On Thursday, maintenance worker Octavio Jovellano shut down the water source in a building at the intersection of Avenue Lyon and Via Waco. The city has received 4,900 reports of pipe bursts, but the actual death toll may be much higher.
Volunteers help distribute free bottled water, which will be distributed on a large scale at Del Mar Stadium in Houston on Friday, February 19, 2021. The city is still under the boiling water order, and some places are still in a state of low water pressure.
Victor Hernandez (left) and Luis Martinez (Luis Martinez) in Houston on Thursday, February 18, 2021. Others are waiting for Haden Park in temperatures close to freezing. The hose of the faucet. Although electricity has been restored, Houston and several surrounding communities are still under the boil-off notice because many residents still do not have running water in their homes.
On Thursday, February 18, 2021, people line up at a faucet in Harden Park in Houston to fill containers of various sizes. Although electricity has been restored, Houston and several surrounding communities are still under the boil-off notice because many residents still do not have running water in their homes.
Luis Martinez took a container full of water to his car after filling a faucet in Haden Park in Houston on Thursday, February 18, 2021. Although electricity has been restored, Houston and several surrounding communities are still under the boil-off notice because many residents still do not have running water in their homes.
On Thursday, February 18, 2021, a worker transports bottled water from the Upper Blaise warehouse in Houston to a delivery truck. Due to the cold weather and problems with the water treatment process, Houston is currently in boiling water.
On Thursday, February 18, 2021, in Houston, Nycole Fields (front left) and fiancee Kortney Fields, Destiny Hudson and wife Keisha Hudson put the water they bought at the grocery store in the trunk.
On Wednesday, February 17, 2021, in the spring, Hannah Siqueiros removed the insulating material from the damaged ceiling after a pipe ruptured above the kitchen in Michelle Toy’s home. Water from a damaged pipe above the kitchen caused the ceiling to collapse.
On Wednesday, February 17, 2021, in Houston, people lined up outside Kroger (10306 S Post Oak Rd) to find items to survive the cold weather.
On Wednesday, February 17, 2021, after a winter storm caused power and water cuts and cold temperatures, about 100 people lined up to enter the Korger grocery store on 11th Street in Houston Heights.
On Wednesday, February 17, 2021, in Houston, people lined up outside Kroger (10306 S Post Oak Rd) to find items to survive the cold weather.
On Tuesday, February 16, 2021, Shanice Ardion held her jacket tightly at her home while the stove at Cuney Homes in Houston was burning in the background. She said that since the power outage yesterday, the stove has been their only source of heat.
On Tuesday, February 16, 2021, at Cuney Homes in Houston, Alicia Carr wrapped her sweater in her sweater and said: “I try not to panic, but it’s difficult.”
On Tuesday, February 16, 2021, in Houston, people line up at a company on the North Freeway to fill up empty propane tanks. The temperature remained below freezing on Tuesday, and many people were still without electricity.
On Tuesday, February 16, 2021, in Houston, people line up at a company on the North Freeway to fill up empty propane tanks. The temperature remained below freezing on Tuesday, and many people were still without electricity.
On Tuesday, February 16, 2021, in Houston, people line up at a company on the North Freeway to fill up empty propane tanks. The temperature remained below freezing on Tuesday, and many people were still without electricity.
On Tuesday, February 16, 2021, under the elevated section of I-45 in downtown Houston, Houston police officers Kenneth Big (center) and Aaron Day (center right) distribute blankets to people as the winter storm continues Attack the area.
On Monday, February 15, 2021, in the spring, Eithan Colindres (left) was wearing a winter outfit after their apartment was powered off due to night snowfall. He tried to keep warm with Brian Colindres, Tamilin Colindres, Sofia Morazan and Brihana Colindres. The temperature dropped sharply on Monday, accompanied by light snow and freezing rain.
City and county leaders said on Friday that this week’s winter storms caused tens of thousands of local residents and business owners to burst or otherwise damage water pipes, and the resulting property damage could amount to tens of millions of dollars.
The Harris County Engineer’s Office estimates that 55,000 households in unincorporated areas of the county may have damaged pipelines. The city reported that it had received about 4,900 phone calls for the 311 system, and officials said that this number may pale in comparison to the number of residents who did not report damage to the city hall.
