Texas

Surreal Photos and Videos Capture Dangers of Severe Winter Storm Across the South

Many people have shared the conditions they're up against with jarring photos and video on social media

AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Icicles on ceiling fans, airboats on snowy roads and ice skating down residential streets are just some of the surreal sights that have emerged following a deadly and devastating winter storm in parts of the South this week.

Nearly a million people across the region are facing their fifth day without power, and in many cases heat, following the harshest winter conditions in decades. Single-digit temperatures have also caused pipes to burst and flood residences.

"This is how cold it is at my Apartment," a Texas resident tweeted alongside a photo of icicles dangling from his ceiling fan. "As a Texan, yes, I'm certainly not built for this."

The storm has resulted in outdoor scenes like something out of the Arctic instead of Texas and Louisiana. Other imagery shows people burning household items for warmth and waiting bundled in line to fill propane tanks as they try to cope with the frigid temperatures.

People wait in near freezing temperatures to fill containers with water from a park spigot Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, in Houston. Houston and several surrounding cities are under a boil water notice as many residents are still without running water in their homes.
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
People wait in near freezing temperatures to fill containers with water from a park spigot Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, in Houston. Houston and several surrounding cities are under a boil water notice as many residents are still without running water in their homes.

In north Texas, a man was seen ice skating right down the middle of the street in a residential neighborhood.

In Louisiana, an airboat that would normally be used in a swamp coasted down a snowy road in a Facebook video.

Backyard pools in Texas have been turned into makeshift ice hockey rinks.

While there have been some playful sights, there also have been frightening scenes of homes being flooded and pipes bursting from the cold.

"This is what’s going on in texas, our houses are not prepared for this type of weather , pipes are bursting and flooding our houses, I lost a lot of things today," one person shared on Twitter with video of flooded floors and collapsed ceilings. "My friend lost her whole house , and my other friends house caught on fire."

Others shared that they were burning furniture to heat their homes after days without power.

"Greetings from Austin, Texas! 🤠 In case you are wondering how we are doing, we are sawing up boards & burning our fence to keep warm tonight," Texan Janet Janssen tweeted.

"I chopped up a dresser," fellow resident Patina Medai wrote. "Untreated pine I planned to paint. My procrastination finally paid off. 😂 Got us through the dark hours. I had fire watch all night 😴 Got to feed our neighbors today too. Really thankful for chance to share our blessings."

Others are using birthday candles for light and melting snow on the stove for water.

The extreme weather has also caused water facilities to issue notices for some Texas residents to boil their water after scores of water systems were affected by blackouts.

The eye-opening scenes come as nearly 115 million people from the southern Plains to New England are still under winder weather alerts.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY

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