# @statesman on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CLZrXv-gqZr
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/15004490-statesman-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/e9408b663e.jpg
- **Posted:** 2021-02-17T17:10:48.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Austin Statesman (@statesman) — https://gondola.cc/statesman

## Caption

Before dawn on Monday, Feb. 15, Cynthia Valadez, 66, woke to a freezing home in East Austin. The water bottle near her bed was frozen and the indoor thermostat read 31 degrees. She and her two daughters were among millions of Texans who lost power during a winter storm that gripped the state on Valentine’s Day. She began to panic as her 29-year-old daughter, who has brain demyelination, began to shiver. With only their gas stove as a source of heat, Cynthia and her daughters went without power for over 24 hours causing a water pipe to burst and flood their bedroom. This is the story for thousands of Austinites who continue to go without power as city and energy officials claim outages may last longer than expected. “We need the people in charge to solve the problem they created,” Cynthia said of the city’s failing infrastructure. “They have allowed this to endure as long as it has...this is not a new story for people that live east of I-35.” On Tuesday afternoon, the power to Cynthia’s home was turned on. And while she remains without water, boiling snow to drink, cook and clean, she said she feels grateful to have a roof over her head. “I pray for the people that have less than we do right now.” #austin #texas #atx #texasfreeze #eastaustin 📸 brontewittpenn

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 2,984
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 67

## Tags

eastaustin, austin, texas, texasfreeze, atx

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