♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, picking up the pieces after a deadly texas-sized winter storm. >> my papa really worked hard for this home. i'm sorry. >> why millions were left in the dark without heat or drinking water. fighting the deep freeze and flooded hopes. now the search for answers and accountability. sampling sobriety during a stressful pandemic. >> i am 62 days sober. and i feel younger, more alive. >> beyond dry january, when a challenge becomes a lifestyle. >> i didn't really notice that i had a problem with it, until it was a pretty serious problem.

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residents now struggling with shattered pipes and skyrocketing energy bills. here's abc's trevor ault. >> reporter: i can't imagine what it's like for you to see it like this. >> it's terrible. i've never seen a house like this. >> reporter: briana bolden tells me she could smell the soaked, rotting wood from outside the front door of her grandmother's house before walking into this. these pictures and the memories they capture all under water. >> and this is actually my big mama right here. this is t opicture, and that's the pastor's wife. >> reporter: for half a century her grandparents filled this home with children and grandchildren, home-cooked meals, tiny reminders of a family growing together. >> it's a lot of memories at this house. >> reporter: now this house, like so many in texas, has been gutted, flooded by burst pipes in last week's historic winter storm.

>> the water, it was up on your couches, look. >> reporter: the damage is just a fraction of the devastation in texas that killed 32 people and will take months or years and billions of dollars to clean up. so how did it all go so long so quickly? >> texas has more than enough generating capacity to handle itself. it was just the state of affairs of that equipment and the state of affairs of the management of that equipment that caused this problem. >> reporter: texas is the only state in the continental u.s. with an independent energy grid, meaning it does not connect to any other state's power source. so when that merciless winter weather hit in one of the warmest regions of the country, people cranked up their heaters, and the energy demand surged. when that system shut down, there was nowhere to turn for power. >> there was no place for the texas grid to go. there are a couple of small lines, extension cords, to the east and the west. but that's not enough, really,

to take up a 40% drop in texas generation. >> reporter: the result was more than 3 million texas residents in the dark and cold, at one point, leading many to take drastic measures. >> we're running dangerously low on water. so now what we've been doing all day is actually coming outside, getting snow, putting it in our pots, and heating it on our propane grill. >> reporter: then pipes began to freeze. and burst. shutting down water treatment plants across the state, leaving almost 15 million texans having to boil their water before it was safe to drink. >> how can we boil water? we don't have power. >> reporter: electric reliabilityouil of texas, ercot, had been warned they were vulnerable to freezing temperatures. the state legislature held hearings on this issue in 2011 when the state experienced a major freeze. >> there were numerous hearings,

hundreds of pages of recommendations, but all made voluntarily. nobody actually changed incentives so that the generators would have a financial reason to weatherize. >> reporter: this week, essential ercot board members resigned in the wake of this disaster. today in a virtual ercot board of directors meeting, the chairwoman acknowledged the pain and suffering of texans. her resignation effective after the meeting ended. >> all of our hearts go out to all of you who have had to go without electricity, heat, water, medicine, and food during frigid temperatures and continue to face the tragic consequences, in some cases the loss of a loved one. >> reporter: state leaders have promised an investigation into ercot's handling of the crisis, and members of both parties and the governor a v m sure texans aren't on the hook for those astronomical electric bills. >> at a time when essential services were needed the most, the system broke.

you deserve answers. you will get those answers. >> reporter: but people like briana bolden are in need of far more immediate solutions. she's facing mounting hardships, having recently lost her father and grandfather. >> i mean, it sounds like your grandmother doesn't have home insurance? >> she don't, she couldn't afford it anymore. every generation been through this house. my papa really worked hard for this house. i'm sorry. >> reporter: statewide, there is so much damage from burst pipes, plumbers can't keep up. >> you see the water. we have another one right here. >> reporter: alvarado almeda plumbing says his crews have been working around the clock. >> it's bad. >> reporter: they're receiving more calls than they can answer.

