A huge winter storm sweeping through the southern United States killed at least 21 people and cut electricity to millions of residents, in addition to heavy material losses in some homes.
Texas has experienced widespread power outages, under the weight of increased demand on the power grid.
Millions of people in Texas, which are seldom exposed to this low heat, struggle with energy shortages and cold conditions. The severe weather is expected to continue until the weekend.
Storm-related deaths have been recorded in Texas, Louisiana, Kentucky, North Carolina and Missouri
In addition, officials warned of “disasters in the midst of disaster”, given the historical cold weather that left millions without heating for the third consecutive day on Wednesday, and asked residents to prepare for the non-return of energy supplies until the weekend.
Officials said that the authorities have asked residents in more than 100 counties in Texas to boil drinking water, as the power supply to treatment plants continues to be cut off.
Drinking water supplies, with taps, were completely or intermittently disrupted, for more than 12 million people in the state, the second largest in the United States with a population of about 29 million.
Texas plunged into darkness as millions of people were still without electricity. About 2.7 million homes were without power, according to the Texas Electrical Reliability Board.
Source: Agencies