Rural Central Texas’ plentiful trees make power outages a frustrating fact of life after storms

A snapped tree limb hangs precariously on Feb. 2, 2023, as a result of the ice storm that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of Texans. (Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune)

LUFKIN — By the glow of a flashlight, Stacy McAlpine and her 10-year-old granddaughter played Go Fish and other card games as they snuggled up next to a propane fireplace.

Thirty miles south in Robertson County, Elizabeth Smith and her husband cooked freeze-dried camp food over a portable stove.