Texas
For many Central Texans, latest bout of cold weather and outages reopens old wounds
/static.texastribune.org/media/files/1ecc3ff9807420ae6cb56af172d5d08e/0201%20Ice%20storm%20EL%2003%20TT.jpg "For many Central Texans, latest bout of cold weather and outages reopens old wounds")
For twenty-four/7 psychological well being assist in English or Spanish, name the Substance Abuse and Psychological Well being Companies Administration’s free assist line at 800-662-4357. You may also attain a skilled disaster counselor via the Suicide and Disaster Lifeline by calling or texting 988.
Energy outages, downed timber and icy roads. Missed paychecks, broken roofs and burst pipes. Little aid from the biting chilly.
Massive swaths of Central Texas are but once more combating the sequels of extreme winter climate — a narrative that has turn into too acquainted and too painful for a lot of — and a few specialists fear these repeated winter crises are having a unfavourable influence on individuals’s psychological well being.
Luz Maria Garcini, assistant professor of psychological sciences at Rice College and a licensed medical psychologist, mentioned climate occasions have been traumatic for Texans over the previous couple of years.
“The lack of management and autonomy of their atmosphere results in anxiousness,” she mentioned. “This sustained anxiousness results in despair since you get exhausted and other people begin isolating.”
Adam Fetterman, assistant professor for the psychology division on the College of Houston, mentioned this phenomenon is an outdated idea often called realized helplessness.
“You haven’t any management over your life and might’t predict what will occur. So it retains occurring and you retain getting traumatized,” he mentioned. “At a sure level, there may be nothing you are able to do and also you simply shut down and it may result in despair.”
Garcini mentioned Winter Storm Uri in February 2021 was significantly annoying as a result of it hit at a time when Texans have been already on edge.
“It was throughout a time of monetary disaster and the pandemic. Folks have been dropping their jobs and there was a number of uncertainty when it got here to immigration,” Garcini mentioned. “Then this tragedy struck and other people weren’t capable of have a heat house or misplaced their house all collectively. It was fairly traumatic. It’s not only one stressor, however all the things that surrounds it.”
A number of days of freezing rain this week have paused regular life for a lot of in Central Texas as soon as once more. The ensuing energy outages aren’t as widespread as in 2021 and are largely because of localized points like downed energy strains, however they’re nonetheless reminding Texans of the catastrophe from two years in the past — and the ache related to it.
San Antonio resident Kim Mair mentioned she skilled most of the identical anxieties this week. She mentioned the 2021 freeze led to damaged pipes at her house and was a catastrophe for her household. Chilly climate now provides her anxiousness concerning the energy going out.
“After I heard some individuals say it was snowing by them, it was dread. As an alternative of it being happiness and pleasure, it was dread,” Mair mentioned. “How many individuals are going to die this time?”
Awais Azhar, a Ph.D. candidate on the College of Texas at Austin, misplaced energy early Wednesday morning in his condominium about 3 miles from the primary campus.
He was residing in the identical place two years in the past and remembers how annoyed he and different classmates have been with the shortage of immediate communication and options for college kids with out energy from the college. He mentioned he felt most of the identical emotions over the previous two days as he and different residents struggled to get solutions and details about assets.
“How are we going via the very same factor two years later?” he requested. “That’s one thing very onerous to grasp as a resident.”
The winter climate has additionally had an influence on working households with youngsters at school.
Esmeralda Alvarado, a Pflugerville resident who works as a housekeeper, mentioned she has not labored since Monday and has misplaced about $700 to this point. She has needed to rethink her household’s funds in the course of the winter months. If she doesn’t work, meaning much less cash for groceries and Christmas presents. The unpredictability of the climate has made it a lot tougher to funds.
“We by no means know what’s going to occur,” Alvarado mentioned of the workdays she may need to overlook due to the acute climate. “We by no means know if it’s going to be one week or two weeks or three weeks.”
She mentioned that she misses the construction faculties present. Many faculty districts in Central Texas have been closed since Tuesday.
