More than 14 million Texans still lack drinking water in their homes

HOUSTON – More than 14 million Texans still lack drinking water in their homes after a severe winter storm broke through pipes and cut power across the state this week.

Toby Baker, executive director of the Texas Environmental Quality Commission, said the number of 7,000 public water systems in the state affected by the winter storm increased from Friday to 1,445, but the population affected by these water systems has dropped slightly to 14.3 million. He said that about 156,000 homes have no water service, down from 352,000 reported on Friday.

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According to Baker, the challenge for many of the systems is to find laboratories to process the necessary 24-hour tests before a boiling water warning is canceled. He said the state had established a hotline to help authorities locate an open laboratory. He said there are 79 labs across Texas that will work over the weekend to process the tests.

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Chief Nim Kidd of the Texas Emergency Management Department said that about 3 million bottles of water will be distributed by the end of Saturday, with another 6.9 million being ordered or received. Kidd said the state also ordered 250,000 meals ready to be distributed with another 5 million meals on the way.

Major General Tracy Norris of the Texas Military Department said National Guard and Air Force aircraft are being used to transport supplies across the state. Norris said that in some cases, members of the Guard are being used to help transport supplies from airports to distribution points. The North Carolina National Guard is also sending aircraft to assist in the mission, said Norris.

Kidd said only 77 of the state’s 254 counties are currently part of the federal disaster declaration because damage assessments are needed to ensure that the remaining counties meet the threshold to qualify for federal assistance.

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According to Kidd, some 1,700 people in 77 counties currently in the disaster area have already applied for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He said people in the disaster area who need help can sign up at Disasterassistance.gov.

Kidd said Texans could also help the state complete its damage assessment more quickly by filling out an online form to report the damage suffered by its property. Go to tdem.texas.gov to find the online form.

People who need to dispose of debris from their home repairs can find information on how to do this on the TCEQ website.

Watch a replay of the press conference below: