Millions are still without power as another storm brings more ice
Her bedroom flooded, thanks to a burst pipe, she told CNN.
Weather has led to at least 26 deaths across the country, including three people who died in carbon monoxide related incidents and one driver who hit a snowplow.
On Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service:
— 3 to 6 inches of snow could fall from Arkansas and the Mid-South to the central Appalachians.
— Significant ice accumulations are forecast in parts of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina and Virginia.
By Thursday, the storm is expected to drop snow from the Mid-Atlantic to New England.
Spending the night in a car for warmth
In Texas, many resident have scrambled for alternative heating with electricity out continuously or intermittently for days.
Water service also has been unreliable, so when she heard service was about to shut off again, “we filled up pitchers and tubs of water,” she told CNN. “I went to (a store on Tuesday) and there was no water left, so if we lose water, it’s all we got until who knows when.”
“We have a gas stove, so we’ve been able to warm up leftovers and cook what we have,” Orta said.
Texas mayor spent 38 hours without heat or water
Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price told CNN Tuesday night that she was been without power or water for around 38 hours.
Vehicles driving on snow-covered Interstate 10 Monday in Houston.
“It got down to a record low last night, two degrees below,” Price said. “So, it is really cold, and this is Texas, North Texas. We don’t get this kind of weather. People don’t always have the clothing for it, and certainly don’t drive in it very well.”
“If people have neighbors that they know don’t have heat and maybe they do, offer to take them in, let’s watch out for each other, let’s try to do the right thing by helping, share what we have,” the mayor urged residents. Price says the city has the resources to open more shelters if needed and will evaluate the situation hour by hour.
For residents who are homeless and can’t be served by shelters, Waco, Texas, is providing 15 hotel rooms for six nights, said Mayor Dillon Meek.
“This is not a sustainable solution but helps keep vulnerable persons from sheltering in single digit temperatures.”
Weather delays Covid-19 vaccinations
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday he believed his city would temporarily “run out” of doses by Thursday, at least in part because of weather-related shipment delays.
Nationwide, “shipping partners are working to deliver vaccine where possible … but the adverse weather is expected to continue to impact shipments” out of FedEx facilities in Memphis and Louisville, “which serve as vaccine shipping hubs for multiple states,” CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund said Wednesday.
People work to dig out their cars along a residential street on Tuesday in Chicago, Illinois.
Water lines break and power lines fall
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, more than 100 water main and service line breaks were reported Tuesday due to freezing conditions, according to the Waterline Break Board on the City of Tulsa’s website.
“Water line breaks in Tulsa are creating dangerous conditions,” Tulsa police tweeted with a photo of a parked patrol car that became stuck when a water line broke and the water froze around the vehicle’s wheels.
People enter a Covid-19 testing site Saturday in Seattle, Washington.
CNN’s Alisha Ebrahimji, Judson Jones, Dave Hennen, Michael Guy, Chris Boyette, Gisela Crespo, Rebekah Riess and Jessica Myers contributed to this report.
