ABILENE, Texas (NewsNation Now) — Power outages in a February winter storm, which knocked out power across much of Texas, have now led to a city of nearly a quarter-million population having no running water and officials say it may continue for “some time.”
On Monday, the City of Abilene, Texas said the water treatment plants in the city stopped working after the power went out.
Mayor Anthony Williams is asking businesses, specifically restaurants, to remain dark in light of the current utility issues.
“This could be 24 hours, it could be four days,” Williams said.
The City of Abilene says it has contacted state emergency management and is working to provide water trucks for drinking purposes in the event water service cannot be restored.
Director of Water Utilities Rodney Taylor said even if power is resorted quickly, the water will not start flowing right away, NewsNation affiliate KTAB/KRBC reported.
“There’s really not anything we can do right now to remedy that situation,” Taylor said.
Earlier in the evening, the city asked residents to limit their water usage to cooking and drinking due to a limited supply, but less than two hours later, water stopped flowing.
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