[00:00:07]
[Severe Weather Virtual Press Conference]
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR JOINING TODAY.I AM WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
AND I'LL BE THE MODERATOR FOR TODAY'S PRESS CONFERENCE.
THE STREAM IS AVAILABLE ON FACEBOOK AS WELL AS APX N ONE.
I AM JOINED BY CITY OF AUSTIN, CITY MANAGER, SPENCER CRUNK, AUSTIN ENERGY, GENERAL MANAGER, JACKIE SERGEANT AUSTIN, WATER DIRECTOR, GREG
WE'LL BEGIN WITH SOME BRIEF COMMENTS, FOLLOWED BY UPDATES FROM THE UTILITY PROVIDERS.
AND WITH THAT, I WILL HAND IT OFF TO CITY MANAGER KRONK.
IN LESS THAN ONE WEEK, OUR CITY WAS HIT WITH FIVE WINTER STORMS THAT BROUGHT WITH IT.
SIX DAYS OF SUBFREEZING TEMPERATURES.
THESE HISTORIC WINTER STORMS CRIPPLED OUR STATEWIDE POWER SOURCES AND WATER INFRASTRUCTURE.
IT CREATED UNSAFE ROADS AND CHALLENGED OUR CITY'S ABILITY TO PROVIDE THE QUALITY SERVICES THAT YOU ARE ACCUSTOMED TO.
AS CHALLENGING AS THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS.
AND BEN, OUR COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO COME TOGETHER TODAY WOULD LIKE TO SHARE A FEW CRITICAL UPDATES.
AS WE MAKE PROGRESS TOWARDS RECOVERY.
THE DISASTER DECLARATION FOR AUSTIN IS NOW EXTENDED TO FEBRUARY 26.
TO ENSURE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO TAP INTO EVERY LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL RESOURCE AVAILABLE TO HELP YOU THROUGH AND RECOVER FROM THIS CRISIS.
RIGHT NOW, PUBLIC SAFETY, OPERATIONS, POLICE, FIRE EMS ARE SEEING CALL VOLUMES RETURN TO NORMAL LEVELS.
THIS IS ENCOURAGING, BUT WE KNOW WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO, ESPECIALLY WITH THE ROAD CONDITIONS.
WE'LL HAVE MORE ON THAT IN A FEW MINUTES.
AND I'D LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO UPDATE YOU ON THE ISSUE.
WE'RE GOING TO GET TO AUSTIN WATER FOR AN UPDATE ON THE SERVICE RESPIRATION IN A MOMENT.
BUT FIRST I'D LIKE TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON WATER DISTRIBUTION EFFORTS.
HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW RIGHT NOW.
WE ARE WORKING WITH LOCAL AND REGIONAL PARTNERS TO SET UP SAFE, STRATEGICALLY LOCATED WATER DISTRIBUTION SITES.
AND WE ANTICIPATE BEING ABLE TO RELEASE THE INITIAL DETAILS ON THE DISTRIBUTION OPERATIONS THIS EVENING.
BUT WATER SOURCES ARE COMING IN A FEW DIFFERENT WAYS.
WE HAVE SMALL AND WORKING WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO GET WATER TO VULNERABLE, CRITICAL NEED POPULATIONS.
WE ARE ALSO DOING BULK WATER PURCHASES AND THE CITY PURCHASED A MILLION GALLONS OF WATER TRUCKS.
CARRYING THAT WATER COMING FROM SURROUNDING STATES ARE EXPECTED TO ARRIVE TONIGHT AND TOMORROW.
EACH TRUCK WILL HAVE 19 PALLETS OF WATER, AND FINALLY, FEMA WILL BE ARRIVING OR WATER FROM FEMA WILL BE ARRIVING APPROXIMATELY 36 PALLETS FROM FORT WORTH.
AND WE'LL WORK ON A REGULAR SCHEDULED DELIVERY OF ADDITIONAL DELIVERIES FROM FEMA.
THE REAL QUESTION THAT I KNOW YOU'RE ALL ASKING IS AROUND DISTRIBUTION.
AND WHEN IT COMES TO DISTRIBUTION, THE FOCUS IS ON IDENTIFYING THE PICKUP SITES THAT ARE SAFE FOR RESIDENTS TO REACH THEM.
GIVEN OUR CURRENT ROAD CONDITIONS, EASE OF ACCESS FOR THE PUBLIC IS ALSO A PRIORITY AND SITES WILL NEED TO BE SET UP AROUND THE CITY TO MINIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF TRAVEL FOR RESIDENTS.
WHEN THE SITES COME ONLINE, THEY WILL OPERATE FROM SUNUP TO SUNDOWN, AND WE WILL ANTICIPATE BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE ONE CASE OF WATER PER CAR.
WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, SUCH AS CHURCHES AND NONPROFITS TO COORDINATE PICKUP AND DELIVERY OF WATER, TO THOSE WHO ARE MOST VULNERABLE, INCLUDING SENIORS AND THOSE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.
THE EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER CONTINUES TO COORDINATE BOTH WATER DELIVERIES TO HOSPITALS AND OTHER MEDICAL FACILITIES, INCLUDING DIALYSIS CENTERS AND AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT IS SUPPORTING ALL WATER DELIVERIES.
AND NOW ON GROCERY STORES, BECAUSE FINALLY EMERGENCY OPERATIONS STAFF MET WITH LEADERS FROM AREA GROCERY STORES TO GET A STATUS UPDATE ON THE STORE, ON THEIR STORE OPERATIONS AND HOW THE CITY AND REGIONAL PARTNERS COULD PROVIDE ASSISTANCE.
THAT WOULD MAKE IT EASIER FOR THEM TO RESTOCK AND REOPEN STORES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
[00:05:01]
IF YOU ARE ABLE TO PURCHASE WATER, WE URGE YOU TO DO SO IN AN EFFORT TO TRY AND ENSURE WE ARE PRIORITIZING THOSE THAT NEED IT THE MOST AT THESE DISTRIBUTION SITES, PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THERE WILL LIKELY BE PURCHASE LIMITS TO THESE ITEMS. AND WE URGE YOU TO BE PATIENTS WITH ALL STAFF WORKING AT THESE STORES, AND THEN A REMINDER GROCERY STORES, EMPLOYEES WHO ARE ALSO LOVED ONES AND NEIGHBORS ARE WORKING THROUGH EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS AND DOING THEIR BEST TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY.DON'T FORGET TO HELP US KEEP THEM SAFE, WHERE OUR FACE AND OUR BRAIN WATCH YOUR DISTANCE AND WASH YOUR HANDS.
ONCE AGAIN, WE KNOW WATER DISTRIBUTION IS TOP OF MIND AND WE WILL SHARE ALL DETAILS AROUND THIS AS SOON AS IT IS AVAILABLE.
THESE ARE INDEED CHALLENGING TIMES.
AND AS YOUR CITY MANAGER, I AM COMMITTED TO RESTORING OUR COMMUNITY AND RESTORATION PROCESS WILL TAKE TIME.
AND NOW I'LL TURN THINGS OVER TO AUSTIN WATER DIRECTOR, BRITNEY ZEROS FOR AN UPDATE ON PROGRESS, RESTORING FULL WATER SERVICE TO THE AREA DIRECTOR.
SO AUSTIN WATERS MADE A GOOD PROGRESS OVER THE LAST 24 HOURS, UH, CONTINUING TO RECOVER OUR SYSTEM.
UH, OUR RESERVOIR ORDERS ARE FILLING.
UH, WE ARE ESTABLISHING A SERVICE IN OUR CENTRAL ZONE.
OUR CENTRAL ZONE IS THE BACKBONE OF OUR SYSTEM, THE FOUNDATION BY WHICH WE BRING WATER OUT TO OUR NORTH AND SOUTH, UH, PRESSURE ZONES.
AND THE CENTRAL ZONE IS, UH, IS IMPROVED CONSIDERABLY OVER THE LAST 24 HOURS.
AND WE ARE NOW PUMPING INCREASED WATER INTO OUR OTHER ZONES.
UM, WE HAVE ALSO PUBLISHED, UH, MAPS AND GRAPHS ON OUR WEBSITE THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO HELP CUSTOMERS SEE PROGRESS.
AS WE TURNED ZONES FROM RED TO YELLOW, TO GREEN, AS WE'VE BEEN PRESSURE BACK TO THE SYSTEM, UH, I ANTICIPATE, UH, THROUGH THE WEEKEND, UH, THE MAJORITY OF OUR CUSTOMERS WILL SEE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN SERVICE WITH REGARDS TO THE RETURN OF PRESSURE.
UH, I DO WANT TO SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT THAT.
WE MIGHT SOMETIMES THINK ABOUT, ABOUT SERVICE IN TERMS OF ELECTRIC, WHERE IT'S EITHER OFFER ON A WATER, CAN BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT CUSTOMERS MAY GO FROM NO WATER PRESSURE TO LOW WATER PRESSURE.
