Texas Now Faces Water Shortage Due to Brutal Storm 

Texas Now Faces Water Shortage Due to Brutal Storm – World News

Power began to blink back across much of Texas on Thursday, but millions across the state faced another dire crisis: a shortage of potable water as pipes broke, wells froze and water treatment plants were taken out of service.

The problems were especially acute in hospitals. One, in Austin, was forced to move some of his most seriously ill patients to another building when the taps ran almost dry. Another in Houston had to truck water to flush toilets.

But for many of the state’s residents trapped at home, the emergency meant boiling the tap water that ran from their taps, scouring shops for bottled water, or boiling icicles and snow on their stoves. For others, it meant no water.

Millions in Texas left powerless and without water after the winter storms

Major disruptions to the Texas power grid left more than 4 million homes without power this week, but as of Thursday night, only about 347,000 were without power. Much of the concern across the state had turned into water-related issues.

As of Thursday, more than 800 public water systems serving 162 of the state’s 254 counties had been disrupted, affecting 13.1 million people, according to a spokesman for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

In Harris County, which includes Houston, more than 1 million people have been affected by local water systems that have issued advisories to boil water to make it safe to drink or cannot deliver water at all, said a spokesman for the county emergency management. agency.

Residents of the Texas capital, Austin, were also asked to boil their water due to a power outage at the city’s largest water treatment facility. Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros said the drop in temperatures caused main pipes and pipes to rupture.

He said Thursday that power had been restored and that restoring water service to healthcare facilities was a priority. The city’s reservoirs were nearly empty. “We never imagined a day when hospitals would not have water,” Meszaros said.