Residents of Texas are running out of food as the cold and wintery weather has disrupted the supply chain.
With grocery stores across the state shuttered for lack of power, supermarkets that remain open have seen supplies dwindle… and these shortages ripple over to food pantries that count on grocery store surplus to keep their own shelves stocked.
State officials say that disruptions to the state's long-term food supply could present even more problems… with livestock growers out of feed, while a lack of available natural gas has caused some chickens and calves to freeze to death.
MORE: 7 million Were Under 'Boil Water' Orders and 500,000 Were STILL Without Power After Five Days
Thursday marked the fifth day in a row that thousands of homes have been left without power in Texas with more than 492,000 still in the dark. The lack of power and extreme weather has kickstarted a growing crisis in the food supply chain. Power outages at grocery stores have spoiled fresh produce, shelves have been depleted as panicked shoppers stockpile goods and there are no sign of deliveries arriving along the icy roads to replenish stocks.
Water supply is even more concerning with seven million Texans issued with boil water orders. Among those urged to boil water are thousands without the power to do so in Harris County, leaving them with a desperate choice between going without water or facing possible illness.
In scenes reminiscent of a third world country, Houston residents filled up buckets of water from a spigot.
In Galveston, Mayor Craig Brown said burst pipes had depleted the areas water supply as he described the devastation the storm is wreaking as 'worse than a hurricane'.