Alvarado mentioned her youngsters don’t wish to work on something academic-related when courses are canceled. Being caught at house additionally means her youngsters can’t launch any power, she mentioned. They’ve a tough time going to mattress and typically get into fights over toys or what to observe on TV.
Christa Stoebner, an Austin resident and mom, mentioned she misplaced energy in her condominium constructing and has been staying some other place since Wednesday. The meals she purchased earlier than the storm hit went unhealthy.
Because the 2021 winter storm, Stoebner mentioned she feels a way of nervousness and stress any time there may be speak about extreme winter climate.
“I’m principally nervous as a mother or father,” she mentioned. “I fear about what the state of affairs goes to be for my 8-year-old when one thing is coming.”
Luca Maxwell Gibreath, an Austin resident, mentioned his house’s energy has been out for a few days, leaving the condominium chilly and with little or no meals. He mentioned he damage himself in the course of the 2021 winter storm and now has a incapacity that makes it onerous to stroll.
“I received’t say I’m traumatized by the ice now, however it does make me hypervigilant and over-cautious about going exterior,” he mentioned. “I don’t wish to exit, however my canine want walks, in order that they’ve been maintaining me going out and going through it.”
Many have struggled with leaving their pets at house whereas temperatures drop inside. Susanna Sharpe, a communications coordinator on the College of Texas at Austin, was with out energy for greater than 20 hours and mentioned her greatest trigger of tension throughout this storm has been her aged cat that can’t go away her house. Her home was constructed within the Nineteen Fifties and has little insulation, forcing her and her husband to hunt heat at buddies’ houses when temperatures dropped to 50 levels inside.
Sharpe mentioned the winter storm in 2021 brought about a number of anxiousness about feeling trapped. This yr has been extra tolerable as a result of she has been capable of get heat at buddies’ houses with out being afraid of getting COVID-19 from having contact with others. However Sharpe mentioned she worries that these sorts of issues will proceed to occur each time it will get chilly.
“It provides me this slight feeling of foreboding that extra of that is in our future due to the extremes of temperatures which are growing,” she mentioned.
Fetterman mentioned the sensation of frustration or worry is just not unusual in some of these conditions.
“We as people don’t like uncertainty,” Fetterman mentioned. “We prefer to predict the long run. It’s why individuals get so aggravated when a forecaster will get the climate flawed. We wish that feeling of management.”
Fetterman mentioned having climate preparation plans and emergency ready kits can assist ease a number of the stressors related to climate trauma.
“Having these plans and provides in place may be very useful and might present some peace of thoughts,” he mentioned.
He additionally encourages everybody no matter their psychological standing to do a psychological well being check-in.
“Folks suppose they need to be within the throes of despair to get assist, however that isn’t the case,” he mentioned.
Disclosure: Rice College, College of Texas at Austin and College of Houston have been monetary supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan information group that’s funded partially by donations from members, foundations and company sponsors. Monetary supporters play no function within the Tribune’s journalism. Discover a full listing of them right here.
The Texas Longhorns had a great weekend in the College Football Playoffs and the NFL. Multiple former players scored touchdowns, sacks and even made interesting kicking history.
Here are some of the top performances for former Longhorns in the NFL:
Jones tried his best for Denver against the Los Angeles Chargers having his third game of the season with ten tackles (seven solo). He even added his tenth pass deflection of the year, the first time he has had 10+ pass deflections in his five-year NFL career.
The Broncos however dropped to 9-6, losing 34-27.
The other Longhorn in the Broncos secondary also had a good game to a lesser extent. Locke got six tackles (two solo) which was third on the team. The Broncos next play the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 28th.
Now going to the winning side of Thursday Night Football, Dicker knocked down both of his field goal attempts, including a rare fair catch free kick from 57 yards out to cut the Chargers’ deficit to 21-13.
A rare fair catch free kick results in a Cameron Dicker 57-yard FG for the @Chargers 🤯
It’s the first free kick FG since 1976! pic.twitter.com/yb0cyPuKnR
— NFL (@NFL) December 20, 2024
That kick was his second longest of the season, Dicker also knocked down a 37-yarder earlier in the second quarter as well and knocked both of his extra-pointers. The Chargers are now 9-6 this season.
