Texas reels after devastating storm
POWER OUTAGE: 70 DEATHS ATTRIBUTED TO COLD Water problems affecting about 14.3 million out of 29 million people.
Texas authorities have restored power statewide, bringing relief after days of unprecedentedly frigid temperatures, but millions were still struggling on Saturday without safe, drinkable water.
“Due to lack of power, frozen pipes, high use at certain times, we’ve seen the number of systems go up that are reporting [water] issues,” said Toby Baker, executive director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Water problems, he said, were affecting about 14.3 million residents out of a total population of around 29 million, as officials distributed fresh water and food to thousands of people.
Utility operations had returned to normal, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas reported on Friday, but more than 50 000 customers were still without power as of Saturday while crews struggled to repair downed lines, according to the website poweroutage.us.
As the stark toll of the fierce storm grew clearer across the south-central region – about 70 deaths have been attributed to the cold wave – US President Joe Biden issued a major disaster declaration for 77 of the hardest-hit Texas counties.
That declaration authorises the Homeland Security Department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts and expedite assistance.
The drama in Texas represents Biden’s first big domestic crisis. He has said he wants to visit the state early this week but does not want to distract from relief efforts.
Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a frequent target of Republican criticism, was in Texas on Saturday lending support after raising more than $3.7 million (about R54 million) in a few days to help Texas’s recovery.
“This is not just an issue for Texans, this is an issue for our entire country,” the New York congresswoman said in Houston.
Even with power back and temperatures rising on Saturday, multiple cities remained under orders to boil water before consuming it.
Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston – the fourth-largest US city – has said a boil-water notice might extend until today.
In many places, people lined up outside churches, community centres or in parking lots – sometimes for hours – as they waited to pick up bottled water supplies.
“Water distribution, bottled water distribution still seems to be our number one priority,” said Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
“As of last night, we had ordered 9.9 million bottles of water through our federal partners ... 2.1 million have been distributed so far.”