DIRE

Entire Texas City Is Without Water in 100-Degree Heat

The mayor is contemplating declaring a state of emergency as thousands of residents go without water due to a broken water line.

As Odessa, Texas, braves its fourth day of triple-digit heat, the entire city is facing a water outage, with thousands of residents stranded as of Tuesday morning. On Monday evening, a huge water break occurred, with crews working overnight to close valves and repair the leak. Myhighplains.com reported, however, that repairs are taking more time than expected and could take as long as 48 hours—water continued to gush into the streets on Tuesday, and the mayor said he may soon issue a State of Emergency. City officials announced a boil notice for all residents and are working to set up water distribution centers. Hospitals have been forced to cancel surgeries and schools cancel classes as the crisis persists. Some stores are limiting customers to two cases of water as shelves begin to empty.