DR 4586 TX – Texas Severe Winter Storms 2021
- Basic Water Services Restored to 141 Households
- 740 Volunteer Plumber Hours
- $86,000 in Construction Costs
Winter Storm Uri brought frigid temperatures and severe weather that impacted all 254 counties in the State of Texas from February 11 – 21, 2021. Millions of Texans lost power and was paired with ultra-low temperatures that caused widespread pipe freezing in the Coast Bend Region.
Due to the widespread pipe freezing, plumbing supplies and plumbers became a scarce commodity.
The 6 Counties CBDRG Assisted (Green)
Many of the older homes in the Coastal Bend use PVC pipes. Although PVC pipes work well in the heat, PVC doesn’t do well in freezing temperatures. Plastic is brittle, so at low temperatures, PVC can crack and break causing leaks and flooding.
Normally it takes roughly six hours for water in your pipes to freeze in freezing temperatures.
Mennonite Disaster Services, hearing about the freezing in Texas, offered to provide plumbing labor and materials to the Coastal Bend to help residents restore their basic water services. The clients were forced to turn off the water to their house to prevent water from leaking pipes to continue to damage their home.
On March 21, 2021 Methodist Healthcare Ministries made a donation in the amount of $75,000 to CBDRG those who still had broken pipes. The Center for Disaster Philanthropy provided a grant for Case Management to help those clients still trying to recover from the freeze. The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services provided funding ($28,573) to restore 13 of our clients’ basic water services. CBDRG Case Management also collaborated with Adult Protective Services to restore one of our elderly and disabled clients’ water service in order for her to maintain living independence.
3 Weeks
Homeowner Jennifer Andrade in Refugio, Texas, signs a job card with Mennonite Disaster Services (MDS) volunteer Larry Thompson of Boyce, Virginia. The family was without water for three weeks.
Thank You to Our
Partners