THEY MAY SEE SOME DISCOLORATION IN THEIR WATER, AND THEN IT MAY ULTIMATELY, UH, FROM, AND, AND, AND CLEAR AND PRESSURES WILL CONTINUE TO RISE.
SO THIS CAN BE KIND OF A GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT OF SERVICE, NOT NECESSARILY, YOU KNOW, ALL THE WAY ON OR ALL THE WAY OFF.
UM, WE ENCOURAGE CUSTOMERS AS THEY RECEIVE IMPROVED SERVICE TO CONTINUE TO ACTIVELY CONSERVE WATER, MINIMIZE WATER USE TO THE ESSENTIALS, UH, FOR, FOR YOUR, YOUR USE.
UH, DON'T TRY TO CATCH UP ON ALL OF YOUR LAUNDRY OR DO, UH, ALL OF YOUR DISHES, MULTIPLE SHOWERS.
WE REALLY WANT TO BUILD OUR SYSTEM UP SLOWLY.
IT'S STILL A VERY TENDER AND FRAGILE.
UH, FROM THIS EVENT, THERE ARE STILL A LOT OF UNKNOWNS AS WE PRESSURIZE THE SYSTEM.
WE MAY SEE, UH, WE WILL SEE ADDITIONAL, UH, BRAKES, UH, THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT.
UH, SOME CUSTOMERS MAY RECEIVE SOME ISOLATED, UM, SERVICE OUTAGES AS WE DO THAT, BUT I THINK THE OVERALL GOOD NEWS IS, IS OUR RESERVOIRS ARE FILLING.
THERE ARE ABOUT A THIRD FULL AND CONTINUING TO IMPROVE.
WE EXPECT THAT TO ACCELERATE THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND, UH, AND RETURN, UH, PRESSURE TO THE BULK OF OUR CUSTOMERS.
UH, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO WORK AFTER THAT.
MY REMARKS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH DIRECTOR.
UH, AND NOW, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY'S GENERAL MANAGER.
MY NAME IS JACKIE SERGEANT AND I AM THE GENERAL MANAGER FOR AUSTIN ENERGY.
THIS MORNING, ERCOT ENDED THEIR STATEWIDE ENERGY EMERGENCY CONDITIONS FOR THIS EVENT.
CURRENTLY, WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT THERE'S MORE ENERGY SUPPLY, INCLUDING RESERVES TO MEET CUSTOMER DEMAND, CUSTOMER, CUSTOMER, EXCUSE ME, DEMAND.
AND THEN SOME, HOWEVER, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT OUR WORK IS DONE.
IN FACT, OUR HARDEST DAYS FOR AUSTIN ENERGY MAY STILL LIE AHEAD OF US AND OTHERS AS UTILITIES ACROSS THE STATE WORK DILIGENTLY TO RESTORE EVERY CUSTOMER WHO HAS BEEN IMPACTED BY THIS EVENT.
UNFORTUNATELY, YOU'RE AT HOME.
THE MULTIPLE IC STORMS WE HAVE EXPERIENCED, CREATED CHALLENGING,
[00:10:01]
DIFFICULT AND ICY CONDITIONS.THESE CONDITIONS ARE SLOWING DOWN OUR EFFORTS TO GET EVERYONE IN AUSTIN BACK ONLINE.
WE'RE STILL FINDING TREES ON TOP OF POWER LINES, THERE'S ICE ON VEGETATION, POWER LINES AND OUR EQUIPMENT, WHICH SLOWS DOWN THE WORK.
THIS PROCESS TAKES TIME AND MUST BE DONE CAREFULLY TO ENSURE SAFETY OF OUR CREWS AND CUSTOMERS FULL RESTORATION MAY TAKE SEVERAL DAYS.
I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT ALL AVAILABLE AUSTIN ENERGY CREWS, ALONG WITH A DITCH, ADDITIONAL CONTRACT CREWS THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT IN ARE WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK TO SAFELY RESTORE POWER AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
WE'VE MADE PROGRESS IN GETTING CUSTOMERS BACK ONLINE.
AND AS OF NOON TODAY, WE HAVE ABOUT 22,000 CUSTOMERS WHO REMAINED WITHOUT POWER.
AND FOR THOSE CUSTOMERS, THE FRUSTRATION CONTINUES.
PLEASE KNOW THAT WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO CLEAN UP THE SYSTEM AND RESTORE YOUR SERVICE.
SO WHY ARE WE HERE? I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO THINK ABOUT THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AS A TREE WITH A TRUNK, LARGE BRANCHES, TO SMALLER BRANCHES AND FINALLY STEM AND LEAVE.
THE TRUNK IS LIKE THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM.
AND THE BRANCHES ARE LIKE THE FEEDERS AND THE SMALLER BRANCH OF LIKE CIRCUIT FINALLY REACHING OUT TO THE STEMS AND LEAVES, WHICH ARE THE INDIVIDUAL CUSTOMERS.
AS WE HAD STORM EVENTS THAT INTERRUPTED THE SERVICE.
AND THEN WE RECEIVED THE EMERGENCY ORDER FROM ERCOT TO DE ENERGIZING THESE BRANCHES.
WE WOULD FIND THE HAZARDS THAT EXIST AS WE IDENTIFIED THOSE HAZARDS.
WE CAN REMOVE THEM, BUT WE'RE HAVING TO SECTIONALIZE INTO THE SMALLER AND SMALLER BRANCHES TO GET TO THE INDIVIDUAL CIRCUITS WHERE THE PROBLEMS ARE, AND THEN WORK TO RESTORE EACH OF THOSE INDIVIDUALLY, THIS IS VERY TEDIOUS AND TIME CONSUMING.
PEOPLE ARE ON THE GROUND, IDENTIFYING THE HAZARDS, WORKING DILIGENTLY, TO FIX THEM, TO REMOVE THEM, AND THEN TO REPAIR THE SYSTEM AND BE ABLE TO RESTORE POWER DOWN TO EACH AND EVERY CUSTOMER.
I HAVE TO SAY THAT THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING WEEKS FOR AUSTIN.
SO MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN, HAVE BEEN IMPACTED FIRST BY THE ICE STORM.
THE CONTINUED COLD WEATHER THAT THEN CAUSED A STATEWIDE ENERGY EMERGENCY FOLLOWED BY MORE ICE AND STORMS. THESE FACTORS HAVE INTENSIFIED THE PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE EXPERIENCED AND CREATED UNTENABLE CIRCUMSTANCES FOR OUR CUSTOMERS AND RESIDENTS.
THIS HAS BEEN AN EXTREME WEATHER EVENT, PLEASE KNOW THAT WE WILL NOT STOP UNTIL EVERY CUSTOMER SERVICE HAS BEEN RESTORED.
THEY ARE COMMITTED TO GETTING YOUR LIGHTS BACK ON.
AND NOW, UH, WE WILL GO OVER TO THE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR WITH CHAIRMAN DOZA.
HELLO, THIS AFTERNOON, I'M GOING TO BE RECORDING FOR BOTH PUBLIC WORKS AND TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENTS, UH, ON OUR MOBILITY INFRASTRUCTURE BEGINNING WITH PUBLIC WORKS, OUR STRAIGHTENED BRIDGE CREWS, AS WELL AS CONTRACTORS HAVE BEEN WORKING THROUGHOUT LAST NIGHT AND INTO THIS MORNING TO ADDRESS CRITICAL STREETS AROUND TOWN.
THIS INCLUDES CLARE AND ICE AND SNOW AND SANDY AND OUR ROADWAYS AND BRIDGES.
AS OF NOW, I CAN REPORT THAT OUR CREWS HAVE TO, YOU'RE MORE THAN 180 LANE MILES OF OUR LARGE PRIORITY STREETS TREATED 28 BRIDGES AND ELEVATED SURFACES MULTIPLE TIMES, UH, RESPONDED AND CLEARED A NUMBER OF LARGE TREES AND LIMBS THAT FELL ACROSS OUR ROADWAYS, AS WELL AS CLEARED, CENTRALLY LOCATED CROSSWALKS AND SIDEWALKS.
WE DO WANT THE COMMUNITY TO REMAIN VIGILANT AS THERE ARE STILL SOME ICY CONDITIONS ALONG SOME OF OUR ROADWAYS, AS WELL AS OUR PEDESTRIAN PATHWAYS.
WE WILL HAVE CREWS REMAINING ON STANDBY THROUGH TONIGHT TO REPORT THESE POTHOLES AND ANY OTHER OBSTRUCTIONS SUCH AS DOWN TREES IN THE ROADWAY OR SIDEWALKS USING OUR AUSTIN THREE ONE, ONE APP
[00:15:01]
USING THE APP WILL HELP US TRACK THESE MORE EASILY.AND THAT ALSO HELPS REDUCE THE CALL VOLUME ON OUR THREE ONE, ONE OPERATORS.