>> it's heartbreaking to tell somebody you can't make it. >> we drove down here, 25 hours. >> reporter: plumber andrew mitchell and his family driving all the way from new jersey with a car full of equipment and parts in short supply here. >> we're just going to see what we can do to help out the texas residents. >> reporter: also converging in texas to help out the cajun navy, civilian volunteers known for using their big trucks and small boats for rescues during major storms, like hurricane harvey in 2017. >> we talked with a lot of people around here who have been impacted by hurricane harvey first, now dealing with this. a lot of people said they think this is worse. >> when a hurricane's coming in, we have more -- we know what's going to happen. with this disaster, we did not know what was coming, the community was not prepared. no one knew what was coming, period. >> reporter: this is marisa. she spent a decade doing aid work in africa. when disaster struck at home,

she was one of the first on the front line the cajun navy has gotten quite good, quickly setting up distribution sites like this one. with so many people impacted, what's perhaps most useful is their platform and their decks. >> cajun navy kraus sources disasters. once we find the need, we use the social media platform and put the word out there. people want to help. >> reporter: on this day, they're delivering to katy, texas, home to just over 20,000, with some areas still under a boil water notice. did you reach out to cajun navy? >> sure did. >> reporter: daishi crespo runs the local christian ministry here in katy, the group helping several hundred families, many of whom haven't even recovered from hurricane harvey. >> it's a disaster on top of a disaster. when we have families that are struggling financially, trying to find a way how they can become resilient, and they experience something like this? it's like another setback. >> you seem like a hopeful person. >> we have to.

>> how? >> we have to. >> you don't have another choice? >> we have to. we have to have hope. >> reporter: and that determination to stand together in the face of this challenge, or any that follow, is lifting up communities across texas. the distribution lines packed with volunteers handing out water they needed themselves. the unopened restaurants giving away meals in the parking lot. >> we still haven't started on the garage. we've still been in the living room. >> reporter: even briana bolden, who was willing to rebuild her grandmother's house herself, has learned she's not alon calls fr even know. i'm like, oh. >> what did that mean to you? >> it means a lot. because i honestly didn't think that, like, people were paying attention. >> seems like for all that you and your family have been through, nightmare after nightma nightmare, you're not going to let this or anything else break

you apart? is that fair? >> i don't care what it is, nothing is going to break our family apart. that's how we are. that's how my papa raised us to be, a strong, solid family that look out for each other. >> our thanks to trevor. coming up, the new movement coping with the pandemic without reaching for a drink. we go ♪ ♪ i can't help it if i'm poppin' see them watch like ♪ ♪ who that girl ♪ ♪ it's outrageous how this flavour got em shook like ♪ ♪ hold up ♪ ♪ work work work it out ♪ ♪ ah ha ♪ ♪ i hit it back with a brand new style ♪ ♪ like woah ♪ ♪ bring it up into the fold get wild ♪ ♪ we turning up all the way on the dial ♪ ♪ like woah ♪ ♪ baby i'm fabulous so come on ♪ limitless possibilities. the boldly new 2021 nissan kicks. ♪ i've been telling everyone, the secret to great teeth... the boldly new 2021 nissan kicks. is having healthy gums. new crest advanced gum restore... detoxifies below the gum line,

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♪ millions of americans forced to rethink how they recharge under challenging times. now the growing movement inspiring followers to put down their drinks and practice sobriety.

here's abc's deborah roberts. >> so it's new year's eve tonight. and tomorrow is the start of my 30-day alcohol-free challenge. i'm nervous. but i'm excited to get started. >> reporter: kate dwyer, a 34-year-old kansas city mom, is toasting the new year with a video diary. and a novel plan. no alcohol included. >> i just finished working out, which i normally do every day. but it's been a lot easier now that i have been sober for -- 16 days. >> reporter: her decision to stop drinking motivated by stressors of the pandemic. >> i couldn't deal with the hangovers anymore. and just having that lack of patience with my kids. so i just really needed to make a change. >> reporter: kate is joining a growing number of people who are rethinking their drinking habits during the pandemic, confronting a daunting decision, cutting back on alcohol.

as we head into the second year, sales of alcoholic beverages are surging across the country. reports showing 4 in 10 adults now suffering from anxiety or depressive disorder. a 30% jump from 2019. >> one of the main factors that kind of helped me to make this decision was, i realized how much i was numbing myself out to spending the time here in my house actually with my kids. we were all together, but i wasn't really present. >> reporter: kate has tried month-long periods without alcohol in the past. but this time she had help, signing up for annie grace's 30-day alcohol-free experiment. >> let me ask you a question. how many of you would like alcohol to be small and irrelevant in your life? >> reporter: annie grace, author of the books "this naked mind" and "the alcohol experiment." >> i'm treating myself better than that now. >> reporter: what started as word of mouth has morphed into a

