Blackouts in Texas: About a third of Texans still have problems with their water supply

While that number fell by several million during the day, more than 1,200 public water systems still reported service disruptions, many of which led to boil water advisories, according to Gary Rasp, media specialist for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

In a Sunday afternoon press conference, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said about 30,000 people remained without power in his state.

“Based on how quickly I saw power come back on, I suspect all electricity will be fully restored across the state of Texas to every home later tonight or tomorrow,” Abbott said.

The governor said water services are being restored across Texas and more than 3 million bottles of water have been distributed as part of an effort by the US Department’s Texas National Guard. Defense and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Warmer weather and the return of electricity have brought some relief to Texans, but many remain without clean water or in homes damaged by broken pipes and flooding.

That includes Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, a Republican, who told CBS “Face the Nation” on Sunday that her own home had been flooded. She said her insurance would cover the damage, but other Texans might not.

“At some point we will have to have plumbers and additional resources, but it will take dollars to help these people who do not have the capacity to pay on their own … and that will come from the federal government,” he said. said Price.

During his press conference on Sunday, Abbott said uninsured residents with burst pipes could qualify for reimbursement from FEMA.

“We received FEMA assistance from the federal government, and part of that is individual assistance that will help people whose homes or apartments have been damaged due to the winter storm,” he said. declared.

Burst pipes and surprise electricity bills

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, a Democrat, noted how widespread water issues are for many.

“Let me just say now that with so many houses across town having pipes that burst due to freezing weather and major leaks, major water damage, we need a lot of supplies and equipment. plumbing supplies like right now, ”he said.

“We have a number of licensed plumbers, but we could use even more,” Turner said. “But the bottom line is that even when the plumbers go out, it is very difficult to find the necessary materials and supplies.”

Moratorium on disconnections

Abbott announced at its press conference on Sunday that the State Utilities Commission has issued a moratorium on customer disconnections for non-payment in order to deal with the “skyrocketing energy bills” that some Texans would face it.

He said the commission would also prevent electricity providers from sending bills to customers for the time being.

“Texans who have suffered through freezing cold days without electricity shouldn’t be subject to skyrocketing energy bills due to a spike in the energy market,” Abbott said.

The governor said he had held an emergency meeting with legislative leaders “to protect Texas families from unreasonable bills” due to the winter storms.

“This is something that is being accelerated, that lawmakers are working on as we speak. (…) We will have meetings this week to get to the bottom of things, but also to bring relief and support to our fellow Texans. “Abbott said. .

Asked about legislation to repair the state’s electrical infrastructure, Abbott said: “We will not end this session until the state of Texas – and all of its power-generating capabilities – will be completely wintered. “

In a subsequent statement, the commission said it has issued a series of orders “intended to protect Texas electricity customers as state officials consider solutions for financial aftershocks from the winter storm on the grid. “.

In addition to the moratorium, the commission ordered the maintenance of a Covid-19 measure under which electricity providers are required to offer deferred payment plans to customers on request.

He also “strongly urged” retail electricity providers to delay billing residential customers and small businesses.

“The ordinance and guidelines are intended to be temporary, probably until the end of this week, to deal with the potential financial impacts which are particularly difficult during this extremely difficult time,” said President DeAnn Walker.

The winter weather has also caused significant delays in Covid-19 vaccinations across the country, but the backlog is only temporary, said Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergies and Diseases on Sunday. Infectious diseases.

“The number was six million delayed doses, we took out two million and we expect that by the middle of the week we will have caught up,” Fauci told NBC’s Chuck Todd.