YOU CAN ALSO DIAL FIVE ONE TWO NINE SEVEN FOUR, 2004, THREE ONE ONE SUPPORT AS WE EXPECT OUR ROADWAY CONDITIONS TO IMPROVE STARTING TOMORROW AND THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND.
UH, WE DO ASK YOU IN THE MEANTIME, ESPECIALLY TONIGHT, AS WE DO EXPECT ANOTHER REFREEZE, UH, TO PLEASE LIMIT YOUR TRAVEL TO ONLY THOSE NECESSARY TRIPS AND STICK TO THE LARGER ARTERIALS AND MAJOR ROADWAYS ON BEHALF OF OUR AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT AND DIRECTOR ROBERT SPILLER, I HAVE THE FOLLOWING TO REPORT MOST ALL OF OUR CITIES THOUSAND 1000 TRAFFIC SIGNALS HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY POWER LOSS.
OUR TRAFFIC SIGNAL CREWS WILL BE WORKING THROUGHOUT THIS WEEKEND WITH THE GOAL TO RESTORE MOST OF OUR SIGNAL FUNCTIONS.
BY MONDAY MORNING, THEY WILL BE PRIORITIZING OUR MAJOR INTERSECTIONS.
FIRST, IF YOU DO ENCOUNTER A SIGNAL THAT IS STILL DARK OR ON FLASH, WE ASK THAT YOU TREAT THEM AS FOUR WAY STOPS.
PLEASE ALSO REPORT THEM USING THE CITY'S THREE ONE, ONE APP OR CALL CENTER AND NOTE THE LOCATION OF THE OUTAGE SO THAT WE CAN GET THESE SCHEDULED, MEANWHILE, UP, GET, AGAIN, WE URGE CONTINUED CAUTION FOR CARS, AS WELL AS PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLISTS ON HILLS AND CURVES.
AND SOME OF THE SHADED AREAS THAT WOULD MAY STILL HAVE PATCHES OF ICE THROUGH TOMORROW, AS WELL AS OUR OTHER ROADS THAT MAY BE AFFECTED BY TONIGHT'S EXPECTED REFREEZE AND, AND BE CAREFUL OF OUR CREWS OUT THERE WORKING IN THE ROADWAYS BY LOWERING YOUR SPEEDS.
AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION EMPLOYEES ARE ALSO PROVIDING SUPPORT AND ASSISTING WITH BOTTLED WATER DELIVERY AND W AS WELL AS TRANSPORTING OUR RESIDENTS FROM SHELTERS BACK TO THEIR HOMES AS WE COME OUT OF THIS FREEZE, THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT.
AND THANK YOU EVERYONE ELSE FOR THE UPDATES.
NOW WE'RE GOING TO MOVE INTO THE Q AND A PORTION, UH, WITH QUESTIONS ASKED BY THE MEDIA, UH, BUT WE ARE GOING TO PRIORITIZE THOSE QUESTIONS FOR AUSTIN ENERGY FOR, UH, AND WE WILL ALSO DO OUR BEST TO ANSWER AS MANY OF THE QUESTIONS AS TIME ALLOW WITH THAT.
I WILL NOW HAND IT OFF TO OUR POOR REPORTER, CHRISTOPHER NEELY FROM COMMUNITY IMPACT PATH QUESTIONS.
HEY, Y'ALL THANKS FOR, UH, TAKING TIME TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS TODAY.
LOADS, IS THERE A PROCESS EITHER AS A NORMAL COURSE OF BUSINESS OR AFTER THIS EVENT TO LOOK AT BETTER SUBDIVIDING CIRCUITS TO PROVIDE MORE FLEXIBILITY IN THE FUTURE? THANK YOU.
THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION BECAUSE WHEN WE PLAN FOR THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF ENERGY EMERGENCIES, AND WE DO THAT IN COLLABORATION WITH ERCOT, WE PLAN FOR A CERTAIN NUMBER OF CIRCUITS.
AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, WE HAD AN ADDITIONAL 200 CIRCUITS TO BE ABLE TO MEET UNEXPECTED CONDITIONS.
THE CONDITIONS FOR THIS STORM EVENT WAY EXCEEDED THAT.
AND THE RATE AT WHICH BURKE CUT FOUND ITSELF, GOING INTO THIS ENERGY EMERGENCY HAPPENS SO QUICKLY THAT WE NOT ONLY MAXED OUT THE CIRCUITS THAT WE HAD INITIALLY AVAILABLE.
SO ROTATION, IT TOOK THAT 200 ADDITIONAL CIRCUITS WITHIN A MATTER OF MINUTES.
AND SO THAT'S HOW WE ENDED UP IN THAT SITUATION.
OUR TEAM IS ALREADY LOOKING AT HOW DO WE IMPROVE THIS? WHAT DO WE DO DIFFERENTLY? WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED FROM THIS? WHAT DOES THE DATA TELL US, HOW ARE WE ABLE TO TAKE THESE CIRCUITS AND FURTHER SECTIONALIZED THEM SO THAT WE CAN CREATE A SYSTEM THAT HAS GREATER FLEXIBILITY AND WILL ALLOW FOR THAT? SO CERTAINLY WE WANT TO TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY FROM THIS IMPROVE, WHAT WE CAN DO, LEARN FROM THAT AND MAKE THOSE ENHANCEMENTS.
AND WE'RE COMMITTED TO DOING THAT.
THIS QUESTION IS FROM THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN AND THE MISSES FOR AUSTIN ENERGY AND AUSTIN WATER.
UM, SHOULD PEOPLE BE CONCERNED THAT THEIR POWER WILL GO OUT AGAIN TONIGHT, AS TEMPERATURES WILL BE FREEZING AGAIN, AND FOR RESIDENTS WHO HAVE SHUT THEIR WATER OFF, WHEN CAN THEY TURN IT BACK ON AND SHOULD THEY WAIT UNTIL SATURDAY, AS TEMPERATURES ARE GOING TO BE FREEZING AGAIN TONIGHT? SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT WEATHER
[00:20:01]
AND WE ARE ALSO LOOKING AT WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH REGARD TO THE ERCOT ERCOT SYSTEM.ERCOT IS ALSO LOOKING AT THE WEATHER AND TAKING THAT INTO ACCOUNT.
THEY HAVE REMOVED THESE ENERGY EMERGENCY SITUATION OR CONDITIONS.
SO THEY'RE NOT HAVING US SEE ANY ALERTS AT THIS TIME, LIKE THEY HAVE FOR THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS.
SO AT THIS POINT WITH HAVING NO FURTHER EVENTS THAT CREATE ADDITIONAL DISRUPTION, UM, WE PROJECT THAT THE POWER WILL BE ABLE TO STAY ON, BUT KNOW THAT WE STILL HAVE PEOPLE WITHOUT POWER.
AND WE'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON GETTING IT OVER TO GREG FOR THE SECOND PART OF THAT QUESTION.
SO I THINK CUSTOMERS SHOULD FEEL FREE TO TURN THEIR WATER OFF AND ON AS CONDITIONS WARRANT, UH, DURING THE DAY LIKE TODAY.
IF A CUSTOMER IS IN A ZONE WHERE THEY HAVE WATER, EVEN IF IT'S LOW WATER SERVICE, YOU KNOW, BEING ABLE TO FILL SOME POTS FOR BOILING OR FLUSH TOILETS IS IMPORTANT LEVEL OF SERVICE.
THEY COULD CERTAINLY TURN ON THEIR WATER AND, UH, AND HAVE THAT LEVEL OF SERVICE.
AND THEN IF THEY'RE WORRIED ABOUT FREEZING CONDITIONS AT NIGHT, TURN THE WATER BACK OFF AT THEIR PROPERTY, UH, OVERNIGHT.
AND THEN, AND THEN REPEAT THAT CYCLE.
SO I DON'T SEE ANY HARM IN TERMS OF, UH, YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE TURN-OFFS OR TURN-ONS, UH, AT YOUR PROPERTY LEVEL TO KIND OF MANAGE, MANAGE YOUR RISK.
THIS ONE IS FROM AUSTRALIA AND THIS IS ALSO ANOTHER AUSTIN ENERGY AUSTIN WATER QUESTION.
UM, WHAT IS BEING DONE TO ADDRESS THE POSSIBLE YOU UTILITY BILLS, SPIKE A UTILITY BILL PRICE HIKES, UH, DUE TO SCARCITY PRICING OR BURST PIPES.
SO WE'RE CONTINUING TO WORK THROUGH, UM, THE SITUATION AS YOU KNOW, WE STILL HAVE CUSTOMERS OUT AND THAT'S OUR PRIMARY FOCUS RIGHT NOW.
OF COURSE, WE HAVE TO WATCH WHERE WE ARE FROM A FINANCIAL POSITION.
UH, OUR TEAM IS LOOKING AT THAT.
I DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION TO BE ABLE TO DETERMINE, UH, TO CALCULATE OR PROJECT ANY TYPE OF FINANCIAL IMPACT AND RESULTING RATE IMPACT, UH, AT THIS TIME.
UH, SO THAT IS INFORMATION THAT WILL BE FORTHCOMING.
UM, BUT I THINK IT'S PREMATURE TO, TO TRY TO, UM, SPECULATE ON THAT.
AND I WOULD HATE TO, UH, PROVIDE, UH, FALSE INFORMATION OR, OR INCORRECT INFORMATION.
SO WE NEED TO STAY FOCUSED ON, THIS IS STILL AN EMERGENCY FOR US IN ENERGY.
WE HAVE OUR INCIDENT COMMAND THAT IS STILL STOOD UP.
UM, IT, THIS IS REALLY A DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR OUR CREWS.
UM, AS THEY'RE WORKING TO ISOLATE THESE HAZARDS ON THE SYSTEM TO CLEAR THEM AND RESTORE EVERY CUSTOMER, UM, I CAN'T OVEREMPHASIZE THE NEED FOR, UH, A FOCUS, A LASER FOCUS ON ENSURING, UH, THAT NO ONE IS INJURED.
YOU KNOW, DIRECTOR MAZARRA WAS TALKED ABOUT WATER AND THAT, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T, IT'S NOT ON OR OFF AND THAT, UM, IF IT'S ON IT, IT MIGHT CONTINUE TO RUN AND DRAIN, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, IT'S NOT GONNA IMPACT SOMEONE'S LIFE.
IF ELECTRICITY STAYS ON, IF THERE'S SURE THAT WE DON'T INJURE ANY OF OUR CREWS AND WE CERTAINLY DON'T INJURE ANY OF OUR CUSTOMERS, IT'S REALLY THAT IMPORTANT, UH, FOR AUSTIN WATER.
UH, WE'VE HAD DISCUSSIONS, UH, TODAY WITH THE CITY MANAGER AND HE'S GIVEN DIRECTION TO ME TO COME UP WITH A MENU OF OPTIONS ON HOW WE CAN PROVIDE CUSTOMERS RELIEF AND ASSISTANCE TO REPAIR PRIVATE PLUMBING ISSUES FROM BURST PIPES, HOW WE MIGHT HELP THEM WITH, WITH BILL ISSUES.
UH, CERTAINLY AUSTIN WATER DOESN'T WANT TO REAP ANY FINANCIAL BENEFIT AT ALL FROM THIS ICE STORM.
AND WE'RE GOING TO DO ALL THAT WE POSSIBLY CAN WORKING WITH THE MANAGER AND THE COUNCIL TO PROVIDE CUSTOMERS ADEQUATE FINANCIAL RELIEF AND ASSISTANCE TO RECOVER WITH PRIVATE PLUMBING, UH, ISSUES AT THEIR HOMES AND BUSINESSES.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF THE MANAGER WOULD HAVE ANY MORE THOUGHTS ON THAT.
YOU'RE STILL A WORD ON, IT'S NOT JUST WHAT WE CAN DO LOCALLY, BUT WHAT ASSISTANCE THAT WE ARE TAPPING INTO BOTH AT THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, TALKING TO OUR COLLEAGUES ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS, AS WE REQUEST ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO HELP
[00:25:01]
OUR, OUR, OUR RESIDENTS, OUR CUSTOMERS, OUR, OUR, OUR AUSTIN, OUR, OUR AUSTINITES, UH, RECOVER FROM THIS.AND SO WE WILL LOOK, LOOK AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY THAT WE CAN TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE.
THIS QUESTION IS FROM KTBC OFFICIALS FROM ERCOT SAID THE STATES POWER GRID HAS MOVED OUT OF EMERGENCY OPERATIONS, MEANING CUSTOMERS NO LONGER NEED TO CONSERVE ENERGY, THOUGH.
IT'S ONLY BEEN A DAY OR SO SINCE MILLIONS WERE WITHOUT POWER, SHOULD PEOPLE IN AUSTIN STILL CONSERVE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, EVEN IF THEY HAVE POWER, I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT CUSTOMERS CONTINUE TO CONSERVE ENERGY.
UH, RIGHT NOW I EXPLAINED IN MY COMMENTS THAT ERCOT MOVING OUT OF THIS SITUATION FOR ENERGY EMERGENCY MEANS THAT THE SUPPLY IS, IS GREATER THAN THE DEMAND THAT CUSTOMERS CURRENTLY HAVE.
UM, AND AS LONG AS THAT REMAINS, SO, AND IF THERE'S SURPLUS, UM, UH, MARGIN, IF YOU WILL, UM, THAT GIVES A BUFFER, UM, THEN THEY CAN REMAIN AND IN NORMAL CONDITIONS, ONE OF THE THINGS I DON'T THINK ANYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT IS THERE STILL A LARGE NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS, UM, THAT HAVE NOT BEEN ENERGIZED YET? SO THEIR DEMAND IS NOT BEING ACCOUNTED FOR.
SO TO HELP US ENSURE THAT WE CAN RESTORE POWER TO ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS, THAT THAT WILL NOT CREATE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF ADDITIONAL DEMAND.
AND THIS QUESTION FROM CO-OP RADIO RELATES TO SOME OF THE PEOPLES STILL WITHOUT POWER.
UM, WHAT IS BEING DONE TO RESTORE POWER TO THE 1400 PLUS CUSTOMERS IN THE LARGE AREA, ALONG LAKE AUSTIN, UP TO CAT MOUNTAIN? UH, THEY HAVE BEEN WITHOUT POWER FOR FOUR STRAIGHT DAYS.
SO I EXPLAINED ABOUT THE SITUATION THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW.
UM, WE HAVE OUTAGES, UM, IN THE SYSTEM AND WE HAVE OUTAGES THAT HAVE OCCURRED INSIDE OF LARGER OUTAGES.
SO IT'S WORLD WORKING DOWN, UH, THE SYSTEM THAT CEDAR, THAT, THAT BRANCH OF THE TREE, IF YOU WILL, UM, WE ARE ENERGIZING PARTS OF THAT, UH, OF THAT.
AND, AND THAT WILL HELP US TO IDENTIFY THOSE OTHER OUTAGES.
IT TAKES TIME BECAUSE AT THIS POINT IT'S NOT AN AUTOMATED PROCESS.
PEOPLE ARE PHYSICALLY WALKING DOWN THE SYSTEM TO FIND WHERE THESE INDIVIDUAL HAZARDS ARE, SO THAT WE CAN GET THE CREWS THERE, THAT WITH THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT TO REMOVE THOSE HAZARDS AND THEN TO CONTINUE ENERGIZING.
AND SECTIONALIZING THE PARTS OF THE CIRCUIT TO GET DOWN TO EVERY INDIVIDUAL HOUSEHOLD OR CUSTOMER.
ALL RIGHT, THIS QUESTION IS FROM US AT COMMUNITY IMPACT.
UM, AUSTIN WATER DIRECTOR, GREG LAZARO SAID YESTERDAY, THIS COULD BE A MULTI-DAY WATER OUTAGE, BUT THERE WAS REALLY NO CLARITY AS TO WHETHER THAT MEANS TWO DAYS A WEEK OR MULTIPLE WEEKS, A DIRECTOR MS. ARROWS, AS HEAD OF THE WATER UTILITY.
WHAT IS YOUR RECOMMENDATION TO THE PEOPLE AND FAMILIES OF AUSTIN, UH, WITHOUT WATER, SHOULD THEY TRY TO STICK THIS OUT FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS, OR IF THEY CAN, SHOULD THEY LEAVE AND TRY TO GET TO A PLACE WITH WATER UNTIL THIS IS FIXED? WELL, A FEW THOUGHTS THERE, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I CAN'T SPEAK FOR EVERY INDIVIDUAL.
THERE'S SO MANY INDIVIDUAL CHOICE, BUT WE ARE SEEING, UH, MARKEDLY IMPROVED CONDITIONS.
OUR CENTRAL PRESSURE DISTRICT IS, UH, IS, UH, STABLE SO FAR AND HOLDING GOOD PRESSURE AND BUILDING WE'RE USING THAT TO PUMP OUT TO THE OTHER DISTRICTS.
UH, MY OPINION IN TALKING WITH OUR ENGINEERS AND SYSTEMS PLANNER, AND IT'S AN OPINION, UH, IS THAT THE SYSTEM IS GOING TO SEE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OVER THE WEEKEND.
AND A, AND A, AND A LARGE, LARGE MAJORITY OF OUR CUSTOMERS ARE GOING TO HAVE PRESSURE RETURNED TO THEIR HOMES.
I HOPE THAT HELPS GUIDE THEM IN SOME DECISION-MAKING, THERE'LL ALWAYS BE SOME INDIVIDUAL POCKETS WHERE THERE MAY BE A MAIN BREAK OR SOME OTHER ISSUE THAT WE HAVE TO WORK ON SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT AREA.
