Millions of Americans in the South are facing another freezing night without clean water or enough to eat. At food banks and water distribution sites, lines now extend up to a mile.
President Biden says he will sign a new emergency declaration for the state of Texas, where half of the state is still under boiling water. Millions more in Louisiana and Mississippi are facing the same crisis Friday night.
Things are going so badly in San Antonio that firefighters struggled to get water from the hydrants to fight a massive fire. Thousands of homes have been destroyed by cracked pipes and families are now concerned how they pay for cleaning.
At least 44 deaths have been linked to severe weather this week. The economic toll from the storms could be as much as $ 50 billion.
In Houston, Andrew Rudnick has called at least 100 plumbers to fix his burst pipes. Rudnick and his wife Megan have a 6 month old daughter, Reese, and they are desperate for help.
“What’s it like having a six-month-old child and not having water in the house for days?” CBS News asked.
“It’s scary to have to ask a neighbor to use his outside hose to fill a pan so you can boil water for your baby’s bottles,” said Megan.
They are also concerned about mold and may have to break down the walls themselves.
“It’s absolutely overwhelming, we’re just talking about where we’ll be staying tonight,” said Andrew Rudnick.
Half of the state population – more than 14 million – still has no drinking water. In the Dallas area, they are preparing to hand out 25,000 meal packs this weekend. Outside of Texas, taps run dry in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi as crews rush to thaw frozen water pipes.
The storm stopped millions in their tracks – but not Jenny Passman’s baby. She had to give birth in her living room, without electricity or running water.
It could be next week before the boiling water recommendation is lifted, Texas officials said.
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