Austin Cold Weather Guide For February 2021

AUSTIN, TX — City offices will be closed today and Wednesday as a result of severe cold weather that has paralyzed the region, according to a municipal advisory.

The Austin-Travis County Emergency Operations and essential public safety services will continue coordinating and managing the city and county response, officials added. Temperatures and weather conditions in the region for the next few days are still hazardous, officials warned.

With temperatures not expecting to rise above freezing until Saturday, officials advised residents to continue remaining weather aware and emergency prepared by monitoring the weather throughout the week.

Guadalupe Street at 31st Street, facing south, with the UT Tower in the background, was stilled by snow and a low temperature of 15 degrees late Monday morning. Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

Residents are also urged to stay off the roadways unless absolutely necessary. First responders are working to respond to calls as quick as possible, officials said, but they too are challenged by deteriorating travel conditions. To help free up demand on 9-1-1 operations, Austin Police Department has asked the public to not call 9-1-1 to report power outages and only call 9-1-1 if it is a life or death emergency.

Closures, service disruptions, meetings cancellations abound

City of Austin

City Council work session, all city boards and commissions meetings, and joint meetings with Travis County Commissioners Court on COVID-19 that had been scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday have been canceled.

Homeland Security and Emergency Management

Cold weather sheltering operations will continue for as long conditions dictate. Those who can safely travel and need shelter are urged to drop by the Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Rd., anytime to receive assistance.

Residents are urged to make the decision during daylight hours if they are going to use the Warming Center to avoid travelling hazardous conditions at night. If residents decide to travel, be extremely careful, travel slowly, keep your distance from other cars, and be prepared for an emergency.

Those arriving are encouraged to bring a flashlight and car charger, additional layers of clothing or blankets, water and snacks. Those choosing to shelter with a family or friend who has power are asked to ensure they practice the 3 W’s while in their home: Wear a mask, watch your distance, and wash your hands frequently.

Austin Energy

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) previously declared an Energy Emergency Alert Level 3. Austin Energy, along with utilities across the state, were instructed to begin rotating outages because there is not enough power available to keep up with consumer demand. The outages are likely to continue throughout the day.

ERCOT has stated outages may last through tomorrow afternoon. ERCOT will let utilities, including Austin Energy, know when we can start restoring power to customers. We will follow their guidance and will operate safely to restore as many customers as we can, being mindful of outage duration.

Austin Energy has provided more information here.

Austin Public Health

Austin Public Health (APH) is delaying appointments for COVID-19 vaccine clinics and testing sites on Tuesday and Wednesday due to inclement weather and icy road conditions.

Testing: Individuals will need to reschedule their appointment online for later this week.

Vaccine: Austin Public Health will be in touch via email or phone later this week with information regarding appointments for vaccine doses as weather conditions improve.

The vaccine, once refrigerated, remains viable for 30 days. Those who received the first doses from Austin Public Health are assured they can receive their second dose from Austin Public Health. As a reminder, people can receive their second shot between 28 and 42 days after their first shot.

Austin Resource Recovery

Austin Resource Recovery (ARR) services continue to be suspended and will resume as weather permits, possibly into the middle of this week. Affected curbside services include recycling, composting, trash, yard trimmings, bulk item, large brush, street sweeping and animal carcass collections.

Customers are asked to leave any uncollected carts, yard trimmings, bulk items and large brush at the curb to allow our crews to catch up. If possible, customers should set their carts or other material out as usual but be aware that service has been delayed. If curbside services resume on Thursday or Friday of this week, ARR will begin normal operations for collections moving forward beginning with that day.

Austin Resource Recovery has provided more information here.

Austin Water

Operations staff continue to monitor water usage and wastewater flow rates to quickly respond to changes as needed.

With local temperatures not expected to get above freezing until later this week, Austin Water is reminding residents to prevent property damage and uncontrolled water loss due to frozen or broken water pipes by following the tips below:

In Sub-Freezing Weather

• Drip outside faucets 24 hours a day (5 drops per minute). Remove wrappings on outdoor spigots to allow water to drip to the ground. Where feasible, keep wrapping on exposed portion of the pipes that does not obstruct the dripping. Dripping faucets is not necessary unless temperatures are expected to be 28 degrees or below for at least 4 hours. (Be sure to turn off the faucets after the threat of freezing weather.)
• Open cabinet doors under sinks adjacent to outside walls.
• In unheated garages, shut off water to washing machines. Water softeners should be drained and protected from freezing temperatures.
• In sustained sub-freezing weather, let water drip slowly from inside faucets. If possible, collect this water to reuse for other purposes.

"Each individual property is unique," officials wrote. "Please assess your situation and decide what is the best approach for you. If a water line breaks and the cut off valve does not work or the customer is unable to locate or operate the value, Austin Water is available to turn off the water."

Call Austin Water’s 24-Hour Emergency Hotline at 512-972-1000, Option 1. For more information, please visit austinwater.org.

Capital Metro

Capital Metro's regular service will remain suspended with no commuter services until 10 a.m. Tuesday morning to focus on emergency operations.More information and real time updates regarding Service Alerts can be found here.

Resources from City departments

• Information on power outages from Austin Energy.
• Austin Energy weather information and tips can be found here.
• Highway conditions can be monitored at DriveTexas.org.
• Information on Austin Public Works operations.
• Information on local roadways and their conditions can be found on Austin Transportation’s Twitter.
• Austin Water: Cold Weather Tips for Potential Freezing Weather.
• Austin Resources Recovery cancels curbside pickup.
• Follow the City of Austin and Travis County on social media.

Ways to Help

• If you have power, conserve energy to help stabilize the power grid for the rest of our community. Turn off lights, turn down thermostats to 68-degrees, close shades & blinds to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows, turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances, avoid using large appliances (i.e., ovens, washing machines, etc.).
• The Austin Area Urban League has launched an emergency donation drive, called the #LoveThyNeighborTX campaign, to accept monetary donations.
• Austin's Free Lunch program provides home-cooked meals to people experiencing homelessness. Free Lunch is a business that cooks and delivers meals four days a week to the Esperanza Community. Visit Free Lunch to make a donation. 's>
• If you want to donate a warm blanket, Front Steps is accepting blankets at their downtown location, or you can order the blanket online and have it shipped directly to the shelter.
's>