Many without water as Austinâs demand more than doubles supply
Many without water as Austinâs demand more than doubles supply
City leaders say 1000 s of burst pipes have lead to the shortage. They re also urging residents to stop dripping faucets.
AUSTIN, Texas - Many across Austin are without water Wednesday as Austin s demand has more than doubled its supply. City officials say thousands of burst pipes have led to the shortage.
South Austin couple Meredith Mooney and Tyler Rusin just got power back Tuesday, but now has a new concern: water. So they ve started hoarding. You fill up your bathtub, and plug it back up, fill up whatever containers you have, Mooney said.
During the pandemic, though, businesses’ needs were more apparent than ever.
“After the world changed in March, we knew that regardless of what the 2020 vacancy rate would tell us, that special interventions and extraordinary measures would be needed to be taken to help our Brookline businesses survive and recover from the unprecedented toll of the pandemic,” Brewton said.
With that in mind, Brookline’s economic development team was surprised the vacancy rate wasn’t higher, Mooney said.
However, she predicted a higher number of business closures in the first half of 2021. By late spring or early summer, the town expects to conduct another vacancy survey, by which point the rate will be a more accurate reflection of the pandemic’s impact on local businesses, Mooney explained.
Sabrina Schnurr / brookline@wickedlocal.com
O Leary s. Pomodoro. Matt Murphy s. L Accent Women s Fashion. These are just some of the Brookline businesses forced to close – temporarily or permanently – during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Like many throughout the state and country, small businesses in Brookline are struggling, and many owners are continuing to adapt to safety measures in order to stay afloat during the pandemic.
The number of small businesses open in Massachusetts has decreased by nearly 34 percent since January, according to Opportunity Insights’ Economic Tracker.
“I m really kind of grossed out by the state and the lack of support for small businesses,” said Michela Murphy, co-owner of family-owned Brookline restaurants Pomodoro and Matt Murphy’s Pub.