About a third of Texas’ population are still facing issues regarding their water supply as of Monday, according to Reuters.
Even though the weather is returning to normal after a brutal polar vortex, the state is still facing severe issues left in the storm’s wake, such as $18 billion in estimated damage and water supply difficulties.
“As of 7 AM Central Time Monday, more than 1,200 public water systems have reported disruptions in service due to the weather, many of them leading to Boil Water Notices. This is affecting more than 8.8 million people, in 199 Texas counties”, a spokesman for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) told Reuters in an emailed statement. (RELATED: What Texas’ Blackout Crisis Says About America’s Energy Future)
As of the statement, 147 public water systems and eight public water systems wastewater treatment facilities remained non-operational, the spokesman told Reuters. Those 147 water systems service nearly 120,000 Texans, the spokesman also added.
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he assisted the Texas Air Guard, Texas National Guard, and members of the U.S. military distribute water to residents Sunday.
“About 3.5 million bottles of water have been delivered,” Abbott tweeted.
Today I joined the Texas Air Guard, the Texas National Guard & the US military to distribute water to our fellow Texans.
About 3.5 million bottles of water have been delivered.
Thanks to the countless Texans who are pitching in to help out others in need.
@TexasGuard pic.twitter.com/wUNC51OYO2
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) February 22, 2021
Abbott also said Sunday that plumbers from outside of Texas are coming in to help Texas make needed repairs, according to Reuters.
The extreme winter conditions left four million Texans without power at one point last week, according to the Associated Press. Since, the state has been able to bring all of its power plants back online over the weekend and restored power to most of the state’s residents, Reuters reported.