AUSTIN The slow-moving winter disaster pummeling Texas that began with snow, ice and widespread blackouts is now moving into a new phase: A dire lack of food and fresh water.
Supermarket chains that remained open in past disasters have shuttered in the face of power outages and impassable roads. Cities like Houston and Austin are on citywide water boil orders, even though many homes don’t have power. And stores that are open are often lined with empty shelves, as delivery trucks struggle to reach them over still-icy roads.
Joe Giovannoli, 29, arrived at a Central Market supermarket in Austin at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, an hour-and-a-half before it opened. Minutes later, more than 200 people had lined up behind him in the biting 26-degree weather.
The cold has loosened and the power’s back on for most Texans, but now burst pipes have flooded thousands of homes. And fixing pipes is one thing. Fixing a whole state is another.
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