United States President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster in Texas. His declaration has opened the way for further federal funds to be spent on relief efforts in the literally under the weather state. President Biden had ordered “federal assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe winter storms”.

The BBC reports that while power is returning across Texas, roughly 13 million people are still struggling to access clean water.

Temperatures are expected to rise, but across the US almost 60 deaths have been attributed to freezing temperatures.

In the southern US, where temperatures are not normally as frigid, people have had to boil snow for water, as their water pipes have frozen. According to the BBC, as many as 3.3 million people were left without power, after the energy grid became overwhelmed by demand. Officials, meanwhile, were distributing bottled water, as well as power generators, to people in need.

Meanwhile, an 11-year-old boy was amongst those who had died, after temperatures fell to below freezing. The mobile home the boy’s family lived in, had no heating. His three-year-old stepbrother, however,  who was asleep in the same bed as he, survived the cold.