Tag Archives: Winter Storm Uri
Energy officials warn of winter blackout risk in Texas and beyond
Outside of the Sand Hill natural gas power plant, near Austin, workers have installed a windbreak in case a big winter storm hits again. The sturdy plastic shrink wrap is stretched tight across scaffolding at the bottom of the plant,…
Energy • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Dec 18, 2023
City Council hears preliminary findings on what went wrong with city response to Winter Storm Mara
As extreme weather in Central Texas becomes more frequent, what is Austin doing to bolster its emergency preparedness? At its work session on Tuesday, City Council heard a preliminary update on the audits examining what broke down in the city’s…
Public Safety • By Nina Hernandez • Apr 13, 2023
Cap Metro should have stopped bus service sooner during winter storm, unreleased after-action report says
During last February’s deadly winter storm, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority workers sheltered shivering Austinites and drove dialysis patients along treacherous roads to lifesaving treatments. But the agency had unrealistic expectations of how long it could operate in the worsening conditions,…
Transit • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Jan 11, 2022
Council members pose tough questions about city's storm response
During Wednesday’s City Council Audit & Finance Committee meeting, Chair Alison Alter and fellow committee members Kathie Tovo and Mackenzie Kelly praised city staffers’ heroic efforts as Winter Storm Uri ground the city to a halt in February. But those…
Public Safety • By Jo Clifton • Nov 11, 2021
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County acts to prepare for next big storm
The question of disaster relief preparedness was central at Tuesday’s Commissioners Court session. With the memory of Winter Storm Uri still fresh in people’s minds, the county is putting together a contingency plan. “The goal here is to get some…
Travis County • By Seth Smalley • Nov 11, 2021
Scathing audit finds city unprepared for Winter Storm Uri
Austin city auditors found the city was unprepared to respond to the impacts of Winter Storm Uri because planners failed to adequately consider the risks of a severe winter storm, leading to widespread disaster. That was a major conclusion of…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Nov 9, 2021
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In the wake of Uri, solar battery sales soar
Seven months after Winter Storm Uri caused the deaths of more than 200 people around Texas and left millions without power, demand for solar power and home battery systems has skyrocketed. Austin Energy has received more requests for solar panel…
Energy • By Eniola Longe • Oct 8, 2021
Council takes hard look at what went wrong during winter storm
After taking in an extremely critical report about the city’s response to Winter Storm Uri, City Council members stressed the need to prepare for the next inevitable disaster. “There’s nobody here that didn’t fight long and hard and sleeplessly and…
City Hall • By Elizabeth Pagano • Aug 25, 2021
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City eyes $3M for two resiliency hubs to aid weather emergency response
City staffers are recommending a pilot project to create two facilities to act as tryout resiliency hubs that would provide basic utilities and services to nearby residents during climate emergencies and other extreme conditions. A memo released last week by…
Public Safety • By Chad Swiatecki • Aug 17, 2021
Property group wants to help Rosemont residents, but won't put anything in writing
At the Tuesday meeting of the Travis County Commissioners Court, Patrick Howard with the Housing Authority of Travis County announced that the board of directors of the Strategic Housing Finance Corporation unanimously voted against an agreement drafted for, and proposed…
Housing • By Seth Smalley • Aug 11, 2021
County to provide short-term lodging and repairs for Rosemont residents
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court revisited the situation at the Rosemont apartment complex in South Austin, where over 80 families we had been given abrupt notice they would have to leave their homes by the end of the…
Housing • By Seth Smalley • Jul 22, 2021
Legislators respond to winter storm with new requirements for energy providers
The Electric Utility Commission received an update last week on legislative action related to electric utilities, with Senate Bill 3 serving as the omnibus response bill to Winter Storm Uri in mid-February. SB 3, approved at the close of the…