UH, AS THE PRESSURE RETURNS TO SYSTEMS, WE'LL HAVE STAFF OUT AT A MINIMUM, WE'RE GOING TO BE PUBLISHING NEW MAPS AND NEW GRAPHS.
THAT SHOW AS CONDITIONS ARE TURNING FROM RED TO YELLOW, TO GREEN, AS THEY CAN SEE THE STORAGE LEVELS IN OUR RESERVOIRS RISING IS THAT'S INFLUENCING, UM, UH, SERVICE LEVELS.
UH, WE KNOW FOR SURE, TIM, THAT WE ARE PRODUCING
[00:30:01]
MORE WATER THAN IS BEING USED RIGHT NOW.AND THAT JUST SHOWS THE VALUE OF THE CONSERVATION THAT IS INCURRING IN THE COMMUNITY.
THE MORE THAT THAT HAPPENS, THE FASTER THE SYSTEM RECOVERS.
AND SO, UH, SO I THINK WE'RE REALLY ON A GOOD PATH.
UH, AND, AND THIS WEEKEND INTO MONDAY, WE'RE GOING TO SEE SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT.
SO WE CHARACTERIZE MAPS IN TERMS OF OUR PRESSURE ZONES.
UH, IT'S, IT'S A CITY-WIDE MAP AND IT SHOWS PRESSURE ZONES AND THEY'RE COLORED BY, UH, BY PRESSURE ZONES THAT ARE EXPERIENCING WATER OUTAGES AND PRESSURE ZONES THAT ARE EXPERIENCING LOW PRESSURE.
AND THEN ULTIMATELY AS PRESSURE ZONES, UH, STABILIZE, IT WOULD GO TO GREEN FULL PRESSURE.
IF YOU'RE IN A ZONE THAT SAYS OUTAGES, IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT EVERY CUSTOMER IS NECESSARILY OUT OF WATER.
A LOT OF THEM MAY BE, I LIVE IN ONE OF THOSE ZONES WHERE THERE'S SIGNIFICANT OUTAGES, AND I HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THE SERVICE, BUT I STILL HAVE ENOUGH WATER TO FILL A POT OR FLUSH A TOILET, SO IT CAN VARY.
AND, UH, AND, AND THE RECOVERY OF THAT CAN VARY.
SO, AS A, AS I MENTIONED, IN MY OPENING REMARKS, YOU CAN, UH, SEE, UH, PRESSURE GO FROM ZERO.
YOU MIGHT HAVE LOW PRESSURE FOR A DAY.
IT COULD EVEN GET A LITTLE WORSE AND THEN GET BETTER.
SO THIS, THIS COULD BE A, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT OF A UP AND DOWN, UH, PROCESS.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE SOME GRAPHS THAT SHOW HOW MUCH WATER WE'RE PRODUCING, HOW MUCH WATER THE SYSTEM IS USING.
THEY'RE PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
THEY'RE JUST SIMPLE GRAPHS THAT YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCE.
WE HAVE A GRAPH THAT SHOWS ALL OF OUR RESERVOIR STORAGE.
WE HAVE OVER A HUNDRED MILLION GALLONS OF STORAGE IN OUR RESERVOIRS.
RESERVOIRS ARE OUR TANKS, ELEVATED TANKS, STORAGE TANKS.
AND AS, AS THAT CLIMBS EVERY 12 HOURS AND WHERE WE ARE ON A SCALE OF, OF EMPTY TO FULL.
AND, AND I THINK THAT THAT CAN GIVE YOU SOME GUIDANCE INTO HOW SOON AND HOW FAST THE SYSTEM IS RECOVERING.
SO GO TO OUR WEBSITE AND, UH, AND YOU'LL SEE THOSE MAPS AND, AND GRAPHS AND DATA.
AND WE PLAN ON ENHANCING THAT THROUGHOUT TODAY AND INTO THE WEEKEND TO GIVE YOU MORE GUIDANCE ON, ON HOW WE'RE RECOVERING ON THE SYSTEM.
BUT FIRST, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR GOOD WORK.
WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FED AND STATE IN TERMS OF GETTING RESOURCES TO AUSTIN, WAS THE NATIONAL OR STATE GUARD EVER REQUESTED TO HELP? IT SEEMS LIKE WITH THE HEADQUARTERS BEING AT CAMP MAYBERRY, THEY COULD HAVE PROVIDED SOME RELIEF.
YOU KNOW, THIS WAS A STATEWIDE IMPACT, AND IT WASN'T EVEN JUST THE STATE OF TEXAS THAT IMPACTED A LOT OF OUR COUNTRY.
AND SO, UH, THESE ARE, UH, ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED BY, UM, MAKING REQUESTS AT THE STATE LEVEL.
AND THEN OBVIOUSLY THE STATE MAKING A FEDERAL REQUEST.
AND I KNOW THAT, UM, OUR, OUR PRESIDENT EVEN TODAY INDICATED THAT HE WOULD BE SIGNING THAT DECLARATION OF A DISASTER.
SO, UH, WE CONTINUE TO WORK AND LOOK FOR EVERY RESOURCE THAT HAS MADE AVAILABLE, UH, AT THE TIME.
UH, THE AUSTIN BLACK BUSINESS JOURNAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS SAYS WE SERVICE MORE THAN 15,000.
AFRICAN-AMERICANS ALL OVER AUSTIN AND MOST HAVE BEEN WITHOUT ELECTRICITY AND WATER FOR THREE DAYS OR MORE WHEN AND WHERE CAN THEY GET CLEAN WATER WHO DRINK? AND IS THERE A MAP OF WATER AVAILABILITY FOR RESIDENCES AND COMPLEXES SIMILAR TO THE ONE AUSTIN ENERGY PROVIDES? WE CONTINUED TO REFINE THE, THE, THE MAP AS DISTRIBUTION PLAN FOR WATER.
UH, WE HOPE TO HAVE THAT OUT TO THE PUBLIC, UH, LATER TODAY.
AND SO WE WILL BE CLEAR ABOUT WHERE YOU CAN GO PICK UP WATER IF NEEDED.
UH, WE KNOW THAT OUR COMMUNITY IS BEING IMPACTED IN SO MANY WAYS, AND WE ARE SEEING HOW THE DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACTS ARE REALLY, UH, AFFECTING DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
AND SO WE ARE USING THAT THROUGH AN EQUITY LENS, UM, ON SCOPING, HOW WE WOULD BE MOVING THESE RESOURCES APPROPRIATELY WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY.
SO IF YOU HAVEN'T RECEIVED, UH, ASSISTANCE FROM YOUR NEIGHBORS OR FROM LOCAL CHURCHES OR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, AGAIN, THIS IS NEIGHBORS, HELPING NEIGHBORS, COMMUNITY GROUPS, HELPING COMMUNITY GROUPS.
WE'RE ALL TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN.
UH, BUT THE CITY AND TRAVIS COUNTY, UH, WE ARE SETTING UP THESE DISTRIBUTION
[00:35:01]
CENTERS.THIS ONE'S FROM KUT IS THE WATER SYSTEM PARTITIONED LIKE THE CITY'S ELECTRIC GRID.
WHY ARE SOME PARTS OF TOWN WITH WATER PRESSURE AND OTHERS WITH NONE? UH, PETITION'S NOT THE RIGHT WORD, BUT, BUT IT IS BUILT ON PRESSURE ZONES.
AND, UH, AND PRESSURE ZONES REALLY CORRESPOND TO ELEVATIONS IS AS YOU LIVE AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS IN AUSTIN, YOU'RE AT DIFFERENT PRESSURE ZONES.
AND WE BUILD WATER OUT FROM WE, WE HAVE TO START WITH THE CENTRAL ZONE AS THE BACKBONE OF THE SYSTEM.
AND, UH, AND THE CENTRAL ZONE IS NOT JUST THE CENTRAL CITY, THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
IT'S A VAST AREA THAT STRETCHES WELL EAST OF INTERSTATE 35, UH, AND NORTH AND SOUTH AREAS.
IT IS, IT IS THE BACKBONE OF THE SYSTEM AND THE DISTRIBUTION.
AND FROM THERE, WE PUMP WATER OUT TO OUR OTHER RESERVOIRS AND THAT'S HOW WE FILL THE SYSTEM.
SO THAT'S HOW IT NATURALLY KIND OF BUILDS OUT.
AND, UH, AND, AND, AND ULTIMATELY RECOVERS, UH, THROUGHOUT OUR ENTIRE SYSTEM.
WE HAVE THREE MAJOR DRINKING, WATER PLANTS, THEY SUPPORT THE ENTIRE SYSTEM, UH, THE, THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM AND RESERVOIRS ALL WORK AS A, AS AN INTEGRATED WHOLE, UH, TO SUPPORT THE SYSTEM, UH, ACROSS ALL OF OUR STUFF FROM THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN.
WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE AVAILABLE, OR WHAT IS THE STATUS OF WATER AVAILABILITY AT LOCAL HOSPITALS? HOSPITALS ARE OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY TO BRING INTO SERVICE AS WE WORK TO FILL RESERVOIRS AND, UH, AND EXTEND SERVICE AND RETURN PRESSURE.
OUR FIRST LENS IS HOW CAN WE GET HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, UH, UP AND RUNNING.
SO, UH, OVER THE LAST 24 HOURS, THE LARGE ACCOMP HOSPITAL COMPLEXES IN THE CENTRAL PART OF THE CITY HAVE ALL SEEN A WATER SERVICE RETURN.
WE'RE CONTINUING TO EXTEND THAT OUT.
UH, WE'RE WORKING ON, ON A WATER SERVICE TO DELL CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL.
THAT MATTER OF FACT, THEY MAY EVEN BE IN SERVICE ALREADY.
AND WE'RE, WE'RE HAVE A LIST OF ALL THE OTHER HOSPITAL AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS.
AND, UH, AND AS WE'RE, WE'RE BUILDING OUT THIS, UH, THIS IMPROVED SYSTEM OVER THE NEXT 48 HOURS, WE'LL BE TARGETING THOSE COMING UP FIRST, AGAIN, VERY HOPEFUL THAT THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND, MANY OF THOSE HOSPITALS WILL SEE A RETURN TO WATER SERVICE.
WE STILL HAVE TO WORK THROUGH, UH, LIFTING THE BOIL WATER NOTICE, YOU KNOW, THE FIRST PHASE IS GETTING WATER TO, TO YOUR, YOUR HOME BUSINESS OR HOSPITAL.
THE SECOND PHASE IS ULTIMATELY CLEARING THAT WATER FOR DRINKING AND, UH, AND, UH, THAT'LL THAT'LL HAPPEN UH, INTO NEXT WEEK, BUT GETTING THESE HOSPITALS BACK INTO SERVICE IS HAPPENING VERY RAPIDLY.
AND, AND IN ADDITION TO SERVICE TO THE HOSPITALS, THROUGH OUR SYSTEM, UH, WE'RE WORKING SOME OF THE HOSPITALS HAVE BEEN SECURING WATER TRUCKS.
WE HAVE BEEN, UH, ASSISTING WITH FILLING THOSE WATER TRUCKS AT OUR DRINKING WATER PLANTS, AS A WAY FOR THEM TO GET, UM, UH, ADDITIONAL WATER SUPPORT.
UH, ALSO AS THE MANAGER DISCUSSED ADDITIONAL BOTTLED WATER RESOURCES TO ASSIST THESE FACILITIES.
UM, SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT ARE UNDERWAY.
AND ADDITIONALLY, THE PUBLIC WORKS AND AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT STARTED RECEIVING REQUESTS STREET WITHOUT SHELTER, HAVE THE CITY AND COUNTY MOVED TO A MOTEL SINCE SUNDAY, HOW MANY, TWO COLD WEATHER SHELTERS AND HOW MANY WERE CONTACTED? IT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
UM, I THINK AT OUR PEAK YESTERDAY, OR THE NIGHT BEFORE LAST, WE HAD ABOUT 1500 PEOPLE SHELTERED ACROSS THE FOUR CITY RUN SHELTERS.
AND THAT WAS A MIX OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND THOSE WITHOUT POWER, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A BREAKDOWN, UH, AMONG THOSE GROUPS.
UM, AND THAT NUMBER DOES NOT INCLUDE THE CHURCHES THAT HAVE STEPPED UP SHELTERS SET UP BY THE AUSTIN DISASTER RELIEF NETWORK AND SUPPORTED BY OTHER COMMUNITY GROUPS.
UH, I DO KNOW THAT A PUBLIC SAFETY TASK FORCE WAS ESTABLISHED WITH POLICE, FIRE AND EMS WHO WENT TO MORE THAN 45 ENCAMPMENTS TO OFFER RIDES TO SHELTERS.
AND THE HOMELESS TEXTING ALERT SYSTEM WAS ACTIVATED THAT WENT TO OVER 550 PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS WITH INFORMATION ABOUT COLD WEATHER SCIENCE OF HYPOTHERMIA, FIRE SAFETY, AND THEN INFORMATION ABOUT THE SHELTER.
UH, THE CITY DIDN'T PROVIDE ANY HOTEL VOUCHERS DURING THIS RESPONSE.
UH, COMMUNITY PARTNERS WERE BETTER POISED TO DO THAT BECAUSE THEY CAN ACCEPT CASH DONATIONS.
FROM K VIEW, UM, TRAVIS COUNTY JUDGE, ANDY BROWN SAID
[00:40:01]
THAT, UH, THERE ARE ABOUT 1 MILLION GALLONS OF DRINKING WATER HEADED TO AUSTIN, AND FEMA IS BRINGING TWO TRUCKLOADS.IS THIS ENOUGH WATER TO GET US THROUGH THE CRISIS AND IS MORE DRINKING WATER BESIDES WHAT WAS LISTED, HEADED THIS WAY.
AND IT'S AND IF SO, HOW MUCH ARE THERE ANY COMING BY FLIGHT? YES, WE HAVE GOTTEN A CONFIRMATION THAT A FEMA, UH, PLANE IS ARRIVING, UH, IF IT HASN'T ALREADY, UH, IN, IN BECOMING OURS.
AND SO THAT IS ANOTHER SOURCE.
UH, WE'LL TRY TO PROVIDE THE TOTAL AMOUNT THAT IS GRABBING TODAY.
AND THEN AS WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NEEDS THAT ARE OUT THERE, UH, ADDITIONAL RESOURCES THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE.
UM, BUT ABSOLUTELY, BUT THE SHORT ANSWER, YOUR QUESTION IS NO, THAT'S NOT ENOUGH.
AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO, UH, UPDATE THE PUBLIC ON WHAT IS, WHAT IS COMING INTO OUR COMMUNITY, OKAY.
FROM KSAN, HOW MUCH WATER HAS BEEN LOST DURING THIS STORM DUE TO WATER LINE BREAKS.
AND HOW SOON WILL THAT BE REFLECTED IN RATE PAYERS BILLS? WELL, ANY WATER LOST THROUGH THE PUBLIC SYSTEM, UH, MAIN BREAKS AND LEAKS IS, IS NOT, UH, TRANSFERRED, UH, TO CUSTOMER MONTHLY BILLS.
UH, AND, UH, AND THE WATER LOSS IS SUBSTANTIAL.
THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT LEAKS AND BREAKS ON THE PUBLIC SIDE AND, UH, AND MORE, MORE TO UNCOVER AND REPAIR A SERIES OF RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, WITH THE COUNCIL TO PROVIDE CUSTOMERS A RELIEF FROM HAVING TO PAY ADDITIONAL FOR LEAKS AND, AND OTHER, UH, UH, HARDSHIPS THEY ENCOURAGED DURING THIS EVENT.
UH, AND SO I WANT TO REPEAT AGAIN, AUSTIN WATER, UH, DOES NOT WANT TO, AND WILL NOT PROFIT FROM ANY HARDSHIPS OR INCREASED WATER THAT HAPPENED AS A RESULT OF THIS, UH, THIS CATASTROPHE CVS OSS HAVE BEEN ASKS, WHAT ARE THE GUIDELINES AS WE GET MORE WATER, THERE WILL LIKELY BE A BIG DEMAND AS PEOPLE SHOWER, DO LAUNDRY, WASH DISHES, ET CETERA.
WELL, OUR, YOU KNOW, OUR GUIDELINES ARE ALWAYS BE CAUTIOUS.
YOU KNOW, WE UNDERSTAND THAT WATER IS ESSENTIAL AND THAT YOU NEED TO FLUSH TOILETS.
YOU NEED TO COOK WITH IT THAT YOU NEED TO DO SOME CLEANING WITH IT.
WE WOULD SAY, UH, YOU KNOW, THIS, THE SYSTEM IS A LITTLE TENDER, SO JUST START OFF SLOW AS YOU HAVE WATER, OR AS YOU GET WATER, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST, JUST KIND OF BE CAUTIOUS.
AND IF EVERYONE USES A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF WATER, EVERYTHING'S GOING TO BE FINE.
AND, UH, AND YOU KNOW, THAT GOES FOR ALL OF OUR BUSINESSES.
WE'VE BEEN TALKING TO ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS, UH, NON-RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS, YOU KNOW, BE VERY CAUTIOUS WITH YOUR WATER USE.
UH, DON'T START UP PROCESSES IMMEDIATELY, YOU KNOW, LET US GET THROUGH THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS AND REBUILD THE SYSTEM PRESSURES AND FIX LEAKS THAT WE'RE SEEING.
