More than a week after the Texas winter storms, people bought their own supplies to fix spills
The purge continues after President Biden’s visit to Texas during the winter storm on Friday. The demand for plumbers across the state continues to grow as hundreds of people try to fix broken pipes and damaged water heaters.
(nats: “How are you?”)
Sanitation in Texas was once only intended for professionals and plumbers. Now it’s for anyone looking everywhere for parts to get the water to flow.
Alfred Webster: I’m so tired of running to places looking for pieces you know. That’s the thing about work. You have to go from here to there just to find a piece. When you go to Lowes and home depot right now, I mean these shelves look like skeletons. Nobody has nothing. ”
Alfred Webster works at night and has been trying to fix broken pipes for the past four days.
Miguel Marquez: “You fix a leak, find another one over there?” Alfred Webster: “Oh man, I’ve fixed five leaks so far.” Miguel Marquez: “Five leaks so far?”
More than a week after a Texas cold that saw more than two days of freezing temperatures and widespread power outages, the harsh reality that no flowing water pipes broke across the Lone Star state broke and broke
Glenn Fuller: “In five days we sold more items in five days than we did last year all year round.” Miguel Marquez: “Really?” Glenn Fuller: “On certain items in five days.” (Nats)
The modern plumbing company says it has answered seven thousand inquiries, done 800 jobs and another 500 on the books. Your crews work around the clock
Josh Hollub: “We have a very strong network of plumbers. They are proud people and they work hard and a lot of people go through and pull the same strings that we try for people and I’m proud to be a part of that.”
And it’s not just about plumbers and plumbing supplies.
(nats: “slow it down, slow it down !!”)
The need for water and food is growing.
Tomeka Brewster: “So many families have come through. They have no water. Some families may not have light. There has been a great need since that winter storm.”
The Houston Food Bank says some days it serves over a million pounds of food and water.
Miguel Marquez: “With the pandemic, with the storm, how hard was it?”
Glenda Rougeau: “Rough. Very rough.”
Miguel Marquez: “Why? What are you up to? What are you missing?”
Glenda Rougeau: “Water. The thing is water and bread and lunch meat and bacon and something and canned food and everything.”
The cold weather and the storm are long gone. The consequences are only now sharp.