“This number is higher, it may be much higher,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said, adding that many people-including himself and some city council members-did not fight The water source was shut down when the call was made to the city government. “Our city still has unreported outages, and the water is still flowing.”
With the restoration of electricity for almost all residents, county judge Lina Hidalgo stated that the most serious problem remains access to water and food.
“We have been in contact with major grocery stores and they said the supply chain will catch up this weekend,” Hidalgo said. “Of course, the problem is hoarding. So, I have been asking people to buy only what they need for their families.”
Turner has said that the city will cooperate with the county government to launch a fund to help residents cope with the cost of repairing pipelines and water damage to their houses, but the details of the fund have not yet been announced.
President Joe Biden said that the federal disaster declaration he will sign can also free up funds to repay the affected residents.
Carol Haddock, Houston’s director of public works, said the actual number of losses may not be known until weeks. When people perform repairs, the city will be able to track permit applications and combine this information with 311 calls and other data to obtain more comprehensive information.
Haddock said that so far, most of the 311 calls have come from families and business owners whose pipes burst and they cannot cut off the water and need help from the city government. Haddock said that as of Thursday night, about 3,000 people had called 311 for this.
She said: “I think this is a very low number, and it will continue to rise. Many people can perform repairs without dialing 311.”
Haddock said the city’s water supply system is stronger because most of its pipes are underground. According to Haddock, the system has experienced hundreds of outages.
Turner said some leaks in abandoned or uninhabited buildings are spewing large amounts of water. This week, that scene was staged in the Montrose townhouse near the intersection of Vaughan and the Commonwealth.
“He is not at home, his water valve is behind a locked door, so I can’t access the valve,” Osborne said, adding that he was out of power for two days this week. “Obviously, I feel sorry for the people who live here. I am also worried about water leakage and we are working hard to increase the water pressure.”
He reported the problem to the city’s 311 system. Eventually, another townhouse under development burst the pipe. On Friday morning, the workers who shut down the house’s water supply did the same for Osborne’s neighbors.
“It ran for about a day,” Osborne said. “He hasn’t come home yet, the poor guy doesn’t know yet.”
Equipment failures and widespread leaks caused water pressure in the city to drop, and thousands of households were unable to get tap water this week. Haddock said the pressure is increasing, although the city will remain boiling until at least Sunday.
The pressure in the city is below the minimum pressure of 20 pounds per square inch, prompting the state government to issue a boiling warning due to possible pollution. Despite some lower pressures, the citywide average has risen to 32 to 34 PSI on Friday. Before the city can lift the boiling consultation, the state requires 35 PSI and waits for the results of the water sample test.
The City Council voted unanimously on Friday to extend Houston’s storm disaster statement by 30 days. Harris County extended its statement for another week.
These statements allow mayors and county judges to set or waive certain rules and restrictions to quickly respond to developments.
Dylan McGuinness reports on city hall and local politics for the Houston Chronicle. After reporting the same beat for the San Antonio Express News, he initially joined the newspaper through the Hearst News Scholarship Program.
McGuinness previously reported on the Rhode Island State Capitol for the Associated Press and breaking news for the Boston Globe. He grew up in Connecticut, graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, and is a big fan of the Red Sox.
Since 2018, Zach Despart has been explaining and exposing the Harris County Government for The Chronicle. He focuses on flood prevention, fairness, county-state relations, and corruption. He documented how the state of Texas failed to stop the two waves of COVID-19 pandemic, and led a team to find that the number of deaths caused by the power outage crisis in 2021 was much higher than the number admitted by the state.
He was previously the editor-in-chief of the Houston Press, and he won the Best Feature Award from the Alternative News Media Association in Houston and Miami’s Venezuelan Corruption Feature Report. He is a New Yorker and graduated from the University of Vermont. Follow him on Twitter or send an email to zach.despart@chron.com.
For half a century, police officers in the Houston area have steadily accumulated more power and responsibilities, with a budget of millions of dollars and a series of special forces.
Post time: Jul-05-2021
