How to prepare and SURVIVE when Houston freezes over

First Things First: Stay in the Know

Sign up for City of Houston Emergency Alerts.
Weather updates, boil-water notices, road closuresthis is the official voice in the chaos. Let your phone buzz. Ignorance is not bliss; it's frozen pipes.

Check on Your People

Houston freezes are communal experiences, just like Hurricanes

• Check on elderly neighbors

• Text the single mom down the street

• Knock on the door of the guy who doesn't need help (he does)

A quick You good? can be everything. Also, make friends with neighbors with generators.

Bring the Babies Inside (Plants + Pets)

If it breathes or photosynthesizes, it does not belong outside.

• Bring plants indoors or cover them well

• Pets come insideyes, even the ones who love the cold -prepare yourself for "messes"-purchase puppy pee pads

• Bonus points for plant group photos like they're houseguests-say goodbye to all those beautiful banana trees and their green baby bananas that were almost ready-just go ahead and chop them down now, depending on when your yard waste gets picked up

Protect the Pipes (Because Repairs Are Not a Personality Trait)

This is where Houston has learned some lessons.

• Wrap exterior pipes-no, seriously, do it! It might save you thousands of dollars in marriage counseling!

• Drip faucets (especially on exterior walls)

• Open cabinet doors under sinks to let warm air circulate

• Open attic doors if plumbing runs through the attic, and consider ordering emergency clamps for your size pipes

• If you have a pool, start heating it now and keep it running
• Drain water from your sprinkler system and maybe even order your replacement parts now. It's not overkill. It's wisdom.

Thermostat Strategy: Cozy, Not Stingy

• Set your thermostat a little higher than usual

• Keep it consistent (big temperature swings stress pipes)

• If the power goes out, close off unused rooms to conserve heat

• Put on all those warm winter clothes you never get to wear-this includes socks and maybe even a hat

Your house should feel like a gentle hugnot a ski lodge. Remember the power grid....and God Bless Texas!

Prepare Like Roads Might Close (Because They Might)

Even if the freeze is short, access can be long.

Stock up on:

• Non-perishable food, which also includes: beer, wine, hard liquor, and whatever else

• Drinks! I totally mean water! Or if you are old school, fill up that bathtub like we did in the 1980s during Alicia

• Medications (including pet meds)

• Batteries, flashlights, candles

• Chargers & power banks-- umm, yeah, and you might want to charge them NOW

• Baby supplies or pet food

• If you have a wood-burning fireplace, stock up on some firewood....just in case. Pinion smells best IMO

Houston grocery stores turn into competitive sports during freezes. Shop early. Gracefully. Without tackling.

Roads: Just Because You Can Drive

Ice + bridges + Houston drivers = absolutely not.

• Avoid unnecessary travel

• Assume bridges freeze first (because they do)

• Stay home if you canthis is not the time for bravery

• Anywhere that floods will turn into an ice patch, so that's like everywhere

Final Thought: Prepared Is Peaceful

Freezing weather doesn't have to be dramatic. With a little planning, a little kindness, and a lot of pipe insulation, it can be manageable.

Houston shines in these momentsnot because we're perfect, but because we show up for each other.

Stay warm. Stay safe. And may your pipes stay unproblematic.

P.S. Ice skating on your pool or other bodies of water is probably not going to end well, and I don't want to see you on TikTok making a fool of yourself- Stick to building snowmen and snowball fights