SO AS LONG AS PEOPLE DO THAT, AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO DO IT IN A HARDSHIP WHERE YOU DON'T DRINK WATER TO STAY HYDRATED, WHERE, WHERE, YOU KNOW, YOU YOU'RE LIVING IN UNSAFE CONDITIONS.
UM, UH, WE'RE NOT RECOMMENDING THAT, BUT JUST A, YOU KNOW, JUST, JUST, JUST MANAGE YOUR WATER IN A REASONABLE WAY AND, AND GOOD THINGS WILL HAPPEN.
ALL RIGHT, FROM UNIVISION, UH, FOR RESIDENTS THAT HAVE BURST PIPES, WHO CAN THEY CALL TO REPORT LEAKS, OR WHERE CAN THEY FIND REFERENCES OR WEBSITES THAT EXPLAIN WHERE THEY CAN SHUT WATER OFF? WELL, IF YOU GO TO THE AUSTIN WATER WEBSITE, WE HAVE RESOURCE MATERIAL THAT SHOWS YOU HOW TO TURN OFF A WATER AT YOUR, AT YOUR HOUSE, AT YOUR, YOUR PROPERTY LINE.
UM, EVEN IF YOU GOOGLE AND GO TO A YOUTUBE, THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF VIDEOS ABOUT HOW TO DO THAT.
THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY AUSTIN WATER VIDEOS, BUT, BUT THERE ARE MANY, MANY RESOURCES FOR HOW TO DO THAT.
UM, YOU KNOW, OFTEN FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS ARE VERY SKILLED IN THAT.
AND, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN REACH OUT TO THOSE FOLKS AND, AND TO HELP YOU, UH, IN, IN, IN HOW TO DO THAT, UM, YOU CAN, UH, CONTACT AUSTIN WATER, YOU KNOW, QUITE FRANKLY, ARE OUR DISPATCH LINES THAT NORMALLY TAKE CALLS FOR EMERGENCIES ARE OVERWHELMED, YOU KNOW, IN NORMAL ON THOSE, UH, KIND OF, UH, FORMS THAT ALSO, YOU KNOW, GIVES, GIVES US MORE INSIGHTS INTO, YOU KNOW, WHERE THE SYSTEM IS HAVING, HAVING SOME PROBLEMS, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'LL BE WORKING, AS I MENTIONED IN THE INTRODUCTION ON OTHER RESOURCES TO HELP CUSTOMERS, UH, REPAIR THEIR SYSTEMS. I THINK ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IS THE NUMBER OF PLUMBERS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO FIX THINGS IS THERE'S A LIMITED AMOUNT AND THERE'S A LOT OF NEED.
I KNOW THAT THE, THE, THE CITY
[00:45:01]
AND THE STATE AND OTHER ARE WORKING ON, ON HOW TO ENHANCE RESOURCES FOR REPAIRS AND TO ASSIST THE COMMUNITY WITH THAT.AND I THINK THERE'LL BE MORE INFORMATION ON THAT COMING OUT.
UM, SO, SO THAT SOME, SOME GUIDANCE ON THAT.
UM, WITHOUT MS. SARGENT ON THE CALL ANYMORE, I DON'T SEE HER ON THE CALL.
THIS QUESTION, I THINK IS PROBABLY FOR CITY MANAGER, CRONK AND DIRECTOR MAZARA.
UM, THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS AN OFFICIAL POSITION RELATED TO GLOBAL WARMING.
THE MAYOR TRAVELED TO PARIS AND MEXICO CITY TO REPRESENT AUSTIN AND CLIMATE CONVERSATIONS, SCOLDING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR LEAVING THE PARIS ACCORD WITH THOUSANDS OF HOMES WITHOUT POWER WATER.
WHY SHOULD CITIZENS NOT FEEL LIKE THAT IS ALL POLITICAL THEATER INSTEAD OF FORTIFYING THE INFRASTRUCTURE? WHERE WAS THE SMART GRID AND WATER TECHNOLOGY DURING THIS CRISIS? ARE THERE ANY UNSPENT BOND DOLLARS FOR SUCH TECHNOLOGY? AND THAT QUESTION IS FROM SUN RADIO.
UM, SO, UH, CLIMATE CHANGES IS A PROFOUND RISK, AND I THINK YOU'RE SEEING IT, UH, ALL ACROSS THE BOARD WITH WEATHER EXTREMES, UH, IT'S HAPPENING IN THE SUMMER WITH INCREASED DROUGHTS AND, UH, AND, AND RISK OF, OF, OF, UH, WATER SHORTAGES FROM DROUGHTS IT'S HAPPENING, UH, WITH FLOODING AND, UH, AND, AND, AND EX EXCESSIVE RAINS AND, UH, AND UPSET, UH, TO WATER QUALITY AND NATURAL SYSTEMS. AND NOW IT'S HAPPENING WITH INTENSE POLAR VORTEX IS, UH, COMING DOWN, UH, DEEPER AND MORE PERSISTENT, UH, INTO THE SOUTH.
AND WE HAVE TO PREPARE FOR THOSE, UH, WE HAVE TO PREPARE TO, TO BE BETTER IN EMERGENCIES.
THERE'S GOING TO BE MORE EMERGENCIES.
AND, UH, AND WE HAVE TO PRE PREPARE TO BE BETTER IN TERMS OF HOW OUR INDIVIDUALLY WE PREPARE FOR THOSE, UH, HOW WE, UH, COMMUNICATE AND PREPARE FOR THOSE AS A COMMUNITY.
UH, TECHNOLOGY IS HELPING, UH, I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.
SO WE HAVE STARTED AND ADVANCED METER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT WHERE EVERY HOME WILL HAVE A METER AND THEY CAN SEE THEIR WATER USE HOUR TO HOUR.
THAT WILL GIVE US MUCH MORE INSIGHTS INTO HOW CUSTOMERS ARE BEING AFFECTED.
RIGHT NOW, WE CAN'T TELL FROM A WATER METER, IF YOUR HOME HAS A, HOW WE PREPARE FOR EMERGENCIES, HOW WE COMMUNICATE TO CUSTOMERS, UH, THROUGH THESE NEW TECHNOLOGIES.
SO IT TAKES TIME AND EFFORT TO DO THAT.
REPLACING 250,000 METERS AT A COST OF A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS IS A, IS A VERY LARGE UNDERTAKING, AND IT TAKES TIME.
BUT, BUT THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT, THAT WE NEED TO DO AND TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THAT AS A COMMUNITY, THE, THE PUBLIC UTILITY CAN'T SOLVE IT, ALL, UH, CUSTOMERS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE MORE RESILIENT ON THEMSELVES.
THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO TURN OFF THE WATER IN FRONT OF THEIR HOUSE.
THEY MAY HAVE NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT IN THE LAST 50 YEARS.
THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THAT IN THE FUTURE.
THEY MAY NEED TO STORE SOME BOTTLED WATER AT THEIR HOUSES IN LARGER VOLUMES, IN CASE THERE'S INTERRUPTIONS.
YOU KNOW, WE LIVE IN A WORLD WITH HIGHER RISK AND WE HAVE TO ADAPT OUR BEHAVIORS TO THAT.
AND I'LL JUST ADD ONE OF THE THINGS THAT ATTRACTED ME TO AUSTIN.
I MOVED HERE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO TO TAKE THIS JOB WAS HOW OUR COMMUNITY REALLY LEANED INTO MAKING SURE THAT WE WERE ADDRESSING THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY THAT WE'RE UNDER.
UH, WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE TO BE MORE RESILIENT.
I'VE SEEN INCREDIBLE LEADERSHIP FROM OUR MAYOR AND COUNCIL TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN AS A CITY, AND THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITY TO ADDRESSING, UH, CLIMATE CHANGE.
AND SO I THINK WE CAN CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR OTHER WAYS TO ADDRESS IT.
I KNOW THAT WE WILL ALWAYS BE WORKING ON OUR OWN SYSTEMS, OUR OWN INFRASTRUCTURE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE MORE RESILIENT IN THE FUTURE.
WE'VE SEEN, UH, PLANS THAT ARE WATERFALL OR PLAN FROM A DIRECTOR OF MISSOURI'S AND HIS TEAM, WHICH WAS REALLY A COMMUNITY LED EFFORTS.
UH, AND THAT IS, UH, ONE EXAMPLE OF SO MANY ACROSS OUR ENTIRE ENTERPRISE.
SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS NOT GOING AWAY AND WILL ONLY BECOME MORE INTENSE OVER THE YEARS.
AND THIS COMMUNITY IS POISED TO ADDRESS IT.
HEAD-ON UNLIKE ANY OTHER CITY IN THE COUNTRY, ALL RIGHT, FROM THE AUSTIN BLACK BUSINESS JOURNAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS, UM, BLACK AND MINORITY COMMUNITIES HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO WORK IN A WEEK.
WHAT WOULD THERE BE ANY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR RENT OR UTILITIES I'LL START.
