DALLAS: The seam that split in a pipe under Nora Espinozas sink during the frigid cold that gripped Texas was narrower than the edge of a dime.
Her kitchen appeared mostly undamaged, but the plumber that cut into Espinozas wall found water had been pouring in underneath the floor. She expects the repairs to cost $15,000.
Espinoza, a 56-year-old Dallas resident, is among those still getting a sense of the wreckage left by the icy blast that hit Texas and much of the Deep South last week, knocking out power to millions and contributing to nearly 80 deaths. Soaked drywall and carpet is being pulled back to give a fuller view of the destruction, and the political peril for elected leaders and energy officials who were unable to keep the heat on in places unaccustomed to extreme cold.
Snow and ice melted across Texas over the weekend, but plumbers are still racing from home to home to patch uncounted stretches of burst pipe. Many residents are unsure when they’ll be able to make…