On the evening of Jan. 23, North Texas came under siege from a winter storm.

Streets froze over. Roofs turned white. Life stood still.

Events such as these force schools and businesses to pause, affecting students and citizens.

“It negatively affects academics,” Coppell High School junior Diego Morales said, “I tell myself I’ll do work during the weekend and I don’t end up getting much done.”

Extreme weather, specifically winter storms, have become more frequent in areas such as Coppell in recent years, necessitating the adaptation of systems both within governments and private entities that provide essential services.

Though the city is able to keep critical roads open, neighborhood roads and alleys remain largely unattended. This leads to residents being unable to get to major city streets from their homes and neighborhoods.

Coppell emergency services maintain daily readiness by testing systems and keeping tabs on weather developments so plans can be made for abnormal conditions.

“Any time there is spring severe weather threats for tornado warnings and things such as that, we are definitely postured and prepared to respond, and that starts well before the weather threat actually gets here,” Bettis said.

However, roads are not the only part of the puzzle. Power services also remain a critical part of everyday life for Coppell citizens, and extreme weather throughout the years have forced providers and distributors to modernize.

Coppell residents largely get their energy distributed by Oncor, responsible for maintaining power and gas lines. 

Previous winter storms have seen Oncor face criticism from citizens in Coppell, but the company has taken measures to modernize.

Oncor spent $7.1 billion on capital expenditures in 2025 to enhance its risk modeling and maintain 590 circuit miles of transmission and distribution lines.

Oncor did not respond to interview requests. 

Distributors like Oncor are only part of the process when it comes to power, as ERCOT serves as the primary energy provider for Coppell.

According to ERCOT, the company is undergoing a process of modernization since the winter storm in 2021.

ERCOT has increased its frequency of weatherizations and inspections, implemented the use of Co-Optimization Plus Batteries, ensures 10-minute response times to emergencies, carries additional fuel reserves and provides a monthly outlook.

In the event of power outages, Coppell ensures city buildings remain powered to keep a safe space for citizens and maintain key government operations.

“We try to keep the lights on as best as possible within our critical infrastructure,” Bettis said. “We can’t do that for every home and every street, but we can do it as the city so that if there are power outages and electrical issues, we can provide a safe space for residents to go.”

Follow Yug (@YugTalukdar) and @CHSCampusNews on X.