Didn't the grid go down when it was below freezing?
I have lived in Texas all my life and no the grid did not go down. They did rolling brownouts for several days and you would be without power every hour for 30 to 45 minutes. Our fireplace was what saved us as it has gas logs and we sat in front of it all day and read. The latest freeze last year was not the grid going down but many were without power for up to a week because of ice downing power lines or tree limbs taking down power lines. Luckily where we live our power lines are buried. Personally I would not be without a fireplace. I have a separate room for my listening.