During Feb. 14-18, 2021, much of Texas was slammed by Winter Storm Uri, which led to the general failure of electricity and natural gas systems. Texas' independent electric grid managed by ERCOT was four and a half minutes away from complete collapse, which could have crippled the state for several weeks, perhaps many months. This winter storm and the failure of the energy system caused at least 210 deaths and cost tens of billions of dollars.