ice in the Northwest and dumping snow across the Midwest and Northeast.

Most affected by the storm is Texas, where millions of people are living without electricity, water and heat after the winter storm tore through the state.

The resulting power outages have left families in the dark for days, battling freezing temperatures without access to electricity, heat and in some cases, clean water, as the Electric Reliability Council of Texas works to restore power back to at least 668,332 affected customers, according to Oncor, the largest energy delivery company in Texas.

Click here for more ways you can help, and read on for images of the record-setting weather event.

2 of 40

Credit: Thomas Ryan Allison/Bloomberg via Getty

A man attempts to go skiing down an icy, snowy road in Austin on Feb. 18.

3 of 40

Credit: Ashley Landis/AP/Shutterstock

A swimming pool in Austin is covered in snow on Feb. 18.

Continued on next slide.

4 of 40

Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty

On Feb. 18, rarely seen icicles hang off a Highway 195 sign in Killeen, Texas.

5 of 40

Credit: IAN HALPERIN/UPI/Shutterstock

An intersection is an icy, watery mess because of broken water lines in Wylie, Texas, on Feb. 18.

6 of 40

Credit: Thomas Ryan Allison/Bloomberg via Getty

A construction vehicle is used to clear snow in Austin on Feb. 17.

Continued on next slide.

7 of 40

Credit: Cooper Neill/Bloomberg via Getty

A newspaper with the headline 'Freeze Grips N. Texas' is seen buried in snow in McKinney, Texas, on Feb. 16.

8 of 40

Credit: Jay Janner /Austin American-Statesman via AP

A man tends a fire he used for heat and cooking at a homeless camp in Austin, Texas, after the extreme cold snap.

9 of 40

The Austin American-Statesman posted a video to Instagram showing lines wrapped around the block to get into a grocery store. Many stores are closed or can't restock due to dangerous road conditions, causing some to face food shortages.

Continued on next slide.

10 of 40

Credit: Mark Felix for The Washington Post via Getty

People wait in line for food at Gallery Furniture in Houston, Texas, on Feb. 17. The store opened in two locations as warming centers.

11 of 40

Credit: David J Phillip/AP/Shutterstock

Owner Jim McIngvale, also known as "Mattress Mack" told local news outlets, "We’re here to help the community. A lot of people are without power. Come see us until the power gets back on."

12 of 40

Credit: David J Phillip/AP/Shutterstock

Tiffany Woodley (left) sits at a table with her family after spending the night inside the furniture store.

Continued on next slide.

13 of 40

Credit: Mark Felix for The Washington Post via Getty

Propane tanks are placed in a line as people wait for the power to turn on so that they can fill them in Houston, Texas, on Feb. 17.

14 of 40

Credit: David J Phillip/AP/Shutterstock

People seeking shelter from below-freezing temperatures rest inside a church warming center in Houston on Feb. 17.

15 of 40

Credit: Tony Gutierrez/AP/Shutterstock

Father John Szatkowski of St. Paul The Apostle Church in Richardson, Texas, pushes water from a broken water line on Feb. 17. Many in the area are still without water or dealing with burst pipes due to the cold.

Continued on next slide.

16 of 40

Credit: David J Phillip/AP/Shutterstock

People wait in line to fill propane tanks in Houston, with some standing outside for more than an hour in the freezing rain on Feb. 17.

17 of 40

Credit: Sea Turtle, Inc

A team of volunteers worked to rescue thousands of "cold-stunned" turtles from the unprecedented storm.

Over the last week, more than 4,000 turtles have been found and rehabilitated from freezing waters by Sea Turtle, Inc., a conservation group in South Padre Island, CBS News reported.

18 of 40

Credit: Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News via AP

After seeing a posting on Facebook, a woman drove to Arlington, Texas, to collect some of the dumpsters-full of ice cream thrown out at a supermarket on Feb. 17.

Continued on next slide.

19 of 40

Credit: IAN HALPERIN/UPI/Shutterstock

People wait to get propane tanks filled outside Dallas, Texas, on Feb. 17.

20 of 40

Credit: LM Otero/AP/Shutterstock

City of Richardson worker Kaleb Love works to clear ice from a fountain in Richardson, Texas, on Feb. 16.

21 of 40

Credit: Go Nakamura/Getty

A cycad tree is covered by ice and snow on Feb. 16.

Continued on next slide.

22 of 40

Credit: Zach Chambers/Bloomberg via Getty

A water fountain is frozen over in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Houston, Texas, on Feb. 17.

23 of 40

Credit: Cooper Neill/Bloomberg via Getty

A person walks a dog on snow-covered streets in McKinney, Texas, on Feb. 16.

24 of 40

Credit: Bronte Wittpenn/Austin American-Statesman via AP

Ivan Gonzales (left) and his brother-in-law Gabriel Martinez assist a motorist by using a carpet to help them up a hill in Austin, Texas.

Continued on next slide.

25 of 40

Credit: Ron Jenkins/Getty

A nearly empty Interstate 30 on Feb. 15 in Fort Worth, Texas.

26 of 40

Credit: Cooper Neill/Bloomberg via Getty

A pedestrian walks through the snow in McKinney, Texas, on Tuesday.

27 of 40

Credit: Ron Jenkins/Getty

A truck plows the parking lot at Dickies Arena on Feb. 16 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Continued on next slide.

28 of 40

Credit: Go Nakamura/Getty

A large trailer truck flipped sideways on Highway 59 in Pierce, Texas, after the winter storm left roads in dangerous condition.

29 of 40

Credit: Cooper Neill/Bloomberg via Getty

Icicles cling to a home in McKinney, Texas, on Feb. 16.

30 of 40

Credit: Montinique Monroe/Getty

People work together to push a car out of the snow in Austin, Texas, on Feb. 17.

Continued on next slide.

31 of 40

Credit: MARK FELIX/AFP /AFP via Getty

Ice clings to the branches of a bush in downtown Houston, Texas, on Feb. 15.

32 of 40

Credit: Ron Jenkins/Getty

A snowman holds a bottle of wine in honor of Mardi Gras on Feb. 16 in Fort Worth, Texas.

33 of 40

Credit: Cooper Neill/Bloomberg via Getty

A person walks their dog through the snow-covered streets in McKinney, Texas.

Continued on next slide.

34 of 40

Credit: Go Nakamura/Getty

Karla Perez and Esperanza Gonzalez warm up by a barbecue grill during the power outage in Houston, Texas.

Account

More

See Photos from the Record-Setting Winter Storm Uri: Its Impact on Texas and Beyond

1 of 40

1 of 40

2 of 40

2 of 40

3 of 40

3 of 40

4 of 40

4 of 40

5 of 40

5 of 40

6 of 40

6 of 40

7 of 40

7 of 40

8 of 40

8 of 40

9 of 40

9 of 40

10 of 40

10 of 40

11 of 40

11 of 40

12 of 40

12 of 40

13 of 40

13 of 40

14 of 40

14 of 40

15 of 40

15 of 40

16 of 40

16 of 40

17 of 40

17 of 40

18 of 40

18 of 40

19 of 40

19 of 40

20 of 40

20 of 40

21 of 40

21 of 40

22 of 40

22 of 40

23 of 40

23 of 40

24 of 40

24 of 40

25 of 40

25 of 40

26 of 40

26 of 40

27 of 40

27 of 40

28 of 40

28 of 40

29 of 40

29 of 40

30 of 40

30 of 40

31 of 40

31 of 40

32 of 40

32 of 40

33 of 40

33 of 40

34 of 40

34 of 40

35 of 40