“Access, and the 2021 Texas winter snowstorm”
There is a popular saying called a “perfect storm” and it is safe to say the inclement weather conditions during the week of 2/15 – 2/19 is best summed up by this saying. Quite the unprecedented series of unfortunate events such as the deadly war between Mother Nature and the Electric Reliability of Texas (ERCOT) as everything from statewide power outages to abrupt board resignations transpired into a storm unlike no other.
Two things were missing from this catastrophe that could have very well alleviated these events: accountability and access. Several pivotal decision-makers each played a role in these events, from ERCOT, CPS Energy, State of Texas Governor Gregg Abbott, State of Texas Senator Ted Cruz, and lastly, the Texas communities, such as San Antonio. Due to the lack of accountability of ERCOT, CPS Energy, Abbott, and Cruz, millions of Texans were literally and metaphorically left in the dark, as decisions made from raising utility costs to deciding the power grid make up were handled without the input of the community.
What went wrong? Why was millions of Texans left without power and water for several days? Could this have been prevented? Has this happened before? Regardless of what each answer is to these question, several sources agree that at the state level regarding operations of both Abbott and ERCOT, accountability and access were not top priorities. Access- as none of the members that make up the ERCOT Board reside in Texas and accountability- as subsequent responses to the rolling blackouts and inclement weather became an embarrassing game of point-the-finger.
Regardless of the why and how it happened, an important lesson in representation is noted here. In leadership studies, empathy and accountability are emphasized as traits necessary to not only be a good leader but a successful leader as well. Being a leader doesn’t always mean having any failures. Being a leader means not only being transparent but taking ownership for anything and everything, good and bad, under one’s supervision.
Of course, with any catastrophic event, there is the absence of hindsight or rather not enough time has passed in order to properly welcome hindsight. There is no doubt the winter snowstorm of 2021 will be remembered under the same guise of 2005 Hurricane Katrina or the 1989 San Francisco earthquake, but in the era of technology and innovation, much can be said about how the events of the 2021 winter snowstorm could have been estimated and even prevented.
