TYLER, Texas — Tammy Prater, Executive Director with the American Red Cross serving East Texas, remembers the last February freeze.
“It was very difficult to get calls from people who were cold and hungry and didn't have water and I could not get things to them at that point," Prater said.
The National Weather Service reports last year’s freeze was potentially the most costly weather disaster in Texas history
State officials say 246 people died in connection to the storm that brought multi-day road closures, power outages, heat loss, broken pipes and other complications.
All of this reminded the American Red Cross of the importance of planning for the unexpected.
"The plea now is to prepare. Prepare your house. Prepare yourself,” Prater said.
Rick Gambol with the Heights of Tyler nursing home said their facility got the same reminder.
They were prepared with a generator and food but they weren’t ready for the challenge of getting staff into the building after the roads froze over.
“I would start in the morning at about five o'clock picking people up," Gambol said. "And then it would be after midnight when the last shift went off that I'd go back and take everybody home.”
Some staff worked their full eight-hour shift and if the person set to relieve them couldn’t get make it on the roads, they’d work for another eight hours.
If there’s one caution Gambol could make before temperatures plunge this week is, do not underestimate mother nature.
Prater agreed.
"I urge everyone to do what you can to be better prepared. This time, if you're prepared, and nothing happens, it's okay. if you're not prepared and something happens, then you're not okay,” Prater said.