Worthy has seen his production increase for the Chiefs in recent weeks. And on Sunday against the Houston Texans, Worthy had a career-high seven receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown came in the third quarter to give the Chiefs a 24-16 lead. Kansas City went on to hold on 27-19 to continue to a league-best 14-1 record.
That’s Worthy’s fifth touchdown of the season which ties him for first on Kansas City in receiving touchdowns with Noah Gray.
Tucker has struggled a tiny bit in recent weeks but he bounced back strongly in the 34-17 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tucker tried and succeeded with a 51-yarder late in the second quarter to extend the lead 17-7, and then he hit a 23-yarder to put the game to rest in the fourth and make it 34-17.
Tucker also knocked his four extra point attempts as the Ravens won a crucial game, and moved to 10-5.
The Falcons dominated on all cylinders with new QB Michael Penix against the New York Giants, and Bijan Robinson helped a lot with it.
He rushed for 94 yards on 22 attempts, scoring two touchdowns, one in the second and one in the third. Robinson is now at 11 touchdowns this season for the Falcons as they win 34-7 and improve to 8-7.
The Browns struggled, losing 24-6 to the Cincinnati Bengals. But Hicks led the team in tackles with nine (seven solo).
But the Browns move to 3-12 after losing their fourth straight.
On the other sideline, Ossai had his best game of the season, having a season-high in tackles with five (four solo) and also getting his fourth sack of the season.
Ossai capped off his dominant performance with his first forced fumble as well as the Bengals win their third straight, and go to 7-8.
Monday Night Football between the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints will only have one former Longhorn with Saints linebacker Jaylan Ford, has only four tackles all season for them.
That game will start at 7:15 p.m. CT on ESPN.
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After a 103-57 win over South Dakota State on Sunday, the Texas Longhorns will head into their holiday break on a high note.
Sunday’s lopsided win at Moody Center came five days after Texas beat La Salle by a 111-49 score. Texas hadn’t scored 100 points in consecutive games since it did so against McNeese State and UTSA in November 2017.
Texas never trailed on Sunday, and freshmen Jordan Lee and Justice Carlton served as first-half catalysts for the No. 6 team in the USA Today Sports Coaches Poll. Lee started and scored 10 first-quarter points while Carlton came off the bench to score 17 first-half points on 7-of-9 shooting. Combined, Lee and Carlton had 29 points in the first half. South Dakota State’s entire team had 26.
While Texas built its 53-26 lead in the first half, eight of the nine Longhorns who played scored. The surprising exception was All-American Madison Booker, who distributed three assists and grabbed three rebounds but missed her three shots.
A perennial NCAA tournament qualifier that had split its prior games against ranked Creighton and Duke teams, South Dakota State (10-3) never cut into its 27-point halftime deficit in the second half.
Here are three observations from Sunday’s 46-point rout:
Mwenentanda remains patient with her process
Carlton finished with 19 points and nine rebounds while senior forward Taylor Jones had 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. Lee and senior guard Rori Harmon respectively added 14 and 13 points for a Texas team that shot 53.9% from the field. Booker was limited to nine points, but Harmon pointed out after the game that Booker’s +/- of 41 was the best among the Longhorns.
Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda was the fifth Longhorn to record a double-digit scoring total. Over 11 minutes, Mwenentanda scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
Mwenentanda grew up in South Dakota and was that state’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022. The school in Sioux Falls where she won a state championship is about an hour drive from South Dakota State’s campus. Mwenentanda was recruited by the Jackrabbits but she said that she was attracted to what Texas could offer her athletically and academically.
Since arriving on campus, Mwenentanda has shown glimpses of her potential since arriving at Texas, but she has mainly been a role player for the Longhorns. Sunday was the 11th time that she scored at least 10 points in a game. Just twice in her career has she played more than 25 minutes.
Mwenentanda sees herself as a Swiss Army Knife on the Texas roster. She’s listed as a 6-foot-2 guard on the team’s roster, but Vic Schaefer has mainly used her as a “4” player this season. Mwenentanda played some in the paint last season, but she got more playing time as a guard. Training more with the post players this offseason has helped her adjust to that role this season.
