[00:00:02]
[CALL TO ORDER - 6:00pm]
THIS MEETING OF THE WINTER STORM TASK FORCE TO ORDER WITH CITY STAFF, PLEASE DISPLAY OUR AGENDA AND IF YOU COULD MAKE IT A LITTLE LARGER SO THAT WE CAN ALL READ IT WHILE YOU'RE DOING OUR TASK FORCE MEMBERS AND WELCOME THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY THAT ARE TAKING THE TIME OUT OF THEIR BUSY SCHEDULES TO JOIN US THIS EVENING AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK[2a. Welcome and purpose of the Listening Session by Chair Sareta Davis and Vice Chair Rebecca Austen.]
THAT WINTER STORM REVIEW TASK FORCE WAS ESTABLISHED, UH, BY CM TOVO TO HEAR YOUR FEEDBACK REGARDING ISSUES YOU ENCOUNTERED DURING THE STORM, WHAT YOU THINK THE CITY COULD BE DOING BETTER.AND ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO RELAY TO US, YOUR EXPERIENCE, UM, WHETHER GOOD OR BAD DURING THE STORM, WE WILL, AT THE END OF ALL, LISTENING SESSIONS, COMPILE A REPORT, UM, AND PRESENT IT TO CITY COUNCIL WITH ALL RECOMMENDATIONS AND FEEDBACK WE RECEIVED FROM THE, UH, CONSTITUENTS OF AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY.
UM, THAT BEING SAID, UM, YOU CAN, UH, REVIEW OUR FIRST LISTENING SESSION AT SPEAKUP BOSTON.
THIS LISTENING SESSION WILL ALSO BE UPLOADED THERE AND FUTURE LISTENING SESSIONS.
WE'LL ALSO, AND I'LL START WITH OUR AGENDA.
CITIZENS' COMMUNICATIONS SPEAKERS WHO REGISTERED TO SPEAK NO LATER THAN NOON.
THE DAY BEFORE THE MEETING WILL BE ALLOWED TO ADDRESS THEIR CONCERNS REGARDING ITEMS NOT POSTED ON THE AGENDA DURING THIS PORTION OF THE AGENDA.
PATRICIA, DO WE HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP FOR CITIZENS COMMUNICATION? WE DO NOT.
[1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – May 7, 2021]
YOU.AND THEN YOU ALL SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED VIA EMAIL PRIOR TO THE MEETING.
UM, OUR, UH, APPROVAL OF MINUTES IS UP NEXT.
YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED THE MINUTES FROM OUR MAY SEVEN 2021 LISTENING SESSION.
UH, IF YOU'VE REVIEWED THOSE MINUTES, UH, LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE NOT TAKE A MOMENT TO DO SO, BUT I WILL MOTION THAT WE APPROVE OUR MINUTES FROM OUR MAY SEVEN 2021 MEETING.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? THANK YOU.
AND RAISE YOUR HAND OR LET ME KNOW.
IS THERE ANYONE THAT NEEDS TIME TO REVIEW THE MINUTES? OKAY.
HEARING NO ONE, UH, I MOTION WE APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM OUR MAY SEVEN 2021 MEETING ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.
WE NEED ONE MORE AFFIRMATIVE SO THAT WE HAVE SIX.
THAT'S AT LEAST SIX OR MEETING MINUTES FROM OUR MAY SEVEN, 2021 MEETING ARE, ARE APPROVED.
UM, WE DO NOT HAVE ANY CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UH, LAST I WAS TOLD JOINING US THIS EVENING.
IS THAT STILL CORRECT? PATRICIA? THAT IS CORRECT.
BUT WE DO HAVE, UH, INFORMATION PROVIDED TO US, UH, PRIOR TO THE MEETING FROM CM KOSSAR'S OFFICE.
AND WE WILL READ THAT INTO THE RECORD AS THEY TOOK THE TIME TO SEND US FEEDBACK FROM HIS DISTRICT, UH, REGARDING THE, THE STORM AND, AND WHAT SOME OF HIS CONSTITUENTS EXPERIENCED.
UM, I'M GOING TO OPEN IT UP AT THIS TIME.
UM, I'VE ALREADY GIVEN THE PURPOSE OF OUR LISTENING SESSIONS.
[2b. Listening Session – community members and organizational representatives provide testimony on their experiences during and in that aftermath of Winter Storm Uri.]
SO WE HAVE OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, I BELIEVE ON THE LINE CITY STAFF.DO WE HAVE INDIVIDUALS IN QUEUE TO SPEAK? WE DO.
WE HAVE, UM, EIGHT SPEAKERS THAT HAVE CALLED IN.
SO I WANTED TO ASK THE TASK FORCE HOW MUCH TIME YOU WOULD LIKE TO DESIGNATE FOR EACH SPEAKER OR FOR ALL THE SPEAKERS? WELL, AS WE HAVE TWO HOURS THIS EVENING AND WE WERE ANTICIPATING, I BELIEVE LAST YEAR UPDATED ME 10 SPEAKERS, BUT RIGHT NOW WE HAVE EIGHT.
UM, I'M GOING TO, TO GIVE LATITUDE.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE RUNNING SHORT ON TIME, I'LL ADDRESS IT THEN.
BUT I THINK WE'LL BE OKAY WITH TWO HOURS, UH, EIGHT TO 10 SPEAKERS.
AND THEN, UH, THE TESTIMONY THAT WE'LL READ INTO THE RECORD.
SO A LISTENING SESSION, COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND ORGANIZATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES PROVIDE TESTIMONY ON THEIR EXPERIENCES DURING, AND IN THE AFTERMATH OF WINTER STORM, EARLY, SPONSORED BY MYSELF AND COMMISSIONER JEFFREY CLEMENTS.
AND THANK YOU, UH, JEFFREY FOR SPONSORING THIS AGENDA ITEM.
SO PATRICIA WE'RE READY FOR OUR FIRST SPEAKER.
FIRST SPEAKER IS FELICIA WATLEY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US, JOINING US THIS EVENING.
AND PLEASE BEGIN WHENEVER YOU'RE READY,
[00:05:02]
MS. WATLEY, IF YOU'RE SPEAKING, WE CAN'T HEAR YOU.I'VE GOT TO TAKE THE NEW MEDICINE.
UM, ON FEBRUARY 15TH, MONDAY MORNING, OUR APARTMENT BUILDING CAUGHT ON FIRE.
WE WERE AT THE PARK ON ROADIE LANE APARTMENT OFF OF BRODY AND WILLIAM CANNON.
AND OUR WHOLE BUILDING IS TOTALED.
UM, THIS HAPPENED AROUND 10 30 THAT MORNING, THE POLICEMEN AND FIREMEN CAME AND JUST KNOCKED ON EVERYBODY'S DOOR AND SAID, GET OUT.
AS SOON AS WE WENT OUT, WE SAW FLAMES SHOOTING FROM THE ROOF, THE THIRD ON THE THIRD FLOOR.
UM, THAT WHOLE DAY WE WERE PRETTY MUCH STUCK IN THE SNOW IN THE PARKING LOT.
NO, NO ONE FROM OUR APARTMENT COMPLEX, UM, MAINTENANCE TRIED TO HELP, BUT THERE WAS NO MANAGEMENT.
AT ANY POINT, A NEIGHBOR CAME AROUND AND GAVE EVERYBODY A BOTTLE OF WATER.
AND WE DID HAVE A PROTEIN BAR AT THE APARTMENT REC CENTER.
UM, BY THIS POINT THEY DID TAKE US TO THE REC CENTER AROUND ONE OR TWO IN THE AFTERNOON, PERHAPS.
AND MOST OF US WERE FREEZING AND SOAKING WET.
SOME PEOPLE, MOST OF US WERE ONLY IN OUR PAJAMAS CAUSE WE WERE ALL TRYING TO STAY MORE IN THE POWER OF ANNOUNCEMENTS TWO IN THE MORNING.
SO, UH, FOR INSTANCE, MY HUSBAND HAD NO SOCKS ON JUST SHOES AND HIS PAJAMAS.
I HAD A RAIN COAT AND A REAL COAT AND OUR FRIENDS JUST, YOU KNOW, WERE DRESSED THE SAME WAY IN CASUAL CLOTHES AND FREEZING.
UM, AFTER THE FIRE THAT NIGHT, WE WERE TRYING TO FIND OUT WHERE WE SHOULD GO AND THE FIREMEN COULDN'T EVEN TELL US WHAT TO DO.
THEY JUST KIND OF LOOKED THROUGH US WHEN WE ASKED WHAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO DO.
UM, THANKFULLY WE HAD, UH, OUR NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS.
THEY WERE IN THE SAME SITUATION THAT WE WERE IN.
SO THE FOUR OF US GOT INTO OUR CARS AND WE ENDED UP DRIVING FROM A BIRDIE LANE ALL THE WAY UP TO ROUND ROCK TO FIND A HOTEL TO STAY IN.
AND WE HAD ALREADY HAD A RESERVATION AT ONE PLACE, BUT THEY DIDN'T HONOR OUR RESERVATION.
THEY GAVE IT TO SOMEONE ELSE FOR MORE MONEY.
UM, THE SPEAKER WHO'S COMING UP AFTER ME IS OUR NEIGHBOR AND HIS MOM FOUND US A HOTEL ROOM.
SO WE WERE ALL ABLE, THE FOUR OF US AND ONE OF OUR CATS WERE ABLE TO BE SAFE THAT NIGHT.
BUT AGAIN, WE HAD NO FOOD, NO WATER.
UM, ONE OF MY OTHER CAT WAS STILL STUCK IN THE APARTMENT.
IT WAS ONE OF THE STORIES NIGHTS THAT I EVER HAD IN HER LIFE.
WE WERE DRIVING DOWN SOUTH LAMAR, TRYING TO GET TO A HOTEL.
AND THE POLICEMAN TOLD US TO TURN AROUND AND WE HAD, WE DIDN'T KNOW WHERE TO GO OR WHAT TO DO.
