Texas faces food, water shortages amid winter storm power outages

KILLEEN, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 18: A tractor trailer is stuck in the slick ice and snow on State Highway 195 on February 18, 2021 in Killeen, Texas. Winter storm Uri has brought historic cold weather and power outages to Texas as storms have swept across 26 states with a mix of freezing temperatures and precipitation. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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UPDATED 4:45 PM PT – Thursday, February 18, 2021

Texans were in survival mode as the state faced food and water shortages during the winter storm crisis. Thursday marked the fifth day roughly 500,000 homes throughout Texas were without power.

Record-breaking freezing temperatures paired with mass power outages disrupted the state’s food supply chain. According to reports, fruit and vegetable crops in the Rio Grande Valley froze over and the Texas Department of Agriculture commissioner said dairy farms were forced to pour out over $8 million worth of milk every day.

FORT WORTH, TX – FEBRUARY 18: People shop depleted produce aisles in Central Market after a snow storm on February 18, 2021 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

Reports said most grocery store shelves were empty as state officials pleaded with residents to conserve water.

“We don’t have any water,” Houston resident Paula Recio stated. “I’m here to get water, I’ve been to several different stores and no one has water.”

Target in Austin, Texas 2/18/2021 1pm im really praying for texans #TexasBlackout #Texas #TexasFreeze pic.twitter.com/ag6gZsozrp

— JazzieJae (@JazzieJaeT) February 18, 2021

More than seven million people were under “boil water orders” as treatment plants couldn’t function. Temperatures are expected to be above freezing for most of the state by Friday, but it is unknown when all power will be restored.

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