When the lights go out in the city of Roma, the water runs dry.

“We depend on AEP, and if that goes out our water plant ceases to work,” Roma Mayor Jaime Escobar said.

Power outages can sometimes leave residents in the dark and without water for hours. It's why the city asked the Texas Emergency Management Department for help after the February 2021 freeze knocked out water and light for three days.  

“It became a really dire issue for us here in Roma," Escobar said.

The city received a grant for $400,000 to fix up parts of their water plant last month. The grant also comes with two backup generators as a plan B for water when electricity is shut off. 

As part of the grant rules, the city will put a little over $70,000 into the project as well. 

“It's gonna provide a sense of security to our city,” Escobar said. “If we have a substantial outage, we'll be fine.”

The grant is part of a larger restoration project for the water plant.

Escobar told Channel 5 News the city expects to be done with the project by summer 2025.

Watch the video above for the full story.