WE SERIOUSLY THOUGHT THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE SWEEPING IN OUR CARS THAT NIGHT ON THE SIDE OF
UM, I THINK EVEN MY NEIGHBORS WOULD SAY THAT THEY WERE PRETTY MUCH HORRIFIED AND SCARED AT THIS POINT.
I THINK WE WERE ALL SUFFERING FROM PTSD.
I DO HAVE TO SAY THAT NO ONE IN THE FIRE, I THINK THERE WAS ABOUT 20 FAMILIES, MAYBE A LITTLE MORE, MAYBE A LITTLE LESS, NOBODY WAS HURT AND ALL OF THE ANIMALS AND EVERYBODY DID GET OUT EVENTUALLY.
UM, BUT THAT BEING SAID, WE LOST EVERYTHING TO WATER DAMAGE.
WE WERE ABLE TO SAVE MAYBE, MAYBE 10% OF EVERYTHING WE OWNED AND MY HUSBAND AND I HAD BEEN TOGETHER FOR OVER 38 YEARS.
SO THAT'S A LOT OF STUFF GONE.
UM, THE THINGS THAT I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW IS IT SEEMS LIKE THINGS KIND OF BROKE DOWN.
UM, ARE THERE GROUPS TO HELP US FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO, WHERE TO GO? UM, I WAS REALLY DISHEARTENING WHEN WE WATCHED A FIREMAN DRIVE AWAY AND JUST, WE WERE ALL JUST STUCK THERE.
UH, SOME PEOPLE THAT HAVE FRIENDS WITH IT BECAUSE STAY WITH AND THAT KIND OF THING, BUT WE DID NOT.
AND NEITHER DID OUR NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS.
UM, THE NEXT FEW DAYS AFTER THAT NIGHT, SINCE WE DID HAVE FOOD AND WATER IN OUR APARTMENT, BUT SINCE WE WEREN'T ALLOWED BACK IN THERE, WE HAD TO EVERY DAY FOR STRIVE, EVERY DRIVE AROUND TWO TO THREE MILES RADIUS, LOOKING FOR FOOD AND WATER, AND WE WOULD FIND MAYBE A BOTTLE, MAYBE A FEW BOTTLES, JUST DEPENDING ON WHAT TIME OF DAY IT WAS.
UM, OUR NEIGHBORS AND I, AND MY HUSBAND AND I DID PULL OUR RESOURCES TOGETHER AND TRIED TO SHARE EVERYTHING THAT WE CAME UP WITH.
UM, I FEEL LUCKY TO HAVE HAD THEM WITH US.
UM, WE FELT LIKE THOSE FIRST FEW DAYS WE WERE LIVING IN THE MOVIE ROAD WARRIOR, JUST LOOKING FOR ANYTHING TO HELP US GET THROUGH.
UM, ONE QUESTION I DO HAVE IS, IS THERE AN AGENCY IN TEXAS THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR KEEPING RECORDS OF APARTMENT COMPLEXES WHEN THEY HAVE CHIMNEYS SUITES COME IN? APPARENTLY THE FIRE STARTED IN SOMEONE'S CHIMNEY WITH A LOOSE AMBER GETTING OUT INTO THE ATTIC.
THAT SEEMS LIKE SOME KIND OF MAINTENANCE ISSUE TO ME.
AND WE'RE TRYING TO FIND OUT WHERE ARE WE WHERE WE CAN GET THE INFORMATION WHERE THE FIRE STARTED AND WHOSE APARTMENT IT STARTED IN, BUT NOBODY WILL GIVE US THIS INFORMATION.
UM, OBVIOUSLY THIS ISN'T THE FIRST APARTMENT FIRE IN AUSTIN, BUT WE DO WANT TO KNOW WHERE WE CAN GET THIS INFORMATION.
UM, THE LAST THING I WANT TO SAY REALLY IS IF TEXAS IS GOING TO RUN THE ENERGIES THE WAY THEY'RE DOING IT RIGHT NOW, THEN I THINK I WANT TO MOVE OUT OF THIS STATE.
I'M A NATIVE TEXAN AND I REALLY DON'T WANT TO LEAVE, BUT I WAS TOTALLY FLOORED WHEN I SAW WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO OUR ENERGY, THE GRID AND EVERYTHING.
UM, I DON'T KNOW WHY WE WEREN'T PREPARED MORE.
WE'D HAD THE CHANCE TO WINTERIZE EVERYTHING AND WE DIDN'T PEOPLE LIKE MY HUSBAND AND ME AND MY NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS AND EVERYBODY ELSE.
WE JUST HAD A TOTAL BREAKDOWN.
[00:10:01]
NOBODY WAS THERE TO HELP.AND I APPRECIATE YOU LISTENING TO ME AND I WILL ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ANYBODY HAS FOR ME.
UM, AND THIS IS A STREET OF DAVIS, UM, ASKING YOU A QUESTION, WERE YOU OFFERED ANY, UM, FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FROM THE CITY OR ANY OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND, AND WHERE ARE YOU LIVING NOW? WE'VE BEEN OFFERED NOTHING EXCEPT FOR A $500 GIFT CERTIFICATE FROM OUR APARTMENT COMPLEX.
WE WERE LUCKY AND OUR NEIGHBORS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO TALK TO NEXT HAD AN APARTMENT LOCATOR AND THIS GUY GOT US INTO A GOOD PLACE ON SOUTHWEST PARKWAY, THE PRESERVE ITSELF, BUT THE PRESERVE ON TRAVIS CREEK.
SO WE'RE NOT VERY FAR FROM WHERE WE LIVED AND IT'S VERY SIMILAR TO IT, BUT I THINK WE'RE LUCKY THAT WE ACTUALLY HAD SOME SAVINGS.
I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO SOMEONE WITH NO SAVINGS AT THIS POINT.
AND WHAT DISTRICT WERE YOU LIVING IN WHEN THE FIRE OCCURRED? THE SAME ONE I'M LIVING IN RIGHT NOW.
SO THAT WAS SEVEN, SEVEN, EIGHT, SEVEN FOUR FIVE WAS THE OLD CODE.
SO IN TERMS OF THE, THE FIRE, THE F THE STORM IS UPON US.
UM, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DID HAVE TO COME OUT TO PUT OUT THE FIRE, BUT THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE OTHERWISE AS EMERGENCY SERVICES, DUE TO OTHER ISSUES WITH THE STORM.
AND THE, YES, THE PIPES WERE FROZEN WHEN THE, WHEN THE FIREMEN GOT THERE.
SO THEY HAD TO DO SOMETHING TO GET THE PIPES AND FROZEN, OR BRING IN SOME EQUIPMENT TO GET WATER GOING TO IT.
SO THAT DELAYED THEIR RESPONSE.
UH, BUT NO, NOBODY OFFERED US ANY ASSISTANCE AT ALL.
AND DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MS. WATLEY? HI, THIS IS MOLLY WONG SPEAKING.
UM, HI, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING BY THE WAY YOU MENTIONED THAT NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED.
UM, DOES, DOES THAT INCLUDE NO, NO, UM, ASSISTANCE LINKING YOU TO AT LEAST TWO, ONE, ONE, RIGHT.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR FEEDBACK FROM MS. WILEY? WELL, MS. WILEY, THIS, THIS IS THE CHAIR SERITA, DAVID SPEAKING AGAIN.
UM, I'M VERY SORRY YOU HAD THIS EXPERIENCE.
UM, WE ARE GOING TO WORK HARD TO CHANGE IT.
THE QUESTIONS YOU ASKED US TO SEE ME, WOULD YOU MIND REPEATING THEM IN TERMS OF RESOURCES? AND WE WILL ASK, UM, OUR LIAISON TO GET BACK TO YOU WITH ANY INFORMATION SHE FINDS OUT FROM THE CITY.
WE'LL SEE IF WE CAN FIND SOME FOR YOU.
UM, I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW IF THERE IS AN AGENCY THAT'S RESPONSIBLE FOR KEEPING TRACK OF ALL THE CHIMNEY SWEETS I WOULD ASSUME GO ON AND APARTMENT COMPLEXES.
AND, UH, THEN THE NEXT QUESTION IS, UM, HOW DO WE FIND OUT INFORMATION ABOUT WHERE THE FIRE STARTED? EXACTLY.
AND WHO STARTED IT? UM, JUST CAUSE WE NEED THAT FOR OUR RECORDS AND FOR INSURANCE, OUR INSURANCE CAN'T EVEN GET THIS INFORMATION AND YOU NEED THAT SO THAT THEY CAN, THEY CAN COVER ALL THE ITEMS LOST, CORRECT? YES.
I THINK I HAD ONE MORE QUESTION.
UM, OH, JUST ALWAYS CURIOUS ABOUT WHY THERE, I KNOW THAT IT WAS AN EXTREME STORM.
I GET THAT, BUT WE KNEW IT WAS COMING AND I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW WHY THE HOSES OR THE WATER SOURCES OR WHATEVER THE CORRECT TERMINOLOGY IS, WHY THEY WEREN'T PREPARED FOR FIRES AND WERE ALLOWED TO FREEZE.
IT'S SOMETHING WE'RE TRYING TO GET ANSWERED AS WELL, BUT IT'S LOOKING LIKE IT'S ALL FALLING UPON, UH, THE CITY JUST NOT BEING PREPARED AND, AND THE LACK OF, UH, UH, A STURDY EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN.
AND NOW EVERY TIME WE HEAR AN ALARM OR FIRETRUCK GO BY, WE'RE ALL, YOU KNOW, TENSING UP A LITTLE PTSD THING GOING ON, BUT WE'RE WORKING ON IT AND GIVING MY TESTIMONY TODAY IS PART OF MY HEALING OF GETTING OVER THE FIRE.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR LISTENING TO ME TODAY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO JOIN US.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS BEFORE SHE DISCONNECTS? OKAY.
BYE-BYE ANY COMMENTS REGARDING WHAT SHE SAID BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT COLOR? YES.
UH, I AM INTRIGUED AND WE'LL BE KEEPING AN EYE ON, AGAIN, SOME, SOME MENTION OF A AFD AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT, NOT BEING READY, BEING RESPONSIVE OR HELPFUL TO CITIZENS.
