My office back in Dallas which is not normally open offered to let people stay the night since they happen to be on the same grid as a hospital and I seriously considered trying to make it there today
(edit: when you're on the internet, better to specify which unit you use, your audience is international)
But obviously we're much more prepared for temperatures like this here.
The power is out - there is no heat. For a lot of folks, this is more akin to camping without proper gear, during the winter, and without a fire.
There isn't much infrastructure to deal with snow and ice, either, nor are most folks going to be prepared to deal with frozen pipes.
The folks in Texas don't have the same sort of house insulation either: Since it doesn't get that cold, but it does get hot, the houses are designed to keep the house cool. And since this cold is very rare, folks aren't likely to have actual winter coats. What makes the cold tolerable for me - in Norway - is that I'm fairly prepared for it. They aren't.
-6 is really darn cold for the unprepared.
Hope your power came back already. If not / or for another time: candles are great for heating a single room. Small, safe, but they make a difference.
How do you think people safely camp in cold climates? You can sleep safely at far far below zero in a sleeping bag.
I'm pretty sure sleeping in your car would be more dangerous just because of the discomfort leading to worse quality sleep and fatigue.
I don't understand - how do you think people camp in cold parts of the world? Of course you can sleep in those conditions.
I think the chances of random families in TX having 0 degree cold weather camping gear are low.
Dr. Fahrenheit was of course the famous European physicist who invented the mercury-in-glass thermometer.