The Great Texas Freeze Out: A Whodunit (of Sorts) with a Shocking Body Count (Maybe)
How many Texans bit the big ol' ice cube in the winter storm of 2021? Buckle up, buttercup, because this one gets chillier than a bowl of bluebonnet ice cream left outside (which, truth be told, sounds pretty darn good right now).
The Official Body Count: As Cold as a Texas Night Without Heat
The Texas Department of State Health Services, bless their cotton socks, came up with a final estimate of 246 souls who shuffled off this mortal coil thanks to the storm. Now, that's a number you can wrap your head around, but hold your horses (or should we say, longhorns?) because...
Hold on to Your Stetsons, Here Comes BuzzFeed News!
Those crazy internet sleuths at BuzzFeed News peered into the frosty abyss and emerged with a much higher number: around 700. Now, before you start stocking up on tin foil hats, it's important to understand why the discrepancy. It all boils down to how you count those poor folks who went from two-stepping to six-feet-under.
The Art of Counting the Cold and Stiff: A Numbers Game with a Chill
The state stuck to a strict "death certificate says winter storm, it counts" policy. BuzzFeed News, on the other hand, cast a wider net, including folks who kicked the bucket from hypothermia or carbon monoxide poisoning that might not have been explicitly linked to the storm on official documents.
So, How Many Texans Became Human Popsicles?
The truth, like a good Texas two-step, is probably somewhere in between. The official number is a good starting point, but it likely doesn't capture the full story.
Here's the takeaway: a whole lot of Texans shuffled off this mortal coil thanks to the winter storm. Whether it's 246 or a higher number, it's a somber reminder that Mother Nature's a force to be reckoned with, even in the Lone Star State.
P.S. Maybe next time we should invest in some decent insulation and a power grid that doesn't fold faster than a lawn chair at a rodeo. Just a thought.
