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Texas After the Storm: An Update

This week, The Daily is revisiting some of our favorite episodes of the year and checking in on what has happened in the time since they first ran. With most natural disasters, the devastation is immediately apparent. But when a winter storm hit Texas, some of the damage was a lot less visible. The stories of Iris Cantu, Suzanne Mitchell and Tumaini Criss showed the depth of the destruction. Their lives were upended. The storm in February left their homes barely habitable, with collapsed ceilings and destroyed belongings, and it disrupted their children’s learning. While the state investigated widespread blackouts from the storm, looking for accountability, the three women grappled with a more pressing question: How am I going to move forward with my life? Today, we return to their stories. Guest: Jack Healy, a Colorado-based national correspondent for The New York Times.
Duration
37m
Broadcast on
31 Dec 2021
Audio Format
other

This week, The Daily is revisiting some of our favorite episodes of the year and checking in on what has happened in the time since they first ran.

With most natural disasters, the devastation is immediately apparent. But when a winter storm hit Texas, some of the damage was a lot less visible.

The stories of Iris Cantu, Suzanne Mitchell and Tumaini Criss showed the depth of the destruction.

Their lives were upended. The storm in February left their homes barely habitable, with collapsed ceilings and destroyed belongings, and it disrupted their children’s learning.

While the state investigated widespread blackouts from the storm, looking for accountability, the three women grappled with a more pressing question: How am I going to move forward with my life?

Today, we return to their stories.

Guest: Jack Healy, a Colorado-based national correspondent for The New York Times.

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This podcast is supported by TikTok. Sometimes the most interesting discoveries are the ones you weren't looking for. That happens every day on TikTok. A science experiment can spark a whole new interest. A recipe you stumble upon can become a meal you make for the people you love. And a restaurant you've never heard of might become your new favorite spot. That's the thing about TikTok. Follow your curiosity and see where it leads. Your next discovery is waiting on TikTok. Hey, it's Michael. This week, the Daily is revisiting some of our favorite episodes of the year and hearing what's happened in the time since they first ran. Today, we return to the aftermath of the unusual storm that devastated Texas last winter, leaving thousands of its residents without shelter or power to learn how the lives of the women we spoke to in Dallas have since changed. It's Friday, December 31st. Jack, you went to Texas just a few days after this crippling winter storm and these mass power outages began in mid February. So tell us about what you saw. Well, the first thing that I saw was a sort of patchwork quilt of light and darkness as the flight into Dallas broke through the clouds. About a third of the city was still without power. And as I drove around and talked to people, I was getting the sense that there was this real invisible crisis taking shape. You know, I've covered hurricanes in Texas and I've covered other natural disasters over the years. And often you see people's houses that are flooded with water. You see houses that are burned down at a tornado. It destroys homes, that sort of thing. But the wounds that families had suffered across the state were a lot less visible this time. And I really wanted to try to understand that damage. And so I started talking to people in working class parts of Dallas. And I met three women who stories really exemplified the hidden hurt lingering across Texas. So tell me about the first of these. And you could go by Iris or Iris. My real name is Iris Kentu and she lives on the south side of Dallas. And she was born in Mexico and came to the United States when she was 15. But when she was 18, her father died and it was a family tragedy

Transcription truncated.

This week, The Daily is revisiting some of our favorite episodes of the year and checking in on what has happened in the time since they first ran. With most natural disasters, the devastation is immediately apparent. But when a winter storm hit Texas, some of the damage was a lot less visible. The stories of Iris Cantu, Suzanne Mitchell and Tumaini Criss showed the depth of the destruction. Their lives were upended. The storm in February left their homes barely habitable, with collapsed ceilings and destroyed belongings, and it disrupted their children’s learning. While the state investigated widespread blackouts from the storm, looking for accountability, the three women grappled with a more pressing question: How am I going to move forward with my life? Today, we return to their stories. Guest: Jack Healy, a Colorado-based national correspondent for The New York Times.