Winter Storm Uri: Resource Loss and Psychosocial Outcomes of Critical Infrastructure Failure in Texas

Abstract

In February of 2021, Winter Storm Uri affected parts of the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Texas was particularly hard hit, as the state's primary power provider, ERCOT (the Electric Reliability Council of Texas), proved to be unprepared for the event—despite similar storms in 1989 and 2011 that revealed weaknesses in the state's electric grid system. This article investigates psychosocial outcomes of individuals who experienced Winter Storm Uri. Drawing upon survey data collected in Texas in April and May of 2022, we illustrate ways in which loss of critical infrastructure and compounding results influence levels of stress among respondents. Using Hofoll's (1989, 1991) Conservation of Resources model of stress, we find that Uri‐related losses of objects and conditions resources contribute to elevated stress as measured by the Avoidance subscale of the Impact of Event Scale (Horowitz 1976; Horowitz, Wilner, and Alvarez 1979)— more than one year after the disaster. Our regression model consisting of indicators of objects resource loss, conditions resource loss, and demographic characteristics explains approximately 33 percent of the variance in the Avoidance subscale. Findings suggest that more attention should be paid to the social impacts of critical infrastructure failures and that such impacts should be addressed by improving critical infrastructure policy and regulations, as well as the physical structures.