LAST TIME WE ABOUT WALKING ACCESS TO WATER FOR DRINKING.
NOW WE'RE HEARING ABOUT NOT BEING READY FOR FIRES,
[00:15:01]
FROZEN PIPES AND SUCH SO VERY INTRIGUED AND THANKFUL THAT THIS LOVELY WAS HERE WITH US TODAY.UM, ANOTHER THING THAT I GUESS I'M GOING TO KEEP MY EYE ON IS THAT, UM, I ALSO HEARD THESE CONCERNS ABOUT, UM, NOT EVEN CONCERNED, BUT HAVING PTSD FROM THIS EVENT.
UM, I'M SURE THAT THIS WAS AN INCREDIBLY TRAUMATIC EVENT FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE CITY AND ACROSS THE STATE.
UM, ESPECIALLY POTENTIALLY ALSO MOURNING THE LOST 38 YEARS, UH, UH, THINGS FROM YOUR LIFE.
UM, SO I THINK THAT THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING WE ALSO LOOK AT IS, UM, IS ASSISTANCE BEING GIVEN TO THOSE PEOPLE AS WELL, WHO HAVE THAT TRAUMA.
ANY, DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY OTHER COMMENTS BASED ON WHAT WE JUST HEARD? I WILL SAY, OH, GO AHEAD, MARY I'M CONNOR.
SO I WONDER IF WE CAN, IF THERE'S STILL HELP THAT WE CAN SEND HER FINANCIALLY FROM THE CITY.
CAN WE START THOSE RESOURCES? THAT'S WHAT I ASKED PATRICIA TO TAKE NOTES ON HER QUESTIONS AND YES, WE'RE, WE'RE GOING TO DO OUR BEST TO SEND HER, UM, FEEDBACK.
DO WE HAVE, UH, HER CONTACT INFORMATION, PATRICIA? YES, I HAVE FELICIA'S INFORMATION.
SO, UM, DO YOU KNOW, TURN AROUND WHEN WE COULD, WE GET, TRY TO GET BACK TO HER NEXT WEEK TO ANSWER HER QUESTIONS AND OFFER ANY OTHER, I GUESS, UM, AGENCIES OR CITY DEPARTMENTS SHE COULD REACH OUT TO FOR HELP.
I CAN FOLLOW UP WITH CITY DEPARTMENTS EARLY NEXT WEEK AND AT LEAST PROVIDE HER SOME GOOD CONTACTS.
AND I AM, YOU KNOW, WE WE'VE HEARD A LOT WITH REGARD TO EMERGENCY SERVICES, BEING UNABLE TO ASSIST INDIVIDUALS BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T GET TO THEM TO PROVIDE AID.
I'M I, IT'S UNBELIEVABLE TO HEAR THAT YOU HAVE THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT ACTUALLY RESPONDING TO A FIRE THEY'RE THERE THEY'RE ONSITE, AND YET THEY DON'T TAKE OTHER STEPS TO HELP INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE NOT ONLY, UM, TRYING TO SURVIVE IN THIS STORM, BUT NOW CLEARLY HAVE NO PLACE TO LIVE IN A LOCKED OUT OF THEIR APARTMENTS.
THAT'S UM, THAT'S UNBELIEVABLE REALLY THAT THEY JUST LEFT HIM THERE.
UM, WITHOUT ANOTHER WORD, UH, WITHOUT SETTING UP AT LEAST, YOU KNOW, TWO OR THREE, UH, FIRE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS TO, TO TAKE NAMES AND HELP THEM AND HELP ROUTE THEM TO, TO, TO HOUSING.
THAT'S A, THAT'S PRETTY UNBELIEVABLE.
WE'LL TAKE THE NEXT CALLER, PATRICIA.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS EVENING.
UM, DAVID, I WAS ACTUALLY, UH, FELICIA NEIGHBOR.
UM, ONE OF THE ONE SHE JUST MENTIONED IN HER CALL.
AND, UH, SO I GUESS I'M JUST GOING TO KIND OF REITERATE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT SHE SAID.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY IT WAS KIND OF LIKE A PERFECT STORM FOR US OF BAD.
UM, I FEEL LIKE WE COULD HAVE DEALT WITH MAYBE JUST THE FIRE OR JUST THE WINTER STORM, BUT BOTH OF THOSE THINGS COMBINED, WE WENT SEVERAL DAYS WITHOUT, UM, SOME SUBSTANTIVE FOOD.
UM, YOU KNOW, JUST WHAT WE COULD GRAB FROM GAS STATIONS THAT HAD BEEN PICKED OVER.
UM, WE FELT LIKE, I THINK MY SPOUSE AND I, AS WELL AS WALLY AND HER HUSBAND, UM, FELT ON OUR OWN, UM, IN A LOT OF WAYS AND IN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT WE'RE LUCKY TO HAVE, UH, SURVIVED, UM, ESPECIALLY THAT NIGHT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE STAYED AT THE, UH, AT OUR APARTMENT COMPLEX FOR MUCH OF THE DAY, JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE SHOULD DO, YOU KNOW, AMONGST OURSELVES.
UM, AND I LIKE, I, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE WAS A NUMBER OR SOMETHING THAT WE COULD HAVE CALLED, UM, THIS REGARDING THE CITY.
CAUSE WE WERE JUST CALLING HOTELS AND TRYING TO FIND A PLACE THIS DAY.
LIKE SHE SAID, WE ENDED UP HAVING TO DRIVE FROM, UH, BRODY AND WILLIAM CANNON IS SOUTHWEST AUSTIN ACROSS THE CITY UP TO, UH, ALMOST AROUND ROCK, UH, BEFORE HE COULD FIND A HOTEL WITH A VACANCY THAT COULD TAKE US IN.
AND, UH, IT SEEMED LIKE THERE WERE HOTELS THAT WERE EITHER FULLY AT CAPACITY OR SOME HOTELS.
UH, THERE WAS ONE, UH, I DON'T REMEMBER THE NAME OF IT OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT, UH, THE ROOMS PER NIGHT WERE OVER A THOUSAND DOLLARS.
SO I DEFINITELY THINK THAT THERE MIGHT'VE BEEN SOME PRICE GOUGING INVOLVED.
UM, AND I DON'T KNOW IF MAYBE WE WEREN'T ACTUALLY ON OUR OWN, IF THERE WERE SOME ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE COULD HAVE REACHED OUT TO, BUT NO ONE WAS REALLY THERE TO TELL US.
AND WE HAD NO WAY OF REALLY KNOWING WHO TO GO TO OR WHO TO CONTACT.
[00:20:01]
AND SO WE JUST, IT WAS, YOU KNOW, AFTER DARK PROBABLY ABOUT SIX OR 7:00 PM, WE'LL BE AROUND ACTUALLY MADE THE TRIP ACROSS AUSTIN.AND IT WAS BIZARRE LISTENING TO THE RADIO AND HEARING PEOPLE SAY, BECAUSE WE LISTENED TO NPR OR WHATEVER, AND UH, HEARING PEOPLE SAY, OH, STAY OFF THE ROADS.
AND IT'S LIKE, WELL, WE DON'T REALLY HAVE A CHOICE.
WE HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING TO FIND SOMEWHERE TO STAY FOR THE NIGHT.
AND UM, SO I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE CITY, UH, I GUESS, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS LIKE A STATE ISSUE TOO, BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE WINTER STORM, ISN'T, I FEEL LIKE IT'S NOT MUCH WORSE THAN STUFF THAT OTHER STATES GET REGULARLY.
YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE NOT USED TO IT, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S MANY NORTHERN STATES THAT WOULD GET THIS KIND OF THING ALL THE TIME.
AND IS IT THE STATE THAT'S AT FAULT THAT WHY EVERYTHING SEEMED TO BREAK DOWN AND NO ONE HAD ANY FOOD EVERYWHERE EVERYONE WAS KIND OF AT A LOSS? OR IS IT, YOU KNOW, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT THE CITY CAN DO OR IS IT SOMETHING THAT THE STATE HAS TO DO AND THAT THE CITY'S HANDS ARE TIED.
AND ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MR. BREAKWALL? YES.
UM, YOUR, UH, UH, MS. WILDLY SAID THAT YOU ALL TRIED TO CALL TWO, ONE, ONE.
DID YOU TRY THREE, ONE, ONE? UH, NO, I DON'T EVEN, UM, I GUESS I HAVEN'T LIVED IN AUSTIN THAT LONG.
I MOVED HERE, UH, 2018 AND I'VE NEVER REALLY HAD THIS TRY TO CALL LIKE A THREE, ONE, ONE OR TWO ON ONE, SO IT DIDN'T EVEN OCCUR TO ME.
UM, YEAH, SO EVEN, I MEAN, SOMEBODY COULD HAVE EVEN HELPED YOU DO THAT.
YEAH, LIKE, UH, LIKE SHE SAID, UH, THERE WERE, YOU KNOW, FIRST RESPONDERS WHO WERE ON THE SCENE, BUT THEY SEEM TO HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY LIKE THE FIREFIGHTERS WERE BUSY, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE PUTTING OUT THE FIRE AND, UH, THERE WERE A COUPLE OF POLICE OFFICERS AND THEY WERE JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE WAS SAFE, BUT WE JUST KIND OF STOOD OUT IN THE COLD, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, SHIN DEEP SNOW, UH, UNTIL WE WERE LIKE, LET'S TRY TO JUST GO INTO THE MAIN OFFICE OF THE, ONE OF THE MAIN, SOME OF THE MAINTENANCE CREW FOR THAT APARTMENT COMPLEX HELPED US INTO THE MAIN OFFICE WHERE WE WERE AT LEAST ABLE TO LIKE SIT DOWN INSIDE.
BUT, UH, NO ONE REALLY APPROACHED US AND IT WAS LIKE, OH, DO YOU KNOW TO CALL TWO, ONE, ONE OR THREE, ONE, ONE OR ANY KIND OF SERVICES? IT WAS JUST LIKE I SAID, WE WERE JUST TRYING TO FIND HOTELS SINCE, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS WHAT WE SEEN WAS LIKE THE BEST OPTION WAS JUST TO TRY TO FIND SOMEWHERE TO STAY FOR THAT NIGHT AND JUST HAVING TO CROSS THE CITY AT LIKE THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME.
