“For many people in our city with resources, with insurance, this week has been a significant inconvenience, but they have the resources and the ability to move quickly and move forward,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a news conference. late last week. “For many people in our city who are already marginalized … and fought every day to keep a roof over their heads and food in their fridge, last week was a big, important event that affected their lives.”
“For many of these individuals, many of these families, they will be in crisis mode for weeks and months to come,” added Turner.
This is how the state is recovering from last week’s severe weather so far.
Thousands without electricity, millions with water failures
Meanwhile, about 8.8 million people – nearly a third of the state’s total population – still experienced water disruptions Sunday night, according to Gary Rasp, media specialist for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
The disruptions affected more than 1,200 public water systems in 199 counties in the state, Rasp said, adding that about 147 public water systems serving “a little less” 120,000 people were still not operational.
About 258 boiling water notices had been withdrawn as of Sunday night, Rasp said.
Houston officials also said on Sunday they lifted the boiling water notice in effect since Wednesday, after it was confirmed that tap water met legal standards and was safe to drink.
“Customers should flush their water system by running cold water taps for at least one minute, cleaning automatic ice machines by making and disposing of several batches of ice, and running water softeners through a regeneration cycle,” Houston officials said in a release.
Document the damage, leaders say
For residents dealing with more permanent damage, Abbott said the state was bringing in more plumbers to meet the high demand from customers with broken plumbing and urged residents to contact their insurance agents to assist with it. addressing what may have been destroyed.
“If you don’t have insurance, you may be eligible for FEMA reimbursement,” he said. “We’ve gotten FEMA help from the federal government, and part of that is individual help that helps people whose homes or apartments have been damaged as a result of the winter storm. If that’s the case, you should have any kind of loss you have.”
Residents must also contact their local emergency response coordinator to provide that information in order to receive compensation, the governor said.
Turner, the mayor of Houston, said he was aware of thousands of reports of burst pipes.
“Recognizing that there are many families who find themselves in situations where they don’t have insurance, they don’t have the financial means to make the repair … their ceilings have collapsed, furniture and other things have been damaged, and they really emphasize how we’re moving on … we’re working on setting up a fund, an emergency fund to help people, “said Turner.
A more detailed announcement is coming “very soon,” he said.
The mayor also urged residents to document damage to their homes in case they can be compensated.
“Use your video, take pictures,” he said.
Food delivery truck regulation suspended
At his Sunday press conference, the governor also announced that he had suspended regulations to get more trucks on the road to deliver food and supplies, after supermarket shelves were emptied during the storm. Abbott said he has also suspended regulations to open more kitchens and prepare meals – as long as they follow the health department’s food safety guidelines.
“Too many Texans … have been starving in recent days,” Abbott said. ‘Your shelves in the supermarket are being restocked at the moment.’
Last week, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said supermarkets were unable to receive shipments of some products and that the severe weather conditions had created a “food supply chain problem unlike anything we’ve seen before, even with Covid-19.”
Abbott also announced in a press release on Sunday that the benefits of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can now be used to purchase hot foods and ready-to-eat meals, such as supermarket delicacies, from 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 they lost or destroyed in the storms.
State officials work to tackle ‘skyrocketing energy bills’
As the state works to recover from last week’s far-reaching consequences, state officials are also investigating excessive increases in the utility bills of some customers that followed the severe weather.
Abbott said the state public utility commission has issued a moratorium on disconnects from customers for non-payment to address the “skyrocketing utility bills” facing some residents.
The commission will also prevent electricity suppliers from sending customer invoices at this point, the governor added.
The governor said he had an emergency meeting with legislators to “protect families in Texas from unreasonable bills,” and more meetings are scheduled this week to “find out, but also to help and support our fellow Texans. “.
“Texans who have suffered days of freezing cold without power should not be subject to skyrocketing utility bills due to a spike in the energy market,” Abbott said.
CNN’s Hollie Silverman, Gisela Crespo, Chuck Johnston, Gisela Crespo and Keith Allen contributed to this report.