Community helping those in need get access to drinking water

Thousands are getting power restored but now water is the issue, the basic necessity in life.

AUSTIN, Texas - Water is a basic necessity for life and on Friday, thousands of Austin Water customers still are going without running water.

"When we heard that people were going thirsty I really felt like we couldn’t sit idle any more," said Mark Majkrzak, founder of Rain Water Company.

Majkrzak drove 16 hours from his company headquarters in Georgia to distribute water to the Austin community. "We got a call from a nursing home that said they were two days without water so I loaded up the truck and brought 12,000 pounds of water down," said Majkrzak.

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The water was available to anyone who needed it. These distributions are popping up around the city.

While the winter storm may be gone, the aftermath is only just beginning. Plumbers' phone lines, like Radiant Plumbing and A/C, have been ringing nonstop. ‘The number one call is busted pipes," said Gage Hawks with Radiant Plumbing and A/C.

The other frequent call is cracked tankless water heaters. "This seems to be the most expensive issue people are having and we feel terrible for them," he said.

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Hawks said they were built for outdoor conditions but this round of power outages and weather has been cracking the heaters. He said it will take time to get to everyone.

"It's sad, every customer you want to make the wish list customer. We've got customers crying, calling and it's sad because you want to get to them. We are ready to step up and work 7-12 hour days if we have to," said Hawks.

Austin may be thawing out, but the thaw is revealing the damage to pipes and water infrastructure, beginning a long road to full recovery.

Austin Winter Weather