Dallas: Power began to flicker back on across much of Texas on Thursday, but millions across the state confronted another dire crisis: a shortage of drinkable water as pipes cracked, wells froze and water treatment plants were knocked offline.
The problems were especially acute at hospitals. One, in Austin, was forced to move some of its most critically ill patients to another building when its faucets ran nearly dry. Another in Houston had to haul in water on trucks to flush toilets.
But for many of the state’s residents stuck at home, the emergency meant boiling the tap water that trickled through their faucets, scouring stores for bottled water, or boiling icicles and dirty snow on their stoves.
Some electricity restored in Texas, but water woes grow thetelegraph.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thetelegraph.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
In Texas on Thursday, about 325,000 homes and businesses remained without power, down from about 3 million a day earlier, though utility officials said
Cracked Pipes, Frozen Wells, Offline Treatment Plants: A Texan Water Crisis
Electricity was restored to most Texans who had lost power after a winter storm, but water systems for nearly two-thirds of residents were disrupted, leaving millions without drinkable water.
From left, Trish Cope, Will Conte, Ziam Ghaznavi and Matthew Snyder returned home on Thursday after buying bottled water from a convenience store in Austin, which encouraged residents to conserve water.Credit.Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times
Published Feb. 18, 2021Updated Feb. 20, 2021
DALLAS Power began to flicker back on across much of Texas on Thursday, but millions across the state confronted another dire crisis: a shortage of drinkable water as pipes cracked, wells froze and water treatment plants were knocked offline.