SO IT'S REALLY HARD AND, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO GO UP DIFFERENT ROADS AND HAVING TO TURN AROUND BECAUSE OF THE ICE AND, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST, IT WAS, IT WAS A REALLY, A REALLY DIFFICULT TIME.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, GOING SEVERAL DAYS, LIKE I SAID, WITHOUT ANY KIND OF LIKE FOOD OR WATER, ONCE WE DID FIND A HOTEL STILL DEALING WITH INSURANCE AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT AFTERWARDS, IT'S BEEN A VERY ROUGH FEW MONTHS.
ARE YOU STILL HAVING, UH, IN TERMS OF YOUR INSURANCE, THE SAME ISSUES, YOU CAN'T GET THE INFORMATION YOU NEED TO PROVIDE TO THE INSURANCE COMPANY SO THAT THEY CAN HELP.
UM, YOU KNOW, SINCE IT, WE WEREN'T, UH, WE WEREN'T THE ONES RESPONSIBLE, UH, FOR THE FIRE.
IT STARTED AS FAR AS WHAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE OUT IS IT STARTED IN THE THIRD FLOOR, UM, DUE TO SOME SOMETHING WITH THE FIREPLACE, SOMEBODY CHIMNEY, I THINK SPARKS WENT FROM THE CHIMNEY TO THE ATTIC OF THE COMPLEX AND, UM, OUR UNITS MINE, AND FELICIA'S DON'T EVEN HAVE A FIREPLACES AT ALL.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT RENTERS ARE RENTERS.
INSURANCE IS LIKE, OH, WELL, YOU OBVIOUSLY, YOU WEREN'T AT FAULT.
AND THEY'RE TRYING TO, I GUESS, FIGURE OUT MORE TO, AND WE DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO, WHAT DO WE EVEN TELL THEM? WE, OH, GO AHEAD AND LEAD THAT YOU'RE MUTED.
ONE MORE THOUGHT IS, UM, WHETHER, AND I KNOW YOU CAN'T ANSWER THIS, BUT I THINK IT'S SOMETHING TO PUT IN TOWER QUESTIONS.
IF WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO GET MORE INFORMATION, IS, WAS THE CHIMNEY FIRE PARTLY A RESULT OF THE POWER OUTAGE? CAUSE I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE BURNING STUFF IN THEIR FIREPLACES TO KEEP WARM OR EVEN TO COOK.
UM, AND HE BEEN BURNING THINGS THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN BURNING.
SO THAT WOULD BE ANOTHER THING.
I THINK WE WERE GONNA TRY TO GET SOME MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS.
WE MIGHT WANT TO KNOW THAT THAT'S ANOTHER THING I THOUGHT OF TOO, BECAUSE THE, UH, APARTMENT
[00:25:01]
COMPLEX NEVER ONCE SAID ANYTHING OR AT LEAST IF THEY DID SAY IT, THEY DIDN'T SAY CAUSE YOU KNOW, MOST OF THE COMMUNICATIONS WITH LIKE VIA EMAIL, YOU KNOW, JUST RESIDENT WIDE EMAILS TELLING US STUFF, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT IT'S APPLICABLE, YOU KNOW, TO US SPECIFICALLY.AND I, WE NEVER ONCE GOT ANY INFORMATION TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT TO DO WITH THEIR FIREPLACES OR YOU KNOW, HOW TO ACCURATELY, HOW TO PROPERLY OPERATE THEM.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S SOMETHING MAYBE THE FIREPLACE TOLD SPECIFIC RESIDENCES, BUT I FEEL LIKE IF I'M AN APARTMENT COMPLEX MANAGEMENT, I'M JUST GOING TO SEND THOSE EMAILS OUT TO EVERYONE INSTEAD OF TRYING TO FIGURE OUT AND REMEMBER WHICH UNITS SPECIFICALLY HAD FIREPLACES.
AND I THINK THAT MIGHT'VE BEEN A PROBLEM TOO, IS, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU HAVE A SITUATION LIKE THIS, WHERE, YOU KNOW, AND I'M A NATIVE TEXAN AS WELL, I WAS FROM HOUSTON ORIGINALLY, YOU KNOW? AND SO IT'S LIKE FIREPLACE, WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT FOR? WHAT DO YOU MEAN? WHAT DO YOU MEAN? SO I THINK THAT, UM, HAVING A BIT OF KNOWLEDGE AND JUST HOW TO PROPERLY DEAL WITH THAT SO THAT PEOPLE DON'T ACCIDENTALLY BURN THEIR APARTMENT COMPLEX DOWN, UM, MIGHT BE USEFUL, YOU KNOW, IN THE FUTURE.
AND DO YOU, I KNOW YOU SAID THEY, THEY HAD EVERYONE STANDING OUTSIDE IN, IN SHIN DEEP SNOW.
DO YOU RECALL ABOUT HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE DISPLACED IF YOU COULD ESTIMATE? I THINK OVER 20 UNITS.
SO, UM, AND I'M PAYING, MOST OF THEM WERE AT LEAST TWO PERSON APARTMENTS.
SO YOU'RE LOOKING PROBABLY ABOUT 50 PEOPLES, UM, ROUGHLY I THINK, I THINK, CAUSE I THINK, BUT I THINK THE ENTIRE BUILDING WAS FULL.
UH, FELICIA MIGHT, UH, HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS CAUSE SHE, UH, THEY WERE LIVING THERE MUCH LONGER.
UH, WE MOVED IN, WE LIVED THERE PROBABLY ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF, I THINK, OR A LITTLE, ALMOST TWO YEARS WHEN THE, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN TWO YEARS IN, I THINK MARCH OR MAY OF THIS YEAR.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, AND THEY LIVED IN THERE LONGER.
SO I THINK IT WAS PROBABLY SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
THERE WAS, YOU KNOW, A FEW DOZEN PEOPLE YEAH.
STANDING OUT IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT JUST DROVE AWAY WITH YOU THERE.
I MEAN, SOME PEOPLE, UM, WERE ABLE TO LIKE MOVE THEIR CAR OR SOMETHING AND THEN SOME PEOPLE WERE DEFINITELY LIKE SIT IN THEIR CAR AND THEN SOME PEOPLE I THINK MADE THEIR WAY TO THE, UM, OFFICE AREA SOONER.
AND, BUT IT SEEMED LIKE, YEAH, MOST PEOPLE WERE JUST, YOU KNOW, JUST STANDING OUT IN THE SNOW, LIKE WATCHING IS I, IT WAS A REALLY, UM, IT WAS A REALLY JUST KIND OF BIZARRE SCENARIO TO BE IN LIKE SNOW AND THEN SEEING LIKE THE FIRE FLAMES COMING UP TO THE TOP OF THE BUILDING AND JUST, YOU KNOW, NOT REALLY KNOWING WHAT TO DO OR, UM, ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
AND I MEAN, I DON'T WANT TO, I'M NOT GOING TO LIKE BLAME THE FIREFIGHTERS OR ANYBODY THERE.
YOU KNOW, THEY WERE OBVIOUSLY BUSY DOING STUFF, BUT YOU KNOW, I, I FELT LIKE SOMEBODY WOULD'VE CAME AND AT LEAST TALKED TO US TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE'S OKAY OR TELL US WHAT WE COULD DO.
UH, THE MANAGEMENT, UM, OF THE APARTMENT ITSELF, THEY DIDN'T LIVE ON SITE THOUGH.
APPARENTLY THEY WERE UNABLE TO GET THERE TO TALK TO US EITHER.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE WERE KIND OF LEFT TO OUR OWN DEVICES AND THEY, THE MAINTENANCE STAFF, BUT THEY'RE NOT, UM, THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY STUFF THAT THEY'RE EXPECTED TO DEAL WITH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S KIND OF OUTSIDE OF THEIR EXPERTISE IN A LOT OF WAYS.
AND DO YOU MIND IF WE ASK WHERE, HOW YOU FOUND HOUSING OR WHERE YOU ARE NOW? OH, UM, WE ACTUALLY GOT REALLY LUCKY, UH, WHO WE HAD BEEN, UM, UH, FELICIA MENTIONED THIS, UH, WE HAD ACTUALLY BEEN WORKING WITH AN APARTMENT LOCATOR BECAUSE OUR LEASE WAS SPECKED.
SHE'S SUPPOSED TO BE UP THIS MONTH AND WE WERE SORT OF GOTTEN ON, WE ACTUALLY GOT ON THE BALL REALLY EARLY TO TRY TO FIND A NEW APARTMENT TO MOVE IN.
CAUSE WE WERE PLANNING ON MOVING ANYWAY JUST FOR VARIOUS REASONS.
UM, YOU KNOW, TRY TO FIND SOMETHING THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT MORE FIT, LIKE OUR STYLE AND WHERE WE WANTED TO BE.
UM, AND, UH, SO WE JUST CONTINUED TO WORK WITH HIM.
UH, HIS NAME IS MARK REALLY, REALLY GREAT GUY.
I'M REALLY THANKFUL THAT WE, UH, GOT IN TOUCH WITH THEM AND HE SAID HE WAS ABLE TO FIND US A PLACE, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY A LOT MORE, A LOT SOONER THAN WE ANTICIPATED.
BUT, UM, SO WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT.
SO WE SPENT, UH, A WEEK IN ONE HOTEL AND THEN A SECOND WEEK AND RETINA EXTENDED STAY HOTEL.
AND THEN, UH, IT WAS LIKE, UH, SOMETIME LIKE THAT.
SO IT'S LIKE, I THINK ROUGHLY THREE, THREE WEEKS OR SO FROM THE INCIDENT TO ACTUALLY GET INTO
[00:30:01]
A NEW APARTMENT AND GET EVERYTHING SET UP.AND NO ONE'S HELPED YOU WITH THE COSTS IN TERMS OF HAVING TO GET A HOTEL, ET CETERA.
UM, WE'VE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH OUR RENTER'S INSURANCE.
