Dramatic scenes in Texas homes – as they collapse from cold and snowstorms

Hundreds of thousands of residents of Houston, Dallas and other cities in Texas suffer from both power and water outages during winter storms, as well as severe damage to their homes, with burst pipes, collapsed roofs and flooded floors. The harsh climate of a region unprepared to face it has already claimed more than 30 lives.

“In areas where these devastating ice accumulations are present, residents can expect unsafe travel conditions, numerous power outages and extensive tree damage,” said the weather service, which predicts new storms.

Texas power companies have implemented regulated blackouts to avoid overloading grids when residents turn on heat. According to PowerOutage, more than 2.7 million customers were without power Wednesday afternoon in Texas, the only one of the nation’s 48 mainland states to have its own independent power grid.

“The water pressure is too low,” tweeted Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. “Please do not let the faucet run to prevent the pipes from bursting.” His own pipes also burst after freezing.

David Hernandez, 38, spent the night in a Houston church with other people who fled their homes.

“My car got stuck and I was trying to sleep in the car, but it was too cold,” Hernandez said. “The fluids in my car turned to ice, so it was like sleeping in a cooler. I had to come here, ”he says. “I had no choice.”

Derrick Maxwell arrived at church with his partner Ariel Edward, their baby and other family members. “It was too cold to be home without food or water,” Maxwell said. “We couldn’t cook, which is why we came here.”

Beto O’Rourke, a former Democratic presidential candidate from Texas, told MSNBC the situation was “worse than she hears.”

“People have spent days without electricity, they are suffering (…) The energy capital of North America is unable to provide the energy needed to heat and power the homes of people living in this great stateO’Rourke added. “We are on the verge of being a failed state in Texas.”

(With information from AFP)

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