Food supplies have been restored in the U.S. state of Texas as most supermarkets operate normally on Tuesday
WASHINGTON/HOUSTON, Feb 24 (NNN-Xinhua) — US President Joe Biden will travel to Houston, Texas on Friday to discuss with local officials relief efforts in the wake of extreme winter weather that caused water shortages and power outages in the state, the White House said.
“The president will meet with local leaders to discuss the winter storm, relief efforts, progress toward recovery and the incredible resilience shown by the people of Houston and Texas,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at a White House press briefing.
“While in Texas, the president will also visit a COVID health center where vaccines are being distributed,” she added.
Biden has approved an emergency declaration for the state, battered by severe storms that have claimed at least 29 lives.
More than 12,000 electric customers in the state remain without power as of Tuesday, according to poweroutage.us. Some 7.9 million Texans are currently given boil water notices as they are impacted by public water system disruptions.
Meanwhile, food supplies have been restored in the U.S. state of Texas as most supermarkets operate normally on Tuesday after a devastating winter storm.
In most of the supermarkets in Texas’ big cities such as Houston and Dallas, food supplies are restored with shelves full of fresh produce, dairy and meat.
In Houston, supermarket chains H-E-B and Kroger announced that the stores are returning to normal operating hours, both of which have also returned to pickup and delivery services, as slots are available.
“We have been working hard to ensure our customers can get what they need at Kroger, and we couldn’t do it without our incredible team of associates,” Joe Kelley, president of Kroger Houston, told local media KTRK. “Many of our stores were affected by the outages, but we have come back strong, and we are here for Houston.”
H-E-B released a statement saying that they’re continuing to restock their stores with items that were in short supply during the storm.
The grocery store chain continues to keep some purchase limits in place. “We ask that people buy only what they need and to leave some for their fellow Texans,” said the statement. Those items in limit for customers include water, eggs, bread and charcoal.
The supply chains of grocery stores were heavily impacted during last week’s winter storm as many roads in Texas were blocked due to ice and snow. — NNN-XINHUA