The head of the city’s new task force examining the impact of Winter Storm Uri says the city must create an updated and far more robust emergency response plan. Sareta Davis, chair of the Winter Storm Review Task Force, also wants the city to study the work done by community organizations such as Austin Mutual […]
Winter Storm Uri
Posted inCity Hall
Postmortem of winter storm raises many questions
While individuals and departments shone in their dedication to the city and its people during the cascade of calamities caused by Winter Storm Uri, City Manager Spencer Cronk still has a lot of questions to answer when he releases the much-anticipated after-action report. City Council gathered online Tuesday afternoon to hear from Cronk and leaders […]
Posted inPublic Health
With tenants still enduring mold damage caused by Uri, Council pushes for more landlord regulation
Though it has been several months since Winter Storm Uri damaged infrastructure and homes across the city, some apartment residents are still dealing with severe mold damage that landlords have failed to fix. Worse, when some tenants asked the city for help, their landlords deemed the homes unlivable and forced the residents to leave. “We’ve […]
Posted inCity Council
City to create disaster-relief hubs
Spurred into action by Winter Storm Uri, City Council has moved to establish emergency hubs across the city where residents can go during a natural disaster to find food, water and shelter – belatedly acting on plans from two years ago. The city, working with community groups, will pilot six of these “community resilience hubs” […]
Posted inCity Hall
City looks to mitigate wildfire hazards caused by Winter Storm Uri
Some tree trimmings from power restoration efforts during Winter Storm Uri are still on the ground nearly two months after the storm, creating a potential wildfire hazard as wildfire season approaches. Though trimmings in residential areas have been mostly picked up, trimmings under Austin Energy transmission lines in undeveloped areas have not. “Nobody seems to […]
Posted inWater
Before Uri, Austin Water didn’t see winter weather as a threat
Austin Water deemed winter weather a low risk to the city’s water supply before Winter Storm Uri, the utility told the Water Oversight Committee on Wednesday. Multiple climate and disaster preparedness plans failed to mention the threat of extreme winter weather, leaving the utility underprepared for the impending crisis. “Unfortunately, in this event, we did […]
Posted inAustin
Post-storm plumber shortage produces demand for rapid training programs
Motivated by the high demand for plumbers brought on by last month’s severe winter storms, local job training organizations have increased their push to enroll students in a variety of skilled trades programs, including electrical and heating/ventilation/air conditioning. Skilled plumbers were in short supply even before the storms caused widespread water line breaks, damaging homes and […]
Posted inPublic Health
ADRN distributes 25,000 articles of clothing donated by Uniqlo
Last month, Texas endured a historic winter storm that left millions of people across the state without access to power. At one point during the week of Feb. 15, as many as 40 percent of Austin residents were without power. But as anybody on the ground could observe, things didn’t immediately return to normal as soon as […]
Posted inEnergy
‘We did the best we could’: Commissioners evaluate Austin Energy’s winter storm response
At a special called joint meeting Monday, commissioners from the Electric Utility and Resource Management commissions praised Austin Energy’s response to last month’s winter storm that left hundreds of thousands of people without power for days. Commissioners also offered ideas on how the utility could improve if a similar scenario were to occur again. Resource […]
Posted inEnergy
AE chief apologizes for hardships caused by storm
Austin Energy General Manager Jackie Sargent apologized to the community during Wednesday’s AE Utility Oversight Committee meeting for the suffering and hardships experienced during Winter Storm Uri as a result of electric system outages. Even though the outages were ordered by the state grid operator, ERCOT, Sargent said Austin Energy would work to do a […]
Posted inWater
Austin Water responds to ‘demoralizing’ water outages
Austin Water gave a presentation to the Water Oversight Committee on Wednesday detailing the timeline of the water outages last month, preparation for future disasters and upcoming utility bill relief measures. City Council members demanded to know how a substantial portion of Austin residents lost water during the freeze, among other questions about Austin Water’s […]
Posted inPublic Health
Travis County continues to address damage from Winter Storm Uri
The Commissioners Court fielded ongoing conversation Tuesday regarding the lasting impacts of Winter Storm Uri, with a particular focus on damage from burst pipes. “We continue to do winter weather operations at the operation center. We have shifted into what they call phase two, focusing on delivering drinking water to apartment complexes and single-family residences. […]