IT'S JUST BEEN KIND OF A, JUST A DRAIN, UM, YOU KNOW, AND NOT, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'VE BEEN TRYING TO, WE'RE TRYING TO CALCULATE OR CATALOG EVERYTHING THAT WE LOST AND, UM, IT'S, IT'S REALLY, IT'S A REALLY HARD THING TO DO, YOU KNOW, JUST TRYING TO PUT LIKE ALL YOUR VALUABLES AND LIKE A SPREADSHEET AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT, OH, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS IT LIKE, WHAT DID WE LOSE? AND, UM, WE SHOULD HAVE, I FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN REIMBURSED THROUGH OUR RENTER'S INSURANCE, BUT, UM, THAT HASN'T HAPPENED YET.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SPEAKING WITH US.
ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? FEEDBACK.
AND W WOULD YOU, WOULD YOU LIKE, UM, PATRICIA TO ALSO TRY AND DO, IF WE HAVE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION, REACH OUT TO YOU SOMETIME NEXT WEEK WITH, WITH ANY RESOURCES SHE THINKS MIGHT BE HELPFUL? UH, YEAH, THAT WOULD BE, UM, YEAH.
UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'D BE A WELCOME, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, FOR SHARING WITH US.
UM, IT'S CLEAR AGAIN, WE'VE HEARD A LOT OF, A LOT, A LOT, A LOT ABOUT THE BREAKDOWN WITH THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT AND ALSO A BIT ABOUT THE DIFFICULTIES INDIVIDUALS ARE HAVING, UH, BEING, YOU KNOW, HAVING THEIR, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY LOST COVERED BY INSURANCE.
THEY PAY FOR SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY CAN'T GET THE INFORMATION THEY NEED AND YOU'RE RIGHT.
SOME OF THAT INFORMATION IS WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND I'M REALLY THANKFUL THAT, UH, YOU'RE DOING THIS, YOU KNOW, I REALLY APPRECIATE THIS.
LIKE I DEFINITELY SAY I'M WITH, UH, FELICIA ON THAT NOTE THAT IT'S, IT'S VERY HELPFUL JUST FOR OUR MENTAL HEALTH TO KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST PEOPLE ARE THERE AND ARE LISTENING TO OUR CONCERNS AND WE'RE ABLE TO VOICE THEM TO SOMEONE.
SO I REALLY THANK YOU FOR THAT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO JOIN US AND SHARE WHAT YOU EXPERIENCED AND WHAT YOU WITNESSED.
IF THERE ARE NO, NO MORE QUESTIONS.
AND DID YOU, DID YOU, UM, CATCH THAT PATRICIA ALSO TRY TO, TO SEND UPDATED INFO TO DAVID DAVID'S INFO SO I CAN SEND HIM THE RENTER'S INFORMATION.
WE'RE READY FOR OUR, UH, NEXT CALLER, UNLESS ANYONE HAS ANY COMMENTS BASED ON WHAT DAVID SHARED WITH US.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
UM, PLEASE, UH, START SPEAKING WHENEVER YOU'RE READY.
AM I UN-MUTED? YOU ARE, YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU.
UM, MY NAME IS ANDREA MOORE AND I HAVE OWNED A HOUSE HERE SINCE 1990S.
AND WE HAD BEEN HEARING ABOUT WHAT IS NOW CALLED THE SNOWMAGEDDON FOR AT LEAST A COUPLE OF WEEKS.
UM, I AM TOTALLY BLIND AND I LIVE BY MYSELF.
FORTUNATELY FOR ME, I HAD A FORMER ROOMMATE COME AND VISIT THE WEEKEND THAT THE STORM WERE SUPPOSED TO COME IN.
UM, SHE WAS TO LEAVE SUNDAY AROUND 11 OR 12 BECAUSE WE HAD ALL BEEN TOLD THAT THE STORM WAS GOING TO HIT SUNDAY, EVENING ISH.
AND FORTUNATELY FOR ME, HER FLIGHT GOT CANCELED.
I NEVER DID RUN OUT OF POWER BECAUSE MY HOUSE HAPPENS TO BE ON THE GRID WITH A NURSING HOME.
AND SO I HAD PEOPLE OVER TO STAY WARM AND I HAD A SPARE BEDROOM THAT I WAS ABLE TO PUT PEOPLE UP IN AND PEOPLE DID BRING PERISHABLES AND THINGS OUT OF THEIR REFRIGERATOR, THINKING THAT SINCE THEY DIDN'T HAVE POWER, THEY MIGHT AS WELL.
YOU KNOW, SO INITIALLY IT WAS KIND OF LIKE A LITTLE MINI HOTEL AND I MET NEW PEOPLE THAT I
[00:35:02]
NEVER MET BEFORE THERE, BECAUSE THERE WERE FRIENDS OF MY FORMER ROOMMATES.AND THEN I STARTED HEARING REPORTS THAT THE CITY HAD INITIALLY TOLD US, EVERYBODY DRIPPED THEIR WATER, BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T DRIP YOUR WATER, YOUR PODS WILL FREEZE AND YOU'LL HAVE WATER DAMAGE WHEN THE PIPE STALLED OUT.
SO WE ALL DRIP THE WATER AND THEN WE WERE TOLD, OH, IT'S YOUR FAULT.
WE DON'T HAVE ANY WATER PRESSURE BECAUSE Y'ALL DRIP THE WATER.
AND THEN THE CITY JUST APPARENTLY TURNED OFF THE WATER SUPPLY.
FORTUNATELY FOR ME, THE PEOPLE WHO HAD STAYED OVER AT MY HOUSE TO KEEP WARM, GOT THEIR POWER BACK BECAUSE HAD THEY NOT, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN IN A SITUATION WHERE WE HAD NO POWER FROM WHERE WE HAD POWER, BUT NO WATER.
AND YOU THINK IN TERMS OF, OKAY, WE CAN ALL DRINK COKE AND GATORADE AND ANY BOTTLED WATER THAT WE HAPPEN TO HAVE, BUT PEOPLE'S PETS CAN'T DO THAT.
AND I HAD PETS AND SOME OF THE OTHER PEOPLE THAT STAYED WITH ME HAD PETS.
AND SINCE I DON'T DRIVE ANYWAY, I WOULD HAVE BEEN IN A SITUATION WHERE I WOULD HAVE BEEN STUCK HOURS WITHOUT WATER FOR ABOUT A WEEK.
AND I WOULD HAVE JUST BEEN STUCK WITH NO WATER.
I DO HAVE A POOL, BUT THAT'S KIND OF LIKE NOT HAVING WATER BECAUSE WE COULDN'T GET TO MY POOL.
I HAVE SPENT SOME TIME IN CITIES LIKE BUFFALO.
SO I KNOW HOW TO WALK SIDEWAYS IN THE SNOW IN ORDER TO KEEP FROM SLIPPING.
BUT WHEN THERE'S, WHEN THERE'S BLACK ICE UNDER THE SNOW, THEN IT MAKES IT QUITE HAZARDOUS TO TRY TO, TO GET TO A POOL FOR WATER.
AND PLUS I HAVE A SALTWATER POOL, SO YOU CAN'T DRINK THE WATER THAT'S THERE.
OUR THOUGHT WAS WE WOULD USE THAT WATER TO FILL UP THE, UH, THE COMMODE TANKS SO THAT WE COULD AT LEAST FLUSH THE POTTY EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.
AND SO, UM, FORTUNATELY FOR ME AND MY ROOMMATES FLIGHT WAS CANCELED UNTIL THURSDAY, WHICH DIDN'T MAKE ME HAPPY, BUT IT WAS GREAT.
I MEAN, IT DIDN'T MAKE HER HAPPY, BUT IT WAS A GODSEND FOR ME BECAUSE ONE OF HER FRIENDS HAD WATER.
SO MY ROOMMATE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO HER HOUSE AND GET WATER OUT OF EMILY'S HOSE.
AND WE GATHERED UP ANY LARGE CONTAINERS THAT WE HAD TO PUT WATER IN SO THAT SHE BROUGHT BACK BOTTLES OF WATER.
UM, ONE OF THOSE WATER SEWERS THAT HAS HOT AND COLD WATER AND THE BOTTLES WERE EMPTY.
SO WE TOOK THE TOPS OFF OF THOSE BOTTLES AND SHE WAS ABLE TO GET WATER AND BRING IT SO THAT WE WOULD HAVE DRINKING WATER AND OUR ANIMALS WOULD HAVE DRINKING WATER IN TERMS OF TWO, ONE, ONE AND THREE, ONE, ONE, WE WOULD HEAR THESE THINGS ON TV ABOUT IF YOU NEED VARIOUS SERVICES, CALL THOSE NUMBERS.
AND WE JUST LAUGHED BECAUSE NUMBER ONE, YOU COULDN'T GET THROUGH.
AND THE ONE TIME THAT I DID GET THROUGH TO THREE, ONE, ONE, UM, I WAS ASKING, I DIDN'T HAVE WATER EVEN AFTER MY ROOMMATE LEFT.
AND SO I THOUGHT, WELL, THESE BOTTLES OF WATER ARE GOING TO RUN OUT AT SOME POINT.
AND I WAS TOLD THAT, UM, THANK YOU, PLEASE.
THERE WAS, THERE WAS NOTHING ANYBODY COULD DO ABOUT THAT.
FORTUNATELY FOR ME, I AM A RIDER OF THE, WELL, WE USED TO CALL IT SPECIAL TRANSIT SERVICE.
NOW IT'S CALLED METRO ACCESS THE DOOR TO DOOR SERVICE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
AND THEY HAD US SIGN UP IF WE NEEDED WATER
[00:40:01]
OR FOOD, BUT MAINLY THEY WERE BRINGING CASES OF WATER, BOTTLED WATER TO PEOPLE.AND THEY ALSO DID THIS DURING THE PANDEMIC, DURING THE, DURING THE LOCKDOWN, WHICH HAD PROVED TO BE REALLY HELPFUL FOR, UM, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES THAT COULDN'T, UM, DRIVE TO GROCERY STORES OR THAT FOR WHATEVER REASON, WE'RE NOT TECHNICAL ENOUGH TO USE FAVOR AND SOME OF THE OTHER DELIVERY SERVICES.
