Power cuts fall below one million in Texas as icy US weather heads east

People wait in freezing rain in Houston to fill gas cylinders. Picture: David J Phillip/AP

Power cuts in Texas fell below one million on Thursday morning for the first time in four days, but many people remained without electricity or safe drinking water after winter storms wreaked havoc on the state’s power grid and utilities.

This week’s extreme weather has been blamed for the deaths of more than 30 people, some of whom perished while struggling to keep warm inside their homes.