Plumbers from out of state are heading to Texas to help repair winter storm damage

• Plumbers are in great demand in Texas as the state works to repair damage caused by winter storms.
• Governor Abbott makes it easier for out-of-state plumbers and plumbers with expired licenses to help.
• The storm frozen pipes and valves and burst, damaging many homes.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is working to increase the number of plumbers who can help repair winter storm damage by granting non-state plumbers temporary permits and waiving some fees and exam requirements for plumbers with expired licenses, the local reported Point of sale CW39.

Plumbers have been in great demand as families work to repair the damage to their homes after an unprecedented winter storm caused pipes and valves and tanks to freeze and burst.

In a press release, Abbott said 320 plumbers had renewed their licenses as early as Friday. The Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners is also coordinating with non-state plumbing companies to bring plumbers to Texas. Randy Calazans, an employee of One Call Plumbing, told the New York Times that he ran from house to house to assess the damage. He said the damage to some homes was so severe that they may have to be completely relocated.

However, he said it was difficult to get the tools and products necessary to make simple corrections on your own. “I’m literally just burning supplies,” said Calazans.

Greg Sizemore, vice president of Associated Builders and Contractors, told Bloomberg that it could take months for contractors to repair the damage, the full extent of which is not yet known, as ice and snow continue to thaw as temperatures begin to resurface in the state.

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Bloomberg reported that insurance companies are also getting larger numbers of calls and that the Adjusters are likely to be behind.

Camille Garcia, a spokeswoman for the Insurance Council of Texas, told the outlet that insurers are sending adjusters from other states to help assess the damage. While families are working to get their homes repaired, Calazans told the Times it was important to find someone who is qualified and who was appalled by some of the work he has seen in the past.

“You don’t just want someone to do the plumbing,” he said.

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