AND THEN I THINK WE'VE JUST EMPHASIZING THAT WE ARE GOING TO LOOK AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE FOR OUR COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN HIT HARDEST BY
[00:50:01]
THIS EVENTS.UH, WE HAVE SAID OVER AND OVER IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC, WE'RE HIT BY BOTH A WATER AND ELECTRIC, UH, CRISIS IN, UH, IN THE MIDDLE OF A WINTER STORM THAT HAS JUST CRIPPLED OUR ENTIRE STATES, BUT SOME COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN HIT HARDER THAN OTHERS.
AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT, AND WE WILL BE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO SUPPORT THEM USING BOTH CITY RESOURCES, STATE RESOURCES, AND FEDERAL, ESPECIALLY IN A YEAR WHEN THEY WERE ALREADY STRUGGLING.
NO, I WAS PROUD OF OUR, UH, CITY COUNCIL FOR INITIATING PROGRAMS TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR OUR RESTAURANTS DURING A PANDEMIC.
I KNOW THAT EVERYONE IS SUFFERING SO MUCH IN THIS INCREDIBLY CHALLENGING YEAR THAT WE'VE HAD.
UH, AS I, UH, I'LL JUST REPEAT THAT WE WILL EXPLORE EVERY OPTION TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE.
AND I JUST WANT TO PAUSE AND APPRECIATE, UH, THE, THE WAY IN WHICH SOME OF THESE RESTAURANTS AND BREWERIES AND ALL COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS HAVE REALLY DONE WHATEVER THEY CAN TO HELP EACH OTHER OUT.
WE KNOW THAT IT'S APPRECIATED.
WE KNOW THAT THIS IS A COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO A CRISIS, AND I HAVE SEEN INCREDIBLE EFFORTS ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY, AND WE HOPE TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE ARE ASSISTANCE IF, IF IT'S POSSIBLE FROM KVU, UH, HOW ARE THE RESERVOIRS LOOKING TODAY AND HOW LONG DO YOU PREDICTABLE TAKE TO FILL THEM? IS THE ICE IS THE MELTING ICE HELPING THIS PROCESS.
SO I KNOW THAT THE MELTING ICE IS, IS NOT HELPING US, YOU KNOW, UH, ICE AND RAIN IS, IS REALLY FLOWING INTO STREAMS AND THE RIVERS, YOU KNOW, OUR RESERVOIRS ARE ALL ENCLOSED STRUCTURES THAT ONLY HOLD POTABLE, UH, OR WHOLE DRINKING WATER.
SO WE DON'T ALLOW THE MIXTURE OF, OF, OF, UH, OF, OF LIKE THAT KIND OF A RAW WATER IN, INTO THOSE SYSTEMS. SO THIS IS ALL COMING FROM OUR TREATMENT PLANTS, UH, FILLING UP OF THOSE RESERVOIRS RESERVOIRS ARE, ARE, UH, FILLING, UH, A SLOW BUT STEADY, UM, UH, AT THE HEIGHT OF THE, OF THE EMERGENCY, UH, THE BULK OF OUR RESERVOIRS WERE DRAINED ALMOST TO NO A STORAGE.
YOU KNOW, WE, THEY NORMALLY HOLD A HUNDRED MILLION GALLONS.
I THINK I LOOKED JUST A LITTLE BEFORE THIS SESSION AND WE WERE UP TO ABOUT, OVER A THIRD OF RECOVERY.
SO WE'RE UP IN, YOU KNOW, 35, 40 MILLION GALLON RANGE.
AND, UH, AND THAT SHOULD STEADILY CLIMB, UH, INTO THE WEEKEND.
AND, UH, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, ON, ON A POSITIVE TRACK THERE, OKAY.
THIS FROM, FROM CO-OP RADIO, UM, THE CITY HAS BEEN ADVISING RESIDENTS, NOT TO DRIP FAUCETS LAST NIGHT WAS A HARD FREEZE.
HOW COLD DOES IT HAVE TO GET BEFORE THE CITY CHANGES ITS ADVICE? WELL, NORMALLY WE WOULD, UH, WE, WE, WE WOULD HAVE ENCOURAGED FAUCET DRIPPING, BUT, UH, UH, WITH THE WATER EMERGENCY AND THE PERSISTENT, UH, PERIOD OF TIME THAT WE'VE BEEN IN WITH THESE, UH, LOW, UH, THIS SYSTEM, WE REALLY WOULD ENCOURAGE CUSTOMERS TO MINIMIZE THAT.
AND, UH, AND, AND, UH, MORE MANAGED, TURNING OFF THEIR WATER AT, AT THE CURB AND, UH, AND DRAINING THEIR WATER SYSTEM, UH, OPENING FAUCETS, UH, OF THE, BEFORE A FREEZE.
ALTHOUGH I THINK WE'RE OUT OF THE WORST RISK, UH, YOU KNOW, THE WEATHER FORECAST IS INDICATING THAT WE'RE, WE'RE LIKELY TO BE ABOVE FREEZING, UH, OR JUST TINY BIT BELOW, UH, FOR THE, FOR THE FORESEEABLE, UH, FORECAST PERIODS.
AND SO I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE OUT OF THAT RISK PERIOD AND CUSTOMERS SHOULD NOT BE, UH, BE WORRIED ABOUT THAT.
I THINK GOING FORWARD AS MUCH.
THIS IS OUR FINAL QUESTION FROM THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN.
UM, WHEN DO YOU EXPECT THE BOIL WATER NOTICE TO END? WELL, THE ACTUAL LIFTING OF THE BOIL WATER NOTICE IS A, IS A PROCESS.
IT ISN'T A PROCESS OF PRESSURE.
IT'S A PROCESS OF TESTING, SAMPLING WATER AND TESTING IT AT OUR LAB.
AND, UH, AND AS WE STABILIZE PRESSURES, UH, WE WILL BEGIN THAT PROCESS OF SAMPLING.
UH, WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH STATE REGULATORY AGENCIES TO CLEAR, UH, PORTIONS OF OUR SYSTEM, INSTEAD OF EVERYTHING COMING OUT OF THE BOIL WATER NOTICE AT THE SAME TIME, WE MIGHT BE IN A, IN A POSITION TO BE ABLE TO JUST TAKE PIECES OF OUR SYSTEM, SMALLER PARTS AND, AND CLEAR IT FOR POTABLE USE, WHICH WOULD ALLOW US TO ALLOW HOSPITALS AND OTHERS TO START UP FOR DRINKING WATER USE, UH, FASTER.
AND SO, UH, SO WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT, UH, BEGINNING NEXT WEEK, THOSE PROCESSES WILL START TO TAKE PLACE AND WE'LL LIFT OUT
[00:55:01]
OF THAT.YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY IT'S MUCH BETTER TO HAVE WATER THAT YOU CAN BOIL AND, AND, UH, AND, AND USE TO NOT HAVE THE WATER AT ALL.
SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, OUR FIRST GOAL IS JUST TO GET, YOU KNOW, WATER SERVICE TO EVERYBODY.
AND, UH, AND THEN FROM THERE, WE'LL BE WORKING TO, UH, TO LIFT THE BOIL WATER NOTICE.
AND, UH, AND AGAIN, THIS IS ALL GONNA COME TOGETHER, UH, INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CHRISTOPHER, FROM ANY IMPACT FOR BEING OUR POORER WAR, UH, POLL REPORTER TODAY.
UH, AND WITH THAT, I WILL HAND IT OVER TO CITY MANAGER CROP FOR SOME, UH, CLOSING COMMENTS.
AND I HOPE THESE UPDATES HAVE BEEN HELPFUL.
AGAIN, I KNOW THAT THERE'S INFORMATION THAT WE CONTINUE TO PUSH OUT AND AS WE LEARN MORE, OH, WE WILL GET THAT TO YOU AS SOON AS WE CAN.
WE ARE NOT THROUGH THIS EVENTS.
YES, WE DO HAVE CUSTOMERS AND RESIDENTS THAT ARE STILL SUFFERING IMMENSELY FROM THIS EVENTS.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO BOTH RESTORE POWER AND WATER TO EACH ONE OF OUR RESIDENTS HERE IN AUSTIN.
WE APOLOGIZE FOR WHAT WE HAVE PUT EVERYONE THE EFFECTS OF THIS EVENT.
AND THANK YOU TO AUSTIN ENERGY, GENERAL MANAGER, JACKIE SERGEANT AUSTIN, WATER DIRECTOR, GREG MASSARO AND AUSTIN PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR RICHARD MENDOZA.
THIS CONCLUDES OUR PRESS CONFERENCE.
AS A REMINDER FOR EVERYONE, PLEASE REMEMBER TO STAY WEATHER AWARE AS WE STILL HAVE MORE FREEZING TEMPERATURES EXPECTED FOR OVERNIGHT, AND TO SAY EMERGENCY PREPARED BY CONTINUING TO FOLLOW CITY AND COUNTY SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS FOR UPDATES.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, EVERYONE.