Houston mayor urging residents to not 'freak out' if you receive high water bill following winter storm

HOUSTON - Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s call to action for more plumbers is sending in help from out of state. 

FOX 26 spoke with a group of master plumbers who are on their way down for West Virginia.

"The homes in Texas were not made to get this kind of weather, so it really caught a lot of people off guard," said Bobby Silverstein, Co-Owner of American Professional Plumbing Services out of West Virginia.

He tells us, with the nationwide plumbing call out, they wanted to put forth this effort. Once they arrive, they will be certified to also work in Texas.

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Many Texans are having to jump through hoops to find plumbing supplies right now.

The group of six men are bringing two trailers full of supplies and plan on being in Houston by Thursday to help those who may need it the most, the elderly and families with young kids.

And those leaking pipes will mean higher water bills, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner addressed the issue Tuesday.

"If you get a bill that’s exorbitant, don’t freak out!" Turner said. "We recognize a lot of water came through the system; the goal is for you not to be encumbered with high water bills."

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Houston Public Works is now asking customers to, "please pay what you paid on your last bill until automatic adjustments can be applied."

But the city of Houston is only one piece of the pie, there are many MUD Districts in Harris County.

A spokesperson for Quality Community Alliance of Texas tells FOX 26 that a few thousand MUD water customers have received bills and QCAT will also being working with customers.

In a statement form Chris Begala, the spokesman for QCAT, "All MUD's will work diligently with their customers to work through any legitimate leak remediation issues and high bills related to any leaks or burst pipes resulting from last week's frigid weather."

"All MUD's will be encouraged to clearly communicate with all of their customers in the coming days as to how they may address higher bills due to burst or leaky pipes."

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Turner said in the press conference Tuesday if residents do end up receiving a higher-than-usual bill, they should reach out to Public Works.