Parasites found in Texas water creates panic among residents caught off-guard
Who would have thought millions of Texans could have been caught off guard from icy winter weather? But that’s exactly what happened this last week as Texas’s power grid failed from the high demand factor and unbalanced loads.
KXAN News executive producer Wes Wilson has been reporting the grim reality of the crippling storm that has left millions of residents without water throughout the state. But it’s the imagery that the producer from Austin has posted to Twitter over the past few days that is the most shocking.
Long lines of hungry people extended down the street on Ash Wednesday. People could be seen standing in line for hours just to get a bite of fast food.
A first-world crisis is underway as residents battle frigid temperatures. Icicles reached a length of over 70 inches in some cases. They hung from the eves of homes like giant crystalline daggers.
“Austin issued its second citywide boil water advisory tonight in 2.5 years,” Wilson Tweeted.
However, boiling water is hard to do. Especially with no power. And parasites have now been found in the water, warns one resident.
“Our water in Texas is now contaminated with parasites,” a woman warned. “Do not drink the water.”
A video shows what residents are dealing with.
“We have contaminated water!” Dr. Tawanna Worlds said in an online video. “We don’t have water on the store shelves–we have contaminated water.”
The doctor from Dallas claims that residents in her city have gone without electricity for 5 days. The loss of power subsequently triggered water systems to fail throughout the state as cold winter weather battered the Lone Star State.
Worlds said that she stays in a middle-class area and pays hundreds of dollars a month for power. Therefore, she deserves better service.
“They are trying to kill us!” she said. “We don’t have food. The shelves are empty and the restaurants don’t have trucks delivering food to them.”
Amid the pandemonium, the COVID 6-foot-rule is being enforced by authorities. Shelters are requiring residents who seek refuge from the cold to show proof of vaccination.
Water remains scarce. So does food. But standing in line at the local grocery store will do no good, as Wilson reported from an Austin HEB on Thursday.
Residents have been warned to not drink the water.
