Power restored to many in Texas, but water out for millions

Hundreds of thousands of homes in Texas are coping without heat for a fourth day yesterday after utilities made some progress restoring electricity, as criticism mounted over how the state's political leaders have handled the brutal winter storm. 

The crisis facing the country's second-largest state was set to continue, with millions of people still without access to water, many struggling to find food, and freezing temperatures expected to last through Saturday.

As of Thursday morning, 154 of the 254 counties in Texas have reported disruptions in water service, affecting 13.2 million people, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Many of those affected have been told they need to boil their water.

While the icy conditions should gradually improve, record low temperatures will likely persist in the South Central region of the United States through Saturday. The winter storm was moving northeastward and could drop 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm)of snow in parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania,  the National Weather Service said.