A state lawmaker from Fort Bend County is facing questions after leaving town this week while the region battled the effects of the winter weather. State Rep. Gary Gates, a Republican from the Richmond area, said he spent two nights in Florida beginning on Wednesday and returned to Texas on Friday. The cold weather left many in southeast Texas without power or water. AdApproximately 30 percent of his home flooded because of broken pipes, Gates said, and he lost power on Tuesday night. “I felt that I needed to be able to be in the best position to try to be somewhere where I had dependable power, dependable internet and dependable phone service,” Gates said.