Lack of water and power has not made weathering the recent winter storm easy in San Antonio.
Some Texans have lost all power, some are without water, and many are lining up outside H-E-Bs across the state to buy food, propane and bottled water.
Dya Campos said lines are long because the Texas grocery chain wants to keep its Partners safe. She’s the director of public and governmental affairs for H-E-B San Antonio.
"If Partners are unable to safely reach the store, then you know, we've made the decision to go ahead and operate the store on very limited capacity. And that is the reason for the lines primarily," she said. "We have some stores that typically operate with 250 to 300 partners that are operating with about 30 to 40."
Campos said she hopes stores will be able to replenish shelves in the coming days, but it all depends on whether they have stable power and water connections.
There are a few warming centers in the city, including two prepared by the San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA).
The organization’s Chief Operating Officer Brandee Perez said that the warming centers can help those without power or water.
"We have been using our resources as well as partnering with many of the city and the food bank and elected officials to try to relocate some of our residents to some of these warming facilities. So they can have some warmth during this time," she said.
The food bank is working with the Housing Authority to provide meals to residents . For more information about the centers and resources, call 311.
Guests:
- Dya Campos, director of public and governmental affairs for H-E-B San Antonio/West
- Brandee Perez, chief operating officer for the San Antonio Housing Authority
- Chris Tomlinson, Houston Chronicle business columnist
- Gilbert Garcia, San Antonio Express-News metro columnist
"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255, email thesource@tpr.org or tweet @TPRSource.
*This interview was recorded on Wednesday, February 17.