Texas weather: Residents told to boil tap water amid power blackouts

Nearly seven million people in the US state of Texas have been told to boil tap water before consuming it after a deadly winter storm caused power blackouts at treatment facilities.

The huge storm sweeping across the southern US has killed at least 21 people and left millions without power.

Texas has seen widespread blackouts.

Freezing temperatures have also caused water pipes to burst, despite attempts by some homeowners to insulate them from the cold using blankets.

The state’s energy grid has been overwhelmed by a surge in demand as people try to keep warm in some of the coldest temperatures there in more than 30 years – hitting 0F (-18C) earlier this week.

US President Joe Biden earlier approved a state of emergency for Texas, which has been blanketed by snow and ice since the storm swept in at the weekend.

What’s happening in Texas?

On Wednesday, the head of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Toby Baker, said that issues with water systems were affecting more than 260,000 people in the state.

The mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner, urged people who have been leaving taps running to prevent pipes from freezing not to do so, in an effort to help conserve supplies.

Mr Turner said that those without power – and unable to boil tap water – should consume only bottled water for safety.

“Power will not be restored fully, I would say, probably for another couple of days,” he told reporters at a press conference.

Homes in the state are not normally insulated for cold weather, meaning that indoor temperatures quickly dropped to freezing after heating systems failed.

Mr Turner said that businesses and churches were being used as “warming centres” to help shelter some of the most vulnerable, while also providing bottled water to residents.

“We are still in the midst of this winter storm,” he warned, urging people to avoid the roads or travelling in the mornings and evenings, describing them as the “most dangerous times”.

Governor Greg Abbott said that 1.2 million Texans had so far had their power restored, with more coming “on board”.

The governor signed an executive order preventing any Texas natural gas from being exported outside of the state until 21 February.

Mr Abbott also told reporters that every source of power in Texas had been “compromised” – seemingly walking back earlier comments blaming renewable energy for the state’s blackouts.

Chuck Hairston, who lives in a suburb of Fort Worth, had been without electricity for about 31 hours when he spoke to the BBC earlier this week.

He said his family had slept beside the fireplace covered in “every blanket and pillow we could find in the house”. He tried local hotels, but they were either fully booked or did not have electricity.

Meanwhile, Covid-19 vaccination appointments, which had been postponed due to centre closures and hindered deliveries of doses, were scheduled to resume next week, Mr Turner said.

By Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service (NWS) said that the worst of the storm had moved through Texas, but kept more than 100 million Americans under a winter weather warning.

But historically low temperatures are expected to remain for days, the NWS said, with more than 71% of the US covered by snow.