As our local community continues to heal from the monumental weather event last month, with a combination of feelings of anger, sadness, and disbelief I find myself deep in the waters of gratitude for the moms that repaired the holes in the sinking ship.
The snow was magical, I woke up in the middle of the night in a childlike state to find it covering my backyard with its beauty. It was bone chilling cold (literally) but we tracked down snow pants, boots, coats, and gloves out of the closet and gleefully threw balls of it at each other for as long as we could stand it.
The memories of those cheerful moments are what would keep me grounded for the long four days that followed.
Our home, as most everyone’s in the ENTIRE state was cold. Our water, as well as all of our neighbors was a single slow drip and our nights were dark as we heard reports of unoccupied buildings lit up.
Our phone service was also affected, which made checking on my mom and in-laws impossible and downright terrifying.
To the San Antonio moms who stood up, from near and far, from close friends to near strangers, THANK YOU. You opened your homes, donated food, shoveled snow and checked on families and I am just that much more in love with our city.
I was on a text chain with a group of girlfriends offering water, hot showers, food, and honestly a toilet to do number two in and flush it. One of my moms groups, though we have not been able to meet in person in over a year, was rotating heaters and generators to keep children warm. Neighbors were sharing hay to keep our outside animals warm when the continued power loss shut off heat lamps.
Just as poignant were the words of mental and emotional support that were given out during the great snow event of 2021. Friends texted, called, and randomly had pizza delivered. My husband somehow managed to cook three dinners on a camp stove, but oh pizza never tasted so good and it filled our hearts just as much as our bellies.
We have spent the last year uniting to overcome a pandemic, and now we will unite in strength to help as many of our city’s mom tribe recover from lasting damages of Winter Storm Uri. The storm we faced for four days last month will live on in our memories forever.
I am grateful for the lessons learned, and the fact that we had camping equipment and sleeping bags handy. I still love the magic that is snow and the joy it momentarily brought our children even though on Friday, round two, my four-year-old opened the shutters and yelled, “Snow again, no!”
If you or someone in Bexar County needs assistance from storm related expenses or loss please call the local plumbing assistance line at 210-631-5000.
Residents can also apply for federal assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). For more information contact the SBA at 1-800-659-2955.
