Published Feb. 28, 2021 3:30 PM EST | Updated Feb. 28, 2021 3:30 PM EST
Homes all across Texas were left in shambles after prolonged, extremely cold air triggered pipes to burst. The broken pipes flooded homes with enough water to ruin walls, cover floors and even collapse ceilings.
A ceiling collapsed in the bathroom of Dallas, Texas, residents Qiana and Robert Abrams' home.
More than 4 million homes and businesses lost power during the arctic blast, causing roughly a third of all Texans to face water disruptions. Weeks after, some are still relying on bottled water at these emergency distribution sites due to all of the broken pipes and water lines.
“We deal with heat here, not freezing cold,” Houston resident Noel Zepeda said in a video from inside his home. As he walks around, he shows how water is leaking from the ceiling due to a burst pipe with water pouring onto his bed and across the hardwood floor.
“It’s not that we can’t handle the snow, it’s just that we never get this kind of temperatures down here, so our houses are not ready for this,” Zepeda said.
AccuWeather’s Bill Wadell interviewed families in Texas, and says it could take months for Texas to bounce back.
Dallas, Texas, residents Qiana and Robert Abrams, told Wadell they were left in the dark for days and didn’t know what to do, especially after a pipe burst in an upstairs apartment.
“When we first got to the door it sounded like a waterfall, so I knew from there it would be bad,” Robert Abrams said.
With a long waiting list for repairs, the Dallas family is using donations from an online fundraiser to help them pack up and move out.
“He didn’t even know when he’d be able to have it fixed and I’m not keeping my kids here,” Qiana Abrams said.
As claims continue to pile up from the winter storm, this could end up breaking an insurance claims record.
“The claims are still coming in. We are projecting hundreds of thousands of across auto, home, renters and business insurance,” Camille Garcia with the Insurance Council of Texas said.
Garcia says there could be more claims filed with this cold and snow event than any other storm in state history.
The long wait for help after a pipe burst and flooding could make matters worse and more expensive.
“If you have damage to your house, take steps to make initial emergency repairs, take those steps in order to reduce your losses, in order to make your home healthy and safe,” Garcia said.
With temperatures heating back up across Texas, homeowners have another problem to worry about – mold.
Mold, especially toxic black mold, growth is a big concern after any water damage in a home. Experts say even if a home was not flooded, being without power and air conditioning for more than 72 hours can create conducive conditions for mold growth in a structure and resultant health concerns.
Experts say the number one thing you must do to prevent mold is remove and replace all water-damaged building elements.
"Whilst this is sometimes alarming news, once floodwater has saturated drywall, wall insulation and flooring timbers, mold will immediately begin growing after the water subsides," Jones said.
RELATED:
The United States economy, already unstable from the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions, is taking another big hit from this unprecedented coast-to-coast winter storm. The total damage and economic loss caused by the historic storm could be between $45 and $50 billion, AccuWeather Founder and CEO Dr. Joel N. Myers estimates.
Additional reporting by Bill Wadell.
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