“I don’t understand folks not turning their water off and draining the pipes.”
Because that can’t do that with a smart phone app?
you probably could with Google Home - except the power is out...
Some did that, but they didn’t think to drain the water heater and its piping. In other cases, people had “tankless” water heaters and the residual water inside the unit froze and burst.
Also, this is TEXAS - winterizing like we live in Minnesota doesn’t come natural.