major following. originally self-published, her books have sold over 627,000 copies. she receives an astounding 8,500 emails a month from readers. mom of three and former global corporate executive, she relied on alcohol to get her through the day and based her books on her own struggles. >> i stopped buying bottles because i was upset with myself when it's get through one bottle and have to open the second. so i started buying boxed wine. >> were you thinking, i'm overboard, i'm drinking too much, i have a drinking problem? >> outwardly, i did look like i had everything together. i had the house and the two kids and the job and career. all the things. but inwardly i would wake up at 3:00 in the morning with this hit that would drop into my stomach. i'd beat myself up, sometimes i'd cry. >> reporter: after fighting herself for years, she tried to get to the root of her dependency to alcohol. >> i started my journey by making a list of every reason i

drank, started to methodically go through and do the research to say, is this true? does it actually help me feel better? does it relieve my stress in does it loosen me up in the bedroom? does it make life more fun? and over and over i would read these studies and be like, che true about alcohol. i was convinced alcohol was the duct tape that was holding my whole life together. >> alcohol is a brain depressant. it becomes a see-saw between alcohol making our stress levels higher and then higher stress levels making us desire more alcohol. >> reporter: annie's strategy includes three main pillars. rethinking the benefits of alcohol. eliminating the desire for it so there's no temptation, so that in turn, without temptation, there's no addiction. you describe your book as sort of reprogramming some unconscious part of your mind. >> so when i tried to stop drinking, i just had this nagging feeling that i was missing out. or that i wasn't going to be as relaxed. and so my goal was really

changing that belief through education, through saying, okay, what does alcohol really do? and once i was educated, that belief was able to be let go of. >> reporter: to reach others who like herself didn't connect with programs like aa, she conceived a noncommittal, sober-curious approach. >> i just say, hey, i don't want to drink anymore. that makes me feel good and empowered and like i'm making a bad-ass decision and really excited about life. and then i behave differently. i just don't pick up the drink which was causing so much trauma in my life. >> reporter: some critics will not appreciate your saying aa is not necessarily the way to go. what do you say to them? >> i think aa is amazing. i think it disguises us from being educated, mindful consumers of alcohol because we feel protected by this idea, if i'm not an alcoholic, it can't be a problem for me. >> i was completely delusional about the effects that my drinking habits were having on my life and the lives of people around me. i didn't see it.

i hadn't hit what they call rock bottom. >> reporter: 36-year-old i would d wyatt paige is an assistant professor. wyatt's days are now about staying sober and enjoying a supportive relationship. >> it's perfect. i didn't really discover the power of drinking to dull my emotional pain until i was in graduate school. it was just such a part of everything. i didn't really notice that i had a problem with it until it was a pretty serious problem. >> reporter: of the 20.3 million americans with substance use disorders, 37.9% also have mental illness. wyatt's one of them. >> i also struggle with bipolar disorder. i was actively making it worse. every time i drank, it intensified it. it ratcheted up the emotions, made everything harder to deal with. >> reporter: drinking becoming a vicious cycle. >> i think i was simultaneously

lessening the effect of my medication, then using alcohol to treat the fact that the medicine wasn't doing its job. >> reporter: it's precisely people like wyatt, with a mental but not physical dependency, that is annie grace's target audience. >> it wasn't until i listened to annie grace's audio boourree po that that was something that i could do without going to alcoholics anonymous or without going to rehab or something like that. >> reporter: for kate and wyatt, a big concern of living alcohol-free has come with navigating being around friends in a new way. >> it's very scary for me. i feel like it's such an easy way to connect with someone. >> if you're the sober friend at the bar, you're the person not drinking, you're kind of the stick in the mud. i really worried about my friends not thinking i was fun anymore. i really agonized over that. >> socializing, hands down, one of the biggest concerns people have about taking a break. but when you get into the

moment, with the right attitude, and you're happy about it, your friends are happy for you. >> all of my friends have responded really supportively. so it kind of was the reverse of everything that i had been worried about. >> my partner pointed out, you are infinitely more fun when you're not drinking. ♪ i sure do like those christmas cookies ♪ >> she saw the potential of this life of peace and clarity before me. >> reporter: though they're both at different stages in their journeys, wyatt and kate are optimistic that drinking will no longer hold a big place in their lives. >> today is 541 days. which is awesome. it's a year, five months and 22 days. >> right now i am 62 days sober. and i feel younger, more alive than i felt in a long time. i'm going to continue being alcohol-free and just keeping

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finally, the taming of the sheep.

yes, there's a sheep under center. rescuers in southeastern australia finding the animal in a forest near melbourne. baarock the sheep, as it's now known, given a much-needed haircut after years in the wild. get this, more than 78 pounds of wool shorn off. showing off that beautiful transformation. looking sharp. that's "nightline" for this evening. catch our full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here same time tomorrow. thanks for the company, america. good night.