First no power, now no water in Austin

[dalton99a]

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/list-central-texas-boil-water-notices-mount-due-to-lack-of-power/

First no power, now water problems mount across Central Texas

CENTRAL TEXAS (KXAN) — Many water treatment plants have lost power, and utilities across Central Texas are telling customers to boil their water. Here is a list of those broken down by county.

Travis County

Austin – Austin Water is mandating utility customers conserve water after numerous broken pipes, water main breaks, and high demand has led to a surge in water demand up 250% from a typical day.

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The numerous replies to Austin Water on Twitter indicate residents across multiple zip codes have no water at all - many since yesterday - and stores have run out of bottled water. Roads are frozen with ice.

[Miguelito Loveless]

1. How do people boil water with no electricity?

[Skittles]

3. THANK YOU

[catbyte]

4. Only the lucky ones with gas stoves. The ovens don't work because the thermostat runs on electricity

but the burners do.

[Horse with no Name]

14. They are sending out notices

That we may not have gas for too much longer either.

[marlakay]

7. They can't my daughter went nuts for

2 days. I told her to buy camping stove for the future. At one point they stayed in car for hours to warm up.

[Miguelito Loveless]

11. She needs to make sure that the tailpipe

is completely clear, to prevent CO build up in the car. Also, avoid enclosed places like a garage, unless door, window open.

[marlakay]

13. They don't have a garage just a driveway

Normally it is never cold. So they were sitting in driveway, at one point they found taco truck open for breakfast and coffee. They are down in San Antonio usually warm even in winter.

[Totally Tunsie]

8. Gas stove.

To light a gas burner without electricity, first strike a match (we recommend the long wooden kitchen matches to lower the risk of burning yourself), and hold it directly next to the flame ports. Immediately turn the gas knob to the lowest possible setting. Your burner should ignite almost instantaneously.Feb 1, 2018

Can Gas Ranges Run Without Electricity? | PCRichard.comwww.pcrichard.com › library › blogArticle › can-gas-r...

[Miguelito Loveless]

10. If you have a gas stove, that's great

otherwise...

[MissB]

9. The boil water notice is typically put into effect

Once the water runs below a certain pressure or is out completely. If there is a reservoir, some folks might have water for a bit longer.

But once water is restored, the system still has to flush the lines as best they can and take some samples to test for coliform. It can take a day or two to get the lab results back, so folks stay on the boil water until the all clear is given.

Some people have camp stoves or bbqs with a side burner. Not sure how extensive natural gas is in that state, but I’m without power here in Oregon (day 4...) and can use the stovetop because it’s gas - just need to use a match to start the burner and keep a window open.

[krispos42]

16. A parabolic reflector focusing hope and prayers.

Or, you can always put a pot of water over a pile of burning bootstraps.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

17. Bootstrap bonfire?

.........

But seriously, if they have natural gas water heaters and a gas stove, it's not a problem. That's a lot of "ifs".

I'm fortunate to have both as well as a non-electric gas wall furnace.

Best of luck, Texas!..........

[MissB]

2. Always good to have an emergency stash of water

Sucks that the water plants don’t have enough backup power generation capacity.

A few of our towns have gotten caught short in the ice/snow storm last week but nearby unaffected cities stepped up and loaned generators to help keep the water flowing.

I’m more concerned about the flooding that will likely start in our state next week (Oregon).

[cwydro]

12. And it costs nothing to have a cheap Coleman stove in storage.

Fire that up and you can make anything.

But you must cook on a porch or outside somewhere.

[marlakay]

5. Wonder what all the tech companies

Are thinking that just moved there. Get their own power source I bet.

My daughter and son n law moved there because no state tax, but their property tax is more than both of mine and Oregon has high income taxes.

Gas might be cheap but electricity isn't.

[Peacetrain]

6. The water in the back of your toliet tank is the same water that came out of your faucet

as long as you do not have any of those cleaners in the tank for continuous cleaning of the bowl.. it should be okay.. that is what we are always told..

[dutch777]

15. On the other side of this, when power and water come back...may find lots of burst pipes

If you don't keep water circulating in piping systems, be they your house or utility mains, and they freeze, they burst. Won't know how bad that is until power comes back and they start pumping water again. Usually mains are buried deep enough that would take very cold temps for very long time but where there are pipes closer to the surface, above grade and in houses with no heat, it won't be pretty. And I bet many folks don't have flood insurance riders on their homeowners or rental policies and will get a big bill with no help from insurance. Could be issues on the sewage side as well, even less pretty.