“I physically prepared for it, I mentally prepared for it. I’m enjoying it,” Mwenentanda said.
Schaefer praised the play of Mwenentanda in his postgame press conference on Sunday. Earlier in the week, Mwenentanda said that she was staying patient with her process.
“Everybody’s process is different. I feel like comparing myself to other people’s process would be one reason to give up,” Mwenentanda said. “Everybody on this team are great players, are great women so even though this process is a little bit different for me, it’s not something I look at negatively because I know everybody’s working hard and everybody’s pitching in.”
Status for sidelined Laila Phelia remains unclear
Texas senior Laila Phelia missed her third straight game on Sunday. Phelia suffered a detached retina during the offseason. Texas has not announced a timeline for her return, but Schaefer has said the program will soon release an update.
The leading scorer at Michigan last season, Phelia has played in just eight of the Longhorns’ 13 games. She is averaging 6.1 points and 19.4 minutes per game while shooting 40.5% from the field.
What’s next for Texas? Rest and one final tune-up
Next on the schedule for Texas is a home game against UTRGV (6-6) on Dec. 29. That will be the Longhorns’ final game until their Southeastern Conference debut at Oklahoma on Jan. 2, 2025.
But first, the Longhorns will get some rest. Mwenentanda won’t be able to fly back to South Dakota until Monday morning, but the rest of the Longhorns headed home after Sunday’s win. The Longhorns will return to practice on Dec. 27.
How will the Longhorns spend their break? The three players who attended Sunday’s postgame press conference – Carlton, Harmon and Mwenentanda – said they’d take some time off, but they added that they’ll get some workouts in with family and hometown trainers.
As for Schaefer? He’ll do some work over the break, but he won’t be in his office.
“I’m going to be standing in about knee-deep water in the morning calling a duck and having my son (Logan) with me and my dog, my hunting dog, not my show dog. We’ll enjoy some time together in the morning and then we’ll wet a line and fish in the afternoon,” Schaefer said. “I’ll probably sit in my bow stand a couple of nights with my computer in my lap and watch film. I don’t really care if I see anything or not, but I usually see a lot. I get more work done sitting in a bow stand in a bow blind than I do a lot of times sitting at my desk.
“I’ll just enjoy time with family. I’m really blessed with Holly and Logan and Blair here and we’re all together at Christmas, and it’s just a special time for us. We really embrace the Christmas season.”
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Former Colorado Buffaloes defensive end Dayon Hayes is set to continue his collegiate career at Texas A&M after transferring following a season-ending injury. Hayes, a 6-foot-3, 265-pound defender, began his journey at Pitt, where he played from 2020 to 2023, accumulating 13 sacks and 80 tackles over four seasons.
At Pitt, Hayes showcased his potential in his sophomore and junior years, logging around 500 combined snaps and producing 30 pressures. His breakout came in 2023 when he amassed 44 pressures and a 13% pass rush win rate, ranking 12th in the ACC. Hayes also demonstrated solid run defense, posting an average tackle depth of 1.6 yards and recording 10.5 stops for loss. His ability to set the edge and prevent runners from escaping outside made him a critical piece of Pitt’s defense.
Following his success at Pitt, Hayes transferred to Colorado as a highly sought-after addition to Deion Sanders’ revamped Buffaloes roster. He made an immediate impact, registering two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss in Colorado’s first three games. However, his promising start was cut short by a knee injury in the fourth game, sidelining him for the rest of the season.
Deion Sanders says he won’t attend the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay
Despite the setback, Hayes’ strong early performance likely earned him a medical redshirt, granting him another year of eligibility. With his final collegiate season on the horizon, Hayes opted to join Texas A&M, bringing his pass-rushing skills to the SEC. The Aggies, coming off an eight-win season, are set to face USC in the Las Vegas Bowl. Hayes’ ability to pressure quarterbacks and defend the run should bolster Texas A&M’s defensive front, adding experience and depth to their edge rotation for the 2024 season.
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