Politics
Texas winter storm – Nearly HALF of state still suffering water supply problems after freezing storms killed over 70
OVER a third of Texans still remain without water on Sunday even as state government officials promise less disruptions while the state enters its second week with frigid temperatures and people still without power.
While a number of people have had water restored to their homes, more than 1,200 public water systems in the state still reported disruptions in their service, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality reported.
Over a third of Texans are still without water as the state enters week two of power outages[/caption]
People are going without power, gas, water or heat as they demand answers from state officials[/caption]
Over 8.8 million Texans, or about one third of the state’s 29 million people, reported outages, spread across 199 counties in the state.
Over 250 boil-water notices were rescinded, TCEQ’s media specialist Gary Rasp noted, but still was not enough for others living without water.
Houston had lifted its boil-water notice as of Sunday afternoon, saying “Water quality testing submitted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has confirmed that tap water meets all regulatory standards and is safe to drink” in a statement.
Still, many Texans are growing in their resentment towards Texas Governor Greg Abbott, asking “where is Abbott” and demanding answers among heat and water from the state’s officials.
As other cities like Galveston join Houston in lifting their notices, millions of Texans are still sleeping in frigid temperatures as they scavenge for hot meals and use snow to flush toilets.
Abbott said about 30,000 people still remain without power in the state as of Sunday, just as resentment towards him and other state officials continues to grow.
“Based upon the speed that I’ve seen power get restored, I suspect that all power will be fully restored across the state of Texas to every house either later tonight or tomorrow,” he said.
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Abbott said more than three million bottles of water were being distributed by the Texas National Guard, the Department of Defense and FEMA, but many argue it’s still not enough to cover people going without necessities.
Given that many Texans are now experiencing sky-high energy bills, and the resentment towards the state’s officials and companies continues to grow, Abbot announced a moratorium on shutting off power for non-payment.
“Texans who have suffered through days of freezing cold without power should not be subjected to skyrocketing energy bills due to a spike in the energy market,” Abbott said.
