Honestly, I don't think that severe cold is something usual for Texas, so it is pretty obvious that such disaster will create a lot of shit for unprepared population and infrastructure, including attempts to make money from people's problems. So Texas example is not a good analogy.

Things that happen regulary, should not produce any problems, in perfect world. But in this clown world it is impossible, regardless of country or political system. :)

If you want accurate analogy to severe winter cold incidents in Central Russia, try Florida with seasonal hurricanes. And something tells me that there is no much difference in the roots of that eternal seasonal fuckups.

It's news because Russia made a show of how Europe would freeze last winter including shitty propaganda videos, Russian troll bots spamming the internet with memes of winter is coming and shit like that.

Now, Europe is war and cozy without Russian gas and Russkies are freezing their balls off.

Poetic justice.