UM, I RAD, AND I THINK IT WAS IN THE CHRONICLE, BUT I'M NOT SURE THAT THERE WAS A 50 YEAR OLD SWITCH THAT THE CITY COULD HAVE FLIPPED TO TURN OUR WATER ON.
PEOPLE WERE GETTING THEIR WATER IN FITS AND STARTS.
YOU'D GET WATER FOR, YOU KNOW, AN HOUR AND THEN NO WATER.
IT WAS A FULL TWO WEEKS BEFORE I REALLY HAD A FULL WATER PRESSURE.
AND, UM, I WAS JUST EXTREMELY CAREFUL WITH THE WATER THAT I DID HAVE, UM, SO THAT MY PETS WOULD HAVE WATER AND PEOPLE DON'T THINK ABOUT PEOPLE'S PETS AND EVEN MAYBE EVEN LITTLE BABIES THAT MAYBE WANT TO DRINK GATORADE.
SO WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF HER, IF YOUR FRIEND WASN'T THERE WITH YOU? I HAVE, I, WELL, I COULD DRINK GATORADE AND I HAD COLD AROUND THE HOUSE AND I HAVE SOME FLAVORED WATERS, YOU KNOW, LIKE SPARKLING WATER.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO MY PETS.
I GUESS I WOULD HAVE GONE OUT AND GOTTEN SNOW FOR THEM IF I DIDN'T.
UM, BUT YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW WHEN YOU'RE GATHERING UP SNOW, IF IT'S CLEAN WATER OR, YOU KNOW, THERE'S STUFF IN IT, WHICH WOULD MAKE IT, I GUESS I COULD HAVE GOTTEN SNOW AND MAYBE BOIL SOME WATER FOR, FOR THE PATCH, BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A PRECARIOUS SITUATION FOR THEM.
AND PEOPLE DON'T THINK ABOUT PEOPLE'S PETS DURING SITUATIONS LIKE THIS.
UM, BUT IF SHE HADN'T BEEN HERE, I WOULDN'T HAVE HAD WATER AND NEITHER WOULD THE, THE PETS THAT LIVE HERE AND YOU THINK ABOUT, OKAY, WHAT DID YOUR PETS DO WHEN THEY DON'T HAVE WATER? YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD HAVE HAD TO WATCH THEM BE BEING HYDRATE.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MS. MOORE? I HAVE A QUESTION.
UM, YOU MENTIONED THIS SPECIAL TRANSIT SYSTEM.
UM, IS THAT A, WHO IS IT THAT RUNS THAT, IS THAT A CITY SERVICE OR IS IT A PRIVATE, NONPROFIT? IT'S CAPITAL METRO IT'S.
THANK YOU, MS. MOORE, THIS IS MOLLY.
YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU HAD TRIED TO CALL TWO ON ONE.
HOW LONG WAS YOUR WAIT? UM, PROBABLY TWO OR THREE HOURS WHEN I DID GET THROUGH, SOMETIMES I JUST GAVE UP, BUT WHEN I DID GET THROUGH IT, UH, LIKE A TWO OR THREE HOUR WAIT.
AND MS. MOM, WHEN YOU WERE, WHEN YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO GET THROUGH TO SOMEONE, DID YOU EXPLAIN YOUR, YOUR SITUATION IN THAT YOU WERE VISUALLY IMPAIRED BEFORE YOU WERE TOLD NO ONE COULD HELP YOU? YES.
AND THEY WERE JUST LIKE, WELL, MA'AM, WE DON'T DO THAT.
I MEAN, THERE WERE JUST, I'M SURE THERE WERE OVERWHELMED WITH CALLS OR IT WOULDN'T HAVE TAKEN ME TWO OR THREE HOURS TO GET THROUGH TO THEM.
UM, BUT THEY WERE JUST NO HELP.
AND WE WOULD SEE THAT ON TV AND JUST LAUGH BECAUSE I MEAN, IT'S NOT FUNNY, BUT WHAT YOU DO, AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS NOT ERCOT HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS SITUATION FOR, FOR YEARS.
AND I THINK NEXT TIME WE HAVE A SNOWMAGEDDON, I'M GOING TO MOVE TO EL PASO, EL PASO, FINE BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT ON THE TEXAS GRID.
UM, TEXAS HAS PRIDED ITSELF ON HAVING ITS OWN POWER AND ITS OWN WATER
[00:45:01]
SOURCES.BUT, BUT, BUT IF THIS IS A SAMPLE OF THE WAY THEY MANAGE THINGS, I'M KIND OF WITH THE FIRST COLOR I WOULD, I WOULD HATE TO LEAVE TEXAS, BUT IT'S, IT'S A THOUGHT AND I PAID THE HOUSE OFF AND I PUT A POOL IN AND EVERYTHING.
UM, BUT IT MAKES YOU STOP AND THINK ABOUT THE QUALITY OF YOUR LIFE.
AND IF DIANA HAD NOT BEEN HERE, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A REALLY BAD SITUATION FOR ME.
AND DO YOU, DO YOU MIND TELLING US YOUR ZIP CODE OR WHAT DISTRICT YOU LIVE IN SEVEN EIGHT, SEVEN FOUR FIVE.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR ANDREA AND MORE BEFORE SHE DISCONNECTS OR FEEDBACK? ANDREA, I JUST WANT TO SAY, UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING IN.
UH, YOU MENTIONED A LOT OF TIMES THROUGHOUT YOUR TESTIMONY BEING FORTUNATE, TOM, I THINK WE'RE FORTUNATE TO HAVE YOU, UM, UNFORTUNATELY IT DOESN'T LIKE COMMISSIONER FRANKS IS ON, BUT I THINK THAT HE WOULD HAVE REALLY APPRECIATED YOUR TESTIMONY.
UM, SO WE'LL DEFINITELY BE TAKING EVERYTHING YOU SAID IN YOUR CONSIDERATION.
WELL, I THINK IT'S NOT JUST ME, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN GENERAL.
IT WAS, UM, HOW LONG, UM, WITH DISABILITIES IN GENERAL ARE ALWAYS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE TOTEM POLE.
WHEN IT COMES TO SERVICES, IT SHOWED UP A LOT DURING THE LOCKDOWN, UM, WITH PEOPLE NOT HAVING ANY WAY TO GET GROCERIES AND THE CITY REALLY DID NOTHING, BUT THE MO THE MAIN SERVICE PROVIDERS THAT I KNOW OF FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES TURNED OUT TO BE THE LIONS CLUBS, AND A LOT OF THEIR MEMBERS ARE OLDER, SO THEY COULDN'T HELP PEOPLE WITH, UM, CAUSE THEY WERE TOLD TO STAY AT HOME BECAUSE THEY'RE WERE OVER 65, YOU KNOW, IN VULNERABLE GROUPS.
I MEAN, UM, NEXT DOOR, THE APP, UH, UM, PART OF NEXT DOOR AND I SAW LOTS OF, UM, PEOPLE VOLUNTEERING TO GET GROCERIES FOR SENIORS AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, BUT THAT'S A PRIVATE APP AND MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT ON NEXT DOOR.
AND LIKE I SAID, UH, THE SPECIAL TRANSIT OR CAP METRO, UH, SERVED IT'S PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES THAT ARE ON THE METRO ACCESS SERVICE BY PROVIDING, UH, FOOD AND WATER DURING THE LOCKDOWN AND THE CITY DIDN'T REALLY DO ANYTHING.
UM, SO, UM, I GUESS THAT'S MY COMMENTS FOR, UH, THIS TIME I WAS FORTUNATE DURING THE LOCKDOWN.
I, I HAD A ROOMMATE THEN AND SHE WORKED FOR HEB.
SO, UH, SHE PROVIDED ME WITH FRESH PRODUCE AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
SO ANYWAY, UM, THANK YOU FOR DOING THESE CALLS AND, UM, I KNOW YOU ARE GOING TO BE GETTING A LOT OF EMAILS ABOUT THIS ISSUE, BUT THE REAL QUESTION IS WHAT IS THE SHITTY GONNA DO TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN? AND THAT'S PART OF WHAT WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO OFFER TO THE CITY.
UM, AND HOPEFULLY THEY LISTEN IN TERMS OF IMPLEMENTING, UH, THIS AS A PART OF THEIR DISASTER PLAN, UH, GOING FORWARD.
I'M, I'M EXTREMELY GRATEFUL THAT YOUR FRIEND WAS VISITING YOU WHEN THIS HAPPENED, ALTHOUGH I'M SURE SHE WOULD HAVE RATHER BEEN OUT OF STATE OR ELSEWHERE.
UM, I'M, I'M JUST SO GRATEFUL THAT SHE WAS THERE WITH YOU.
UM, THE OTHER QUESTION IS I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE 50 YEAR OLD SWITCH AND I READ IT IN A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT SOURCES AND EVEN SAW IT ON THE NEWS ON THE REGULAR LOCAL NEWS.
AND SO HOW COME NOBODY KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT? I DID MAKE A NOTE OF THAT.
I HAD NOT HEARD OF IT, BUT, UM, AGAIN, WE WILL POSE THAT QUESTION TO FIND OUT IF ANYTHING LIKE THAT WAS AVAILABLE OR IF IT WAS, AND WASN'T USED WHY.
AND ALSO AFTER THIS CALL AND AFTER Y'ALL GATHER UP ALL OF OUR EMAILS THAT PEOPLE HAVE SUBMITTED, IS THERE GOING TO BE A REPORT AND ARE THOSE OF US THAT PARTICIPATED IN THEM, GET A COPY OF THE REPORT? SO THE REPORT WILL BE AVAILABLE, UM, THROUGH THE CITY, ONCE IT'S, IT'S MADE PUBLIC INFORMATION.
UH, WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH ALL THE FEEDBACK IS, UH, YOU KNOW, CREATING A REPORT AND A PRESENTATION THAT WE'LL GIVE TO CITY COUNCIL.
