Following a deadly snow storm, Texas residents have been instructed to boil tap water before drinking it. This was after the storm caused power blackouts at water treatment facilities, affecting 7 million people. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has meanwhile advised that only boiled or bottled water should be used, even for brushing teeth.

Further, water pipes have burst as a result of freezing temperatures, and the state’s energy grid has been overwhelmed by a surge in demand. The BBC reports that Texas is experiencing some of the coldest temperatures in more than 30 years at -18C earlier this week.

At least 24 people were killed in the storm. The deaths include people who have died in traffic accidents, as well as some who suffered carbon monoxide poisoning from running cars and generators indoors to stay warm. A medical official in Houston said, “[Carbon monoxide poisoning] certainly happens when it gets cold, but never in these numbers. This is an absolute public health disaster.” Four people were killed in a house fire, while two men were found dead from hypothermia, alongside a highway.

The storm, which came in at the weekend, prompted US President Joe Biden to give the green light for a state of emergency for the state. The mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner, said, “Power will not be restored fully, I would say, probably for another couple of days.” Meanwhile, Texas state Governor Greg Abbott signed an executive order preventing any Texas natural gas from being exported outside of the state until February 21.

Umm Muhammed Umar