Nearly 3 million homes and businesses were still out of power in Texas Wednesday morning after this week’s great winter storm, even as a second threatened much of the U.S. And after some of the coldest temperatures in decades hit the Lone Star State, a a new problem was emerging: water restrictions due to pipe breaks and a lack of electricity at treatment plants.
Galveston, Texas, fell under phase 5 water restrictions early Wednesday after major water mains broke due to the lack of power, KPRC-TV reported. Residents of Fort Worth were forced to boil their own water after a water treatment plant closed. Abilene also had water problems.
And Sugar Land, Texas tweeted a plea for water conservation, saying, “We need your help! Sugar Land’s water systems are seeing emergency pressure levels in multiple areas. Minimize your water usage for health and safety needs.”
The National Weather Service tweeted updates overnight:
The weather service predicted “ another major winter storm for the South-Central Plains to the Mid-Atlantic through Friday, ” with snowfall of 4 inches plus from Oklahoma to the Mid-Atlantic and a potential 20 inches or more in Pennsylvania, no To mention “significant freezing rain” also likely from Texas to Tennessee and North Carolina to Virginia.
The first storm threw snow and ice, cutting power in dozens of states, and was blamed for at least 17 deaths, including a grandmother and three children who died in a house fire trying to keep warm in Sugar Land.
Ashley Landis / AP
In Houston, two others died from carbon monoxide poisoning while trying to keep warm in their car. There was outrage after some of the skyscrapers were still lit, while downtown Dallas went dark Monday night.
Texas is the only state in the continental US to have its own power grid. It is not regulated by the federal government and residents are angry that it has failed.
“I understand people are upset that this has happened … Let’s turn the power back on,” said Bill Magness, CEO of ERCOT, the power company that powers Texas.
Troops from the National Guard and thousands of state troops monitored families struggling to keep warm. In parts of Texas and Oklahoma, temperatures had not been that low in 100 years, causing pipes to freeze and then explode.
The storm also forced COVID-19 vaccination centers have been shut down, delaying the shipment of new doses nationwide. Texas Governor Greg Abbott called the storm “the winter version of Hurricane Harvey.” State officials asked people to keep power – if they had it.
In Oklahoma City, the temperature dropped to minus 14 Tuesday morning – the coldest temperature there since 1899. And in Galveston, medical investigators called for a refrigerated truck after reports of several cold-weather deaths.
The same storm created one powerful tornado in a coastal area of North Carolina that blew up houses and killed three people and injured ten others. North Carolina was one of 15 states battered by the same massive storm system. Tornadoes also hit Georgia and Florida.
Brian Dakss and Jessi Mitchell contributed to this report.