AND THIS IS AGAIN ALL PART OF, UH, PROVIDING THEM WITH FEEDBACK FROM CITIZENS OF AUSTIN, BUT ALSO, UM, TELLING THEM, YOU
[00:50:01]
KNOW, WHERE THINGS WENT VERY WRONG, FOR EXAMPLE, IN YOUR SITUATION AND WHAT NEEDS TO BE A PART OF THE CITY'S EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN GOING FORWARD.AND IF YOU DO A WRITTEN REPORT, IT WOULD BE, UM, GOOD TO HAVE IT IN SOME SORT OF TEXT FILE.
SO THAT IT'S, IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU SCAN THE REPORT IN AND SAVE IT AS A SOMETHING ACCESSIBLE, UH, PEOPLE WITH DISTRIBUTED USE SCREEN READERS
AND WE WE'VE, WE'VE ALREADY MADE A NOTE TO MAKE THAT KNOWN, UH, IN TERMS OF DISSEMINATING INFORMATION.
THAT'S ONE OF THE ISSUES DURING THE STORM IS, IS THAT EVERYONE CAN NOT ACCESS INFORMATION IN THE SAME MANNER.
AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S VERY MUCH TOP OF OUR LIST.
THE, THE, THE, THE BEST PUBLIC SERVICE THING THAT I HEARD ABOUT THAT SAID ANYBODY WHO CAN'T USE THE INTERNET, PLEASE GO ON CAVE, U.COM TO SEE WHAT YOUR OPTIONS ARE.
SO IT'S SORT OF IRONIC, VERY IRONIC.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US THIS EVENING.
IS THERE ANY, UH, DOES ANYONE WANT TO MAKE ANY COMMENTS BEFORE WE TAKE THE NEXT SPEAKER? YES.
UH, MY ONLY COMMENT WOULD BE THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, DURING THE PANDEMIC, WE HEARD A LOT ABOUT, FOR INSTANCE, WHEN, UM, UNEMPLOYMENT AND INSURANCE, WHEN THEIR PHONE LINES WERE BACKED UP, WE HEARD ABOUT THE DAYS LONG, YOU KNOW, WAIT FOR PEOPLE TO GET ONLINE.
AND NOW WE'RE HEARING ABOUT PEOPLE HAVING TO WAIT TWO AND THREE HOURS TO GET SERVICE.
IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE RESOURCES TO HAVE STAFFING THESE PHONES CENTERS FOR DISASTER OR OTHERWISE.
SO THAT WAY WE DON'T HAVE TO INCUR THIS PROBLEM AGAIN.
SO JUST WANTING TO ADD THAT, I THINK THAT'S TRUE AND I'D HAVE TO LOOK AT THE SPECIFIC DATES, BUT I WANT TO SAY WHEN THE STORM FIRST HIT WITHIN 24 HOURS, I KNOW FOR A FACT, BECAUSE I WAS WORKING WITH COMMUNITY RESILIENCE TRUST, AND TRYING TO MAKE CALLS TO HAVE SOME INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE UNHOUSED, WHO'D REACHED OUT AND SAID, CAN YOU HELP US GET TO WARM SHELTER? UM, THAT THEY FLAT OUT SAID THEY WEREN'T TAKING CALLS FOR A TIME THAT THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING SO EFFECTIVELY, THERE WERE NO EMERGENCY SERVICES.
SO I THINK, I THINK THAT'S VERY MUCH TRUE, BUT I THINK IN THIS SITUATION, IT WAS, IT WAS FAR WORSE THAN THAT.
I THINK THEY JUST SHUT DOWN BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO TO THAT.
I AM IN COMPLETE AGREEMENT THAT IT IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE TO WAIT HOURS ON HOLD, JUST TO BE TOLD, SORRY, THAT'S NOT OUR JOB THAT SAID, I KNOW THAT WE CAN MENTIONED MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR SURVIVORS OF THE STORM.
UM, I CANNOT IMAGINE HOW DIFFICULT THE JOB OF A THREE, ONE, ONE OR A NINE 11 CALL TAKER IS THOUGH.
IT IS MY KNOWLEDGE THAT NINE ONE ONE CALL TAKERS HAVE AN ABUNDANCE OF RESOURCES AND TRAINING PROVIDED TO HELP PEOPLE THROUGH EMERGENCIES.
AND I THINK IT BEHOOVES US TO LOOK INTO WHAT PART OF THAT, BECAUSE IT ALREADY EXISTS.
HANNITY PROVIDED AS WELL TO THREE, ONE, ONE AS A CROSS TRAINING OPPORTUNITY WITH HOW TO DEAL WITH DISASTER RESPONSE IS I, I WILL ADMIT 15 YEARS OF APP YOUTH.
I'VE GOTTEN SOME TERRIBLE CALLS THAT I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR AND TRAINING ON SELF AND OTHERS TO HANDLE THOSE IN A WAY THAT I AM TAKING CARE OF.
AND THE PERSON IS ALSO TAKING CARE OF, HAS BEEN KEY TO OUR SUCCESS.
AND WE THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT THE CITY MUST.
MOLLY, DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING? UM, YES.
IN TERMS OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, UM, RESPONDING TO CRISES, I'M WONDERING IF THE CITY HAS, I KNOW THE CITY HAS VICTIM SERVICES, WHICH INCLUDES COUNSELING.
IS THERE ANY CITY RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR, UM, COUNSELING FOR THOSE WHO ARE STILL, WHO ARE AFFECTED BY THE STORM WHO WERE, MIGHT BE INTERESTED, JUST, YOU KNOW, I'M A MENTAL PROFESSIONAL MYSELF.
SO I KNOW SOMETIMES JUST TWO SESSIONS TO KIND OF CLOSE THE LOOP HAVE BE VERY HELPFUL, THEN NO SESSIONS AT ALL.
[00:55:04]
PATRICIA, ARE YOU THERE? YES, I'M HERE.FOR OUR, DO WE STILL HAVE FIVE COLORS IN QUEUE OR MORE? YES.
SO THE NEXT SPEAKER IS FRANCIS ATONIA.
HOW MANY DO WE TAP INTO RIGHT NOW? SO RIGHT NOW WE HAVE FIVE.
I'M GOING TO AT THIS POINT, UM, WE'LL DO SEVEN MINUTES PER PERSON, IF YOU COULD, UM, WATCH THEIR TIME AND, AND THEN WE'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
SO FRANCIS CORNEA, THANK YOU, FRANCIS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US THIS EVENING.
AND PLEASE BEGIN WHENEVER YOU'RE READY.
AND IF YOU'D LIKE TO START WITH THE DISTRICT YOU LIVE IN OR LIVED IN DURING THE STORM OR YOUR ZIP CODE, UM, WE APPRECIATE IT.
I'M A LONG-TIME RESIDENT OF DUFF SPRINGS AND I CLIMATE RESILIENCE COMMUNITY LEAD ORGANIZER WITH GABA
UH, WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE NOT ONLY IN THE SPRINGS.
THIS IS LIKE ALL THE EASTERN CRESCENTS, UH, THERE'S COMMUNITIES THAT ARE MOST IMPACTED BY SYSTEMIC INEQUITIES.
AND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHERE RESIDENTS HAVE, HAVE TO HAVE TWO OR THREE JOBS IN ORDER TO MAKE IT IN MY, WITH A WINTER STORM WAS VERY, VERY DIFFERENT BECAUSE IN THE PAST IN 2013 AND 2015 FLOODS AND THE CONTINUOUS FLOODS THAT WE KEEP HAVING EVERY YEAR IN INDUSTRY IT'S, I'D BEEN OUT THERE IN PEOPLE'S HOMES, YOU KNOW, TAKING OUT, UH, THEIR CARPETS OR BEDS OR, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING THAT GOT WET.
SO IT WAS DIFFERENT THIS TIME, BECAUSE THIS TIME I WAS AT MENDEZ MIDDLE SCHOOL VOLUNTEERING.
AND, UH, WHEN I GOT THERE, OF COURSE THERE WAS A MISCOMMUNICATION, FAMILIES WERE BEING TURNED AWAY, UH, BECAUSE THE UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT THE SHELTER WAS ONLY FOR HOMELESS PEOPLE.
THERE WAS, UH, ONCE WE WENT IN THAT WE WERE ABLE TO GO IN AND, YOU KNOW, WE CLEARED THAT OUT.
PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO GO IN WITH FAMILIES, INCLUDING WITH PETS.
THERE WAS, UM, NO CASE MANAGER AFFECTING RESIDENTS FOR ANY DISTRESS, ANY MENTAL HEALTH OR, UM, ANYTHING THAT THEY NEEDED.
THERE WAS NO SOCIAL WORKER TO HELP THEM, UH, WITH, YOU KNOW, FILLING OUT APPLICATIONS.
SO, OR THINGS SAID THAT THEY NEEDED, THERE WAS, UM, NO FUNDING FOR COPING WHEN, UH, RESIDENTS WEREN'T ABLE TO, WELL, ONE DAY WE'RE ABLE TO MAKE AN APPLICATION OR FILL OUT AN APPLICATION RIGHT THERE.
AND THEN THERE WAS NO FUNDING FOR, FOR, UM, THE COPAYS.
I PAID, WHATEVER I COULD ATB DONATED SOME OF THE MEDICINES THAT WERE A LITTLE BIT MORE EXPENSIVE.
AND, UH, AND THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN UNTIL SATURDAY BECAUSE I WENT IN ON MONDAY AND SATURDAY, THAT WAS WHEN THE RESIDENTS WERE ABLE TO, TO GET THEIR PRESCRIPTIONS.
IT WAS ABOUT MAYBE FIVE OR SIX WHEN, WHENEVER THEY CLOSED, BECAUSE I REMEMBER IT WAS THE LAST, I WAS THE LAST ONE RIGHT THERE.
SO IT WAS SAD, YOU KNOW, FOR ME TO GO AND GET ALL THIS PRESCRIPTIONS FOR THE RESIDENTS.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I THANK GOD THAT I DO.
AND SO I WAS ABLE TO, TO GET SOME OF THE PRESCRIPTIONS THAT RESIDENTS NEEDED, BUT, UM, I BELIEVE THERE NEEDS TO BE FUNDING FOR THAT.
AND, UH, ANOTHER THING, THERE WAS NO WATER.
