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Recovery from devastating winter storms in Texas could take months

2021-02-22T19:25:46.165Z


While state officials are working to restore power and address widespread water disruptions in Texas, some residents face damage that could take weeks or months to recover. | United States | CNN


Millions without electricity, water or food in Texas 3:46

(CNN) -

Monica Ware, a mother of four, says the broken water pipes that flooded her Houston home when winter storms hit Texas last week have destroyed nearly all of the family's belongings.

"We used everything we had in [a] hotel this week," Ware told CNN affiliate KTRK.

"After this, I think, where are we going to go?"

While state officials are working to turn the lights back on in remaining dark Texas homes and address widespread water outages, some residents face damage that could take weeks or months to recover.

"For many people in our city with means, with insurance, this week has been a significant inconvenience, but they have the means and the ability to quickly transition and move forward," said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner at a conference of press, late last week.

"For many people in our city who are already on the margins ... and struggling every day just to keep a roof over their head and food in their fridge, the past week has been a great event and has really disrupted their lives.

"Many of these people, many of these families, will be in crisis mode for the next several weeks and months," added Turner.

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This is how the state has been recovering so far from the severe weather conditions of the past week.

  • One-third of Texans still have water supply problems after widespread power outages

Young man dies from poison trying to warm up in Texas 3:36

Thousands without electricity, millions with water interruptions

As of early Monday, more than 15,700 people were without power statewide, according to poweroutage.us.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Sunday that he expected power to be fully restored to all homes by Sunday or Monday night.

Meanwhile, about 8.8 million people - nearly a third of the state's total population - continued to experience water supply disruptions Sunday night, according to Gary Rasp, a media specialist with the Commission on Environmental Quality in New York. Texas.

The outages have affected more than 1,200 public water systems in 199 counties across the state, Rasp said, adding that about 147 public water systems serving "just under" 120,000 people were not yet operational.

By Sunday night, about 258 warnings for boiling water were canceled, Rasp said.

The city of Galveston announced Sunday morning that it had lifted its boil water notice and removed water restrictions as "the system has stabilized and the water supply is sufficient," authorities said on Facebook.

Houston officials also said Sunday they were lifting the boil-water advisory that had been in effect since Wednesday, after confirming that tap water met regulatory standards and was safe to drink.

"Customers must flush their water system by running cold water taps for at least a minute, cleaning automatic ice makers by making and discarding multiple batches of ice, and running water softeners through a regeneration cycle," they said. Houston officials in a statement.

Active duty military personnel from Fort Hood, Texas, are helping provide clean water to local inmates in prisons in several Texas towns that are still struggling to restore water supplies after last week's extremely cold weather, according to a Fort Hood spokesman.

  • This family took in a delivery girl who was stranded in the middle of the inclement Texas storm ... without knowing her

Texas residents recount storm damage 1:47

Leaders ask to document storm damage

For residents facing more lasting damage, Abbott said the state was bringing in more plumbers to meet high demand from customers with broken pipes and urged residents to contact their insurance agents to help address what may have been destroyed.

"If they don't have insurance, they may qualify for a refund from FEMA," he said.

“We have had FEMA assistance provided by the federal government and some of it is individual assistance that will help people whose houses or apartments have been damaged due to the winter storm.

If so, they must document any type of loss they have. "

Residents should also contact their local emergency response coordinator to provide that information and be eligible for a refund, the governor said.

Turner, the mayor of Houston, said he was aware of several thousand reports of broken pipes.

“Recognizing that there are many families who find themselves in situations where they do not have insurance, do not have the financial means to make repairs […] their roofs have fallen and furniture and other things have been damaged, and they are very stressed in terms of how we move forward […] we are working to put together a fund, a relief fund to help people, "said Turner.

A more detailed announcement will come "very soon," he said.

The mayor also urged residents to document the damage to their homes in case they can receive a refund.

"Make videos, take photos," he said.

  • President Joe Biden approves disaster declaration for Texas

Food delivery truck regulations suspended

Shoppers walk past nearly empty shelves at a supermarket in Houston, Texas, on February 20, 2021.

During his Sunday press conference, Governor Abbott also announced that he suspended regulations to put more trucks on the road to deliver food and supplies after grocery store shelves emptied amid storms.

Abbott said it also suspended regulations to open more kitchens and prepare meals, as long as they follow the Department of Health's food safety guidelines.

"Too many Texans ... have gone hungry in the last few days," Abbott said.

"Your grocery store shelves are being restocked as we speak."

Last week, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said that grocery stores were unable to receive shipments of some products and that severe weather conditions had created a "problem in the food supply chain like we have never seen before." , even with covid-19 ».

Abbott also announced, in a press release Sunday, that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits can now be used to purchase hot foods and ready-to-eat meals, such as deli foods from the store. , at all retailers that accept SNAP in the state.

The state has also received federal approval to allow SNAP recipients to apply for replacement benefits for food lost or destroyed by the storms.

State Officials Working to Address Sky-High Energy Bills

DeAndre Upshaw said the typical February energy bill for his 83-square-meter townhome in the Dallas area is around $ 80. Due to the cold weather, he expected his bill to be higher, perhaps $ 80. 300 and $ 400, he said Monday on CNN.

"Never, in any stretch of the imagination, did I think they would charge me $ 6,700," he said.

He says some friends with automatic payments on their energy bills saw their checking accounts wiped out by sky-high bills.

"They can't pay the rent," said Upshaw.

"They are dealing […] with life and water problems."

As the state works to recover from the far-reaching shocks of last week, state officials are also looking at outrageous increases in energy bills for some customers that followed severe weather.

Abbott said the state's Public Utilities Commission issued a moratorium on customer disconnections for non-payment to address the "sky-high energy bills" faced by some residents.

The Commission will also restrict electricity providers from sending bills to customers at this time, the governor added.

The governor said he held an emergency meeting with legislative leaders to "protect Texas families from unreasonable bills," and more meetings are scheduled this week to "get to the bottom of this, but also to provide relief and I support our fellow Texans.

"Texans who have experienced very cold days without power should not be subject to skyrocketing energy bills due to a rebound in the energy market," Abbott said.

Upshaw's power company had forecast expensive bills and suggested it consider switching providers, it said on CNN on Monday.

He said he tried, but the new provider kept changing the switch dates.

Upshaw isn't sure the government will protect him from having to pay the $ 6,700 power bill.

"This is the same government that allowed 30 Texans to die due to their neglect to maintain essential life-saving public services," he said.

- CNN's Hollie Silverman, Gisela Crespo, Chuck Johnston, Gisela Crespo, Barbara Starr, Ralph Ellis, and Keith Allen contributed to this report.

Floods in TexasTexas

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-02-22

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