
FrustratedFrustrated Texans queuedqueued forfor hourshours forfor safesafe drinkingdrinking waterwater Friday,Friday, afterafter anan unprecedentedunprecedented andand deadlydeadly "polar"polar plunge"plunge" burstburst pipespipes andand leftleft millionsmillions inin thethe USUS statestate shiveringshivering withoutwithout powerpower oror cleanclean waterwater forfor days.days.
TheThe extremeextreme winterwinter weatherweather systemsystem wreakedwreaked havochavoc acrossacross muchmuch ofof thethe southernsouthern andand centralcentral UnitedUnited StatesStates thisthis week,week, reportedlyreportedly killingkilling atat leastleast 40 peoplepeople andand ignitingigniting angeranger inin Texas asas authoritiesauthorities scrambledscrambled toto turnturn thethe lightslights backback on.on.
Houston residentresident Percy McGee ratedrated hishis frustration levellevel atat "number"number 10" asas hehe waitedwaited hishis turnturn atat thethe city'scity's Delmar Stadium,Stadium, nownow aa massmass bottledbottled waterwater distributiondistribution site.site.
"I've beenbeen upup sincesince fivefive o'clock. AndAnd I've beenbeen onon thethe roadroad sincesince six.six. AndAnd II knowknow it'sit's 11:30 butbut I'mI'm gonnagonna sitsit herehere until,until, II mean,mean, II havehave nono choice.choice. AllAll thethe storesstores inin mymy areaarea areare outout ofof water,"water," hehe toldtold AFP.
"I'm"I'm veryvery frustrated.frustrated. I'mI'm aa diabetic.diabetic. II havehave aa 94-year-old seniorsenior asas aa diabetic.diabetic. WeWe haven't hadhad nono medicine.medicine. Nothing...Nothing... SoSo I'mI'm reallyreally frustratedfrustrated mentally. ButBut I'mI'm keepingkeeping itit together,"together," hehe said.said.
Erica Granado, anotheranother Houston resident,resident, saidsaid sheshe hadhad rushedrushed toto thethe sitesite afterafter seeingseeing itit onon thethe news.news.

"I"I gottagotta bebe earlyearly becausebecause II knewknew everybodyeverybody -- yeah,yeah, everybodyeverybody wantswants waterwater andand soso it'sit's aa difficultdifficult timetime forfor everybody,"everybody," sheshe said,said, adding: "Thank"Thank GodGod II hadhad gasgas inin mymy car."car."
OnOn FridayFriday thethe weatherweather systemsystem waswas slowly movingmoving northeast,northeast, wherewhere hardyhardy NewNew Englanders -- farfar moremore usedused toto scouringscouring winterwinter stormsstorms thanthan residentsresidents ofof thethe LoneLone StarStar statestate -- werewere batteningbattening down.down.
ButBut eveneven asas thethe temperaturetemperature roserose aboveabove freezingfreezing inin Texas -- andand thethe NationalNational WeatherWeather ServiceService forecastforecast weekendweekend weatherweather inin thethe 50s FahrenheitFahrenheit (10-15 Celsius)Celsius) -- statestate governorgovernor Greg Abbott saidsaid somesome 165,000 peoplepeople werewere stillstill withoutwithout powerpower Friday.Friday.
WaterWater pressurepressure problemsproblems meantmeant nearlynearly sevenseven millionmillion Texans werewere beingbeing advisedadvised toto boilboil theirtheir waterwater beforebefore drinkingdrinking itit oror usingusing forfor cooking,cooking, saidsaid Toby Baker,Baker, whowho headsheads thethe Texas CommissionCommission onon EnvironmentalEnvironmental Quality,Quality, addingadding thatthat nearlynearly 264,000 peoplepeople werewere impactedimpacted byby non-operational waterwater systems.systems.

