Millions of Texans were left without safe drinking water on Sunday as government officials tried to sharpen the distribution of bottled water and calm residents whose electricity bills rose after a severe winter storm plagued the state.
Boiling water notices have been lifted for about 5 million of the 14.9 million people who were told two days ago that their water is not safe to drink, Toby Baker, executive director of the state commission for environmental quality, said at a news conference on Sunday. .
The notices were issued after days of record low temperatures damaged the state’s water infrastructure.
Nearly 3.5 million bottles of water were distributed by helicopter, plane and truck through the state, Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday.
Extensive lines can be seen on distribution sites in some parts of Texas. Vanessa Fuentes, a member of the Austin City Council, has a video showing dozens of cars outside a football complex south of downtown Austin.
Nearly 700 cases were issued before the event even began at 11 a.m., and according to another location, vehicles began queuing five hours before distribution began.
“The impact of this devastating crisis will be felt for days,” she tweeted.
In Houston, officials said a notice on boiling water that has existed since Wednesday was lifted after tests found that the city’s tap water meets regulatory standards, while about a third of San Antonio’s 1.5 million people are under a boiling water order stay, Baker said.
Abbott said customers whose electricity bills skyrocketed after large parts of the state lost power last week and demand rose in the Texas-based system would be protected from ‘unreasonable’ bills.
In some cases, the bills are higher than $ 10,000.
Disconnection over non-payments will be halted, he said, adding that he met with a dual group of lawmakers on Saturday who agreed to speed up the legislation.
President Joe Biden has signed a major disaster declaration making federal funding available to provinces hard hit by the storm last week. More than 4 million customers have lost power and at least 22 people have died in connection with the winter weather.