US President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster in Texas.
This comes as power is returning across Texas and temperatures are set to rise but some 13 million people are still facing difficulties accessing clean water.
Mr Biden has said he will visit Texas as long as his presence is not a burden on relief efforts.
Nearly 60 deaths have been attributed to cold weather across the country.
In a statement released by the White House, President Biden said he had “ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by winter storms.
“Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programmes to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster,” the statement said.
Several other southern states hit by snow and ice storms this week have also reported water service outages.
Winter weather has also cut off water in the city of Jackson, Mississippi – home to around 150,000 people – as well as the largest county in Tennessee that includes the city of Memphis, with more than 651,000 residents.
BBC