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A Texas mayor has been forced to resign, after telling locals it was their own fault if they were suffering from the recent cold snap in the United States.
Tim Boyd, mayor of Colorado City, accused his own constituents of ‘looking for handouts’ from the city, after many of them experienced complete power cuts brought on by the extreme cold.
The southern state is currently experiencing some of the coldest temperatures it has seen for more than three decades, with millions of homes left without power or heating.
‘No one owes you are your family anything; nor is it the local government’s responsibility to support you during trying times like this! Sink or swim it’s your choice,’ he wrote in a Facebook post, which has caused widespread fury.
‘The city and the county, along with power providers or any other service owes you NOTHING! I’m sick and tired of people looking for a damn handout!’
He went on to say that those without electricity should have a ‘game plan’ on how to keep the family warm and safe, adding that those without the water should ‘think outside the box to survive.’
‘If you are sitting at home in the cold because you have no power and are sitting there waiting for someone to come rescue you because your lazy is direct result of your raising,’ Boyd wrote.
‘Only the strong will survive and the weak will perish.’
The controversial comments came as at least 20 people died as a result of the freak storms, the Associated Press reports. A family in Houston all died from carbon monoxide poisoning from car exhaust in their garage, while trying to keep warm, and another died after their house accidentally set on fire while using fires to keep warm.
On Tuesday, February 16, Boyd announced that he would be handing in his resignation, claiming that he would ‘never want to hurt the elderly or anyone that is in true need of help to be felt to fend for themselves,’ as per Fox News.
‘I was only making the statement that those folks that are too lazy to get up and fend for themselves but are capable should not be dealt a handout. I apologise for the wording and some of the phrases that were used,’ he added.
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