What was thought to be a relaxing four–day weekend turned into a cold, hard set of days for Coppell High School learners. As the Coppell area experiences a massive power outage, many families are finding ways to stay warm. 

“We didn’t have any power for most of the [Monday], and it was really cold inside,” CHS senior Lauren Cottril said. “It just made it hard to do anything. Thankfully, we had a gas cooktop, so we could cook food still. Monday night, it was really cold so I slept by the fire, and Tuesday was a lot better; we got power back and it was turning on and off every few hours.” 

Power outage was expected by a few in the Coppell area, but its rapid effects caught many by surprise and confusion.

“On Sunday night we lost power at about 2 a.m., and the power didn’t come on for almost a full day, and our house got really cold,” CHS senior Jamie Welsh said. “We were thankful that originally every eight hours, we got about an hour of power, and we had power for about one to two hours.”

With the loss of power came many detrimental effects, impacting both homes and families.

“A lot of our pipes started to freeze, refrigerators weren’t working, [and] the only way we could cook food was on the stove, and [we] were all cuddled up next to our fireplace,” Welsh said. “All of our sinks aren’t running, and a lot of our neighbors’ pipes are bursting, and [they are] trying to figure out how to turn off water, and it’s crazy.” 

Some were fortunate enough for their homes to retain power in these conditions, but others had to leave their homes in order to find a safe and comforting shelter. 

“I actually did not go through a power outage, but I know a lot of people on my street went through one, so they were asking for help on group chats, and a lot of my family friends also went through power outages,” CHS senior Anika Gore said. “My friend actually had to drive in the snow to her family friend’s house, and she’s been staying there for the last two days.” 

Despite the harsh conditions, Coppell is trying to make the most out of this situation. 

“We’ve been spending a lot of time with family, playing a lot of games by candle light, just enjoying daylight while we can and staying warm in every way possible, but I didn’t think it would need to wear five layers of sleep every night,” Welsh said. “It’s been quite the adventure; our pool completely froze over, and our pipes were frozen, and it’s turned into an ice skating rink. We’ve made the best out of it though, it’s wonderful having family time.”

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