Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
About A Third Of Texans Still Have Unsafe Drinking Water Issues
NBC News: Millions Of Texans Wake Up Without Safe Drinking Water After Winter Storm
An estimated 10 million Texans were waking up without safe drinking water Monday as state officials sought to ramp up bottled water distribution and calm residents whose electricity bills have spiked after a severe winter storm battered the state. Boil-water notices were lifted for about 5 million of the 14.9 million people who were told that their water wasn't safe to drink two days ago, Toby Baker, executive director of the state Commission on Environmental Quality, said in a news conference Sunday. (Stelloh, 2/21)
CNN: About A Third Of Texans Still Have Issues With Their Water Supply
Water service remained disrupted for nearly a third of Texas residents Sunday evening, a lingering consequence of the widespread power outages from devastating winter weather and an unprepared infrastructure. While that number decreased by several million over the course of the day, more than 1,200 public water systems still reported disruptions in service, with many leading to boil-water notices, according to Gary Rasp, media specialist for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. (Levenson, 2/21)
AP: Hospitals Confront Water Shortages In Winter Storm Aftermath
Hospitals across the South grappled with water shortages Sunday in the wake of a devastating winter storm as the region carried on with recovery efforts and the weather offered a balmy respite — temperatures as high as the mid-60s.At the height of last week’s storm, hospitals scrambled to care for patients amid record cold temperatures, snow and ice that battered parts of the country more accustomed to going through winter with light jackets and short sleeves. The icy blast ruptured water mains, knocked out power to millions of utility customers and contributed to at least 76 deaths — half of which occurred in Texas. At least seven people died in Tennessee and four in Portland, Oregon. (Lozano, Mattise and Sainz, 2/21)
The Washington Post: Winter Storm Death Toll: At Least 58 People Have Died In Texas, Tennessee And Other States
The cold has killed the young and the old. It has claimed lives from southern Texas to northern Ohio. And authorities expect the toll to rise in the coming days, with frigid weather lingering, hundreds of thousands without electricity and millions without clean water. The two major winter storms that have plunged most of the United States into an Arctic chill have killed at least 58 people since Sunday, according to data compiled by The Washington Post. More than half of them — 32 — lived in Texas, where persistent power outages have exposed residents to bitter temperatures. (Thebault, Firozi and Shammas, 2/21)
Fox News: Matthew McConaughey Working On Virtual Benefit To Help Texas And Winter Storm Victims
Texas native Matthew McConaughey announced Sunday plans to help those impacted by the brutal winter weather in Texas that left millions without power amid freezing temperatures, and dozens dead. "As most of you know my home state of Texas was just hit with the worst winter storm it's had in the last 70 years. It left a whole lot of people without power, without water, and without a whole lot of basic necessities," McConaughey said on Instagram. (Aaro, 2/22)