SomeSome residentsresidents werewere facingfacing thethe miserymisery ofof burstburst pipespipes andand flooding.flooding.
"It"It waswas likelike aa waterfallwaterfall waswas comingcoming downdown andand itit waswas startingstarting toto comecome outout ofof thethe bathroombathroom andand toto thethe otherother rooms,"rooms," saidsaid Birgit Kamps ofof Houston, addingadding thatthat aa neighbor helpedhelped switchswitch offoff thethe waterwater atat thethe breakbreak -- haltinghalting thethe flood,flood, butbut leavingleaving herher withoutwithout runningrunning water.water.
- Texans isolatedisolated -
Texas powerpower companiescompanies implementedimplemented rollingrolling blackoutsblackouts inin recentrecent daysdays toto avoidavoid gridsgrids beingbeing overloadedoverloaded asas residentsresidents crankedcranked upup thethe heatheat duringduring thethe coldcold snap.snap.

TheThe statestate isis thethe onlyonly oneone inin thethe continentalcontinental USUS toto havehave itsits ownown independentindependent powerpower grid,grid, meaningmeaning itit waswas cutcut offoff whenwhen thethe weatherweather hit.hit.
TheThe blackoutsblackouts alsoalso shutshut downdown aa majormajor computercomputer chipchip manufacturer,manufacturer, NXP SemiconductorsSemiconductors inin Austin, atat aa timetime whenwhen aa worseningworsening shortageshortage ofof semiconductorssemiconductors isis alreadyalready affectingaffecting aa varietyvariety ofof sectorssectors includingincluding automobiles,automobiles, mobilemobile phones,phones, gamegame consolesconsoles andand more.more.
AuthoritiesAuthorities openedopened hundredshundreds ofof "warming"warming centers"centers" acrossacross thethe state.state. OneOne furniturefurniture storestore inin Houston alsoalso threwthrew openopen itsits doorsdoors toto freezingfreezing residents.residents.
"We"We hadhad aa thousandthousand peoplepeople comingcoming herehere tryingtrying ourour warmingwarming stationsstations andand gettinggetting freefree hothot meals,"meals," JamesJames McIngvale, ownerowner ofof thethe GalleryGallery FurnitureFurniture store,store, toldtold AFP.
PresidentPresident Joe Biden spokespoke withwith BobBob Fenton, actingacting directordirector ofof thethe FederalFederal EmergencyEmergency ManagementManagement AgencyAgency (FEMA), whichwhich isis alreadyalready onon thethe groundground inin Texas, andand saidsaid hehe waswas readyready toto mobilizemobilize otherother federalfederal agencies,agencies, accordingaccording toto aa WhiteWhite HouseHouse statementstatement Friday.Friday.
Biden alsoalso plannedplanned toto signsign aa majormajor disasterdisaster declarationdeclaration inin thethe state,state, thethe WhiteWhite HouseHouse said.said. OnOn ThursdayThursday hehe toldtold Abbott thethe governmentgovernment wouldwould workwork "hand-in-hand" withwith statestate authoritiesauthorities toto offeroffer relief.relief.
TheThe presidentpresident hashas alsoalso orderedordered federalfederal authoritiesauthorities toto coordinatecoordinate disasterdisaster reliefrelief inin Oklahoma andand Louisiana, whichwhich declareddeclared emergenciesemergencies afterafter theythey werewere alsoalso hithit byby thethe extremeextreme weather.weather.
TheThe coldcold stretchedstretched asas farfar asas Seattle, inin thethe northwestern USUS statestate ofof Oregon, wherewhere aa 90-year-old womanwoman trudgedtrudged sixsix milesmiles (10 kilometers) inin aa footfoot ofof snowsnow withwith twotwo walkingwalking stickssticks toto getget herher firstfirst vaccination againstagainst Covid-19, afterafter frantically callingcalling aroundaround toto getget aa shot.shot.
TheThe harshharsh weatherweather hadhad mademade drivingdriving toto Fran Goldman's hospitalhospital appointmentappointment tootoo dangerous.dangerous.
© AFP