THE FOOD GOT THERE TO 12 MIDNIGHT ON, ON, UM, ON MONDAY.
AND, UH, BUT I DID HAVE A LOT OF SNACKS THAT I GET DON'T I GET DONATIONS FROM A CHURCH.
SO A LOT OF THOSE THINGS, I, I WAS ABLE TO TAKE IT TO, TO THE SHELTER IN INCLUDING SOME WATER THAT I, THAT I ALSO HAD OTHER THINGS THAT SOME OF THE OTHER RESIDENTS WERE TAKING AND THE HIERARCHY, THERE WAS NO CONCRETE PLAN.
IT WAS LIKE, WHO IS IN CHARGE OF WHAT? THAT IS SOMETHING THAT
[01:00:01]
WE HAVE YOU'RE OUT WHILE WE WERE THERE.UH, THERE WAS A SECOND THAT, THAT EVERYBODY LOOKED AT ME.
SO, UM, BUT IT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT NEEDS TO BE IN PLACE WHO IS GOING TO BE, UH, IN CHARGE OF, YOU KNOW, RUNNING THE SHOW.
SO EVERYBODY COULD HAVE SOMETHING IN PLACE.
UH, SENIORS WERE SENT FROM THE HOSPITAL, UH, WITHOUT THAT SCRIPTS.
AND, UH, THERE WAS ONE INCLUDING WITH A BLOOD PRESSURE CUFF.
AND I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SO MANY THINGS THAT HAPPEN WITHIN THE STORM, EH, AND THERE'S DESPERATION.
THERE WAS MANY THINGS, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS, IT WAS JUST LACK OF HAVING A PLAN IN ORDER.
THERE WAS NO RESOURCES IN MENDEZ.
AND I DID HEAR THAT THE DOWNTOWN, UH, SHELTER WAS FULL OF RESOURCES, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY, AFTER SIX DAYS OF VOLUNTEERING IN MEMBERS, UM, THEY CLOSED IT.
AND THE RESIDENTS THAT DIDN'T HAVE A PLACE TO STAY.
AFTER THAT, I WENT IN, I WENT TO THE TERRORIST COVE APARTMENTS TO FEAR THERE BECAUSE RESIDENTS DID NOT HAVE ANY WATER.
AND AFTER SIX DAYS, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE MOLD, MANY RESIDENTS HAD A LOT OF WATER IN THEIR APARTMENTS.
THERE WAS YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO, TO BREATHE ONCE YOU WENT IN THERE BECAUSE I DID TAKE TIME TO, SO I COULD GO AND LOOK AND TALK TO RESIDENTS.
AND, UH, MANY OF THEM DID NOT WANT TO, UM, REPORT ANYTHING BECAUSE THE FEAR OF BEING DEPORTED OR THE FEAR OF RETALIATION FROM THE APARTMENT FLAKES, OR, UH, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT THINGS.
I KEPT HEARING, UH, THE RECENT, THE REASONS WHY THEY WEREN'T REPORTING THINGS.
AND, UM, I'M NOT SURE I MADE A LIST OF THINGS THAT I THINK SHOULD BE IN PLACE.
AND I DUNNO IF YOU WANT TO HEAR THAT, OR YOU CAN, HOW LONG IS YOUR LIST? IT'S, IT'S, UH, NOT THAT BIG BECAUSE I MADE IT.
AND IF, IF YOU CAN, WE'D LIKE YOU TO EMAIL IT INTO PATRICIA AS WELL, BUT YES, PLEASE, UM, OFFERS WHEN YOU HAVE LIST, UH, I PUT HERE THAT WE NEED TO HAVE A GOOD, TRANSPARENT COMMUNICATION OR CLASSICAL COMMUNITIES.
WE NEED TO HAVE POLICIES ALIGNING WITH THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY.
WE KNOW THAT THE POLICIES WITHOUT THE POLICIES FOR THE COMMUNITY WITHOUT COMMUNITY DOES NOT WORK.
UH, WE NEED TO COMBINE OUR DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PLANS BECAUSE FOR WHAT I UNDERSTAND, RED CROSS HAS ITS OWN DISASTER.
HOMELAND SECURITY HAS IT'S OWN DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AUSTIN DISASTER RELIEF NETWORK HAS ITS OWN DISASTER PREPAREDNESS.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE MAYBE, UH, OPERATION CENTER HAS ITS OWN DISASTER PREPAREDNESS, BUT ALL OF THEM ARE KNOCKING ONE THING THAT COMMUNITY.
AND, UH, I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE A VERY SERIOUS SATCHEL, UH, PREPAREDNESS TRAINING COMING FROM THE CITY.
UM, I DUNNO IF ANYBODY CAN GIVE IT TO HOMELAND SECURITY OPERATION CENTER SO ANYBODY CAN TAKE THEM IN AND DO JUST A SIMPLE, BASIC, I MEAN, WE'RE NOT ASKING A COMMUNITY RESPONSE, UH, UH, COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM TRAINING, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST THE BASIC TRAINING FOR, FOR RESIDENTS TO BE PREPARED, UH, THERE NEEDS TO BE THE RESILIENCE HUBS NEED TO BE, UH, WITH STENTING ORDERS FOR THEM TO OPEN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, NOT WAITING THREE, FOUR DAYS BEFORE THEY OPEN, BUT, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE 12 HOURS OR LESS, IF POSSIBLE, UH, THERE'S CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, UH, RECREATION CENTERS, LIBRARIES, OR ANY BUILDING WITH A SPACE TO SHELTER, PEOPLE COULD BE USED AS A RESILIENCY TO INCLUDING HOMES BECAUSE
[01:05:01]
THAT'S WHAT WE USED TO MANY OF OUR HOMES WHERE WE'RE HOSTING PEOPLE OR WE'RE HOSTING, UH, SUPPLIES.SO WE COULD GIVE TO PEOPLE, UH, EACH, UH, NEEDS TO BE EQUIPPED WATER SNACKS, NECESSITATES SUCH AS, UH, TOILETRIES, TYLENOL, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING MINOR BUT MUCH NEEDED, UH, THINGS IN A DISASTER.
THERE NEEDS TO BE A STANDING ORDERS FOR A CASE MANAGEMENT CASE MANAGER FOR ASSESSING AND COME UP WITH A FOLLOW-UP PLAN FOR MENTAL HEALTH, UH, SHORT AND LONGTERM.
SO THE TRAUMA THAT IS THE IT'S CAUSED BY THIS EVENT, SOCIAL WORKERS, UH, THE ABILITY TO REGISTER PEOPLE FOR MEDICAL ACCESS PROGRAM OR AFFORDABLE CARE ACT OR ANY KIND OF RESOURCES THAT RESIDENTS MIGHT NEED IN THAT EVENT, EMERGENCY MEDICAL RESPONSE TEAM WITH THE ABILITY TO WRITE SCRIPTS FOR MEDICATION, UH, AND ALL OF THESE, IF THEY WERE STANDING ORDERS ALREADY, WE DIDN'T, WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO WAIT, UH, FOUR DAYS OR FIVE DAYS FOR RESIDENTS TO GET THE MEDICINE, UH, HAVE FUNDING SET ASIDE FOR CO-PAYS WHEN RESIDENTS ARE NOT ABLE TO AFFORD IT FUNDING FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ALREADY IN PLACE, UH, FUNDING FOR IMAGE, EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FOR TRAINEES.
UH, BECAUSE AS WE KNOW, IF RESIDENTS ARE GONNA TAKE TIME, I THINK THEY NEED TO BE STIPEND, UH, FUNDING FOR MANPOWER, IF IT'S NEEDED.
UH, I'M NOT SURE HOW THE CITY IS DOING ALL THE DEPARTMENTS THAT WE DON'T GET, THE RESPONSE THAT IT'S NEEDED, MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MANPOWER.
I DON'T KNOW, BUT, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE ACTUALLY, UM, DEFINITELY GOING TO BE LOOKING INTO.
DO YOU, UM, DO WE HAVE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION SO THAT PATRICIA CAN REACH OUT TO YOU TOO, SO THAT YOU CAN SEND IN THE REST OF YOUR PLAN AND FEEL FREE TO READ IT TO ME, JUST ONE MORE ITEM, WHICH IS FUNDING FOR FOUR BY FOURS, UH, YOU KNOW, VEHICLES BECAUSE THEY'RE NEEDED AND THEY WEREN'T THERE.
UH, I THINK WATERSHED PROTECTION HAD FOR ALL IN, IN THE DEPARTMENT.
SO WE NEED MORE THAN THAT, SO THEY COULD BE ABLE TO HELP RESPOND.
WELL, WE ARE DEFINITELY, UM, TAKING ALL YOUR COMMENTS, INCLUDING THANK YOU FOR SHOWING UP WITH THE PLAN TO HELP BASED ON YOUR EXPERIENCE AND WHAT YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH.
UM, AND WE WILL CERTAINLY BE ADDRESSING ALL THOSE POINTS, BUT IF YOU COULD ALSO, WE ARE TAKING NOTES, BUT IF YOU COULD ALSO SEND THAT IN, UM, WE WOULD APPRECIATE IT.
DO YOU, DO YOU HAVE HER CONTACT INFORMATION? YES.
I HAVE CONTACT INFORMATION FOR ALL OF THE SPEAKERS.
UM, DUE TO TIME, UM, WE ARE GOING TO MOVE TO THE NEXT, THE NEXT CALLER.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO CALL US, UM, AND WORKING WITH GABA AND BEING A LEADER IN YOUR COMMUNITY IN DOVE SPRINGS.
THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN.
OKAY, PATRICIA WILL TAKE THE NEXT CALLER.
MS. SMITH, WHENEVER YOU'RE READY, PLEASE.
AND IF YOU'RE SPEAKING, WE CAN'T HEAR YOU.
CAN YOU HEAR ME, PATRICIA DORA, PLEASE UNMUTE.
UM, THERE'S A LAG BETWEEN UP AND WATCHING IT ON TV.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU NOW.
UM, AND THERE MIGHT'VE BEEN A TO, YEAH, I CAN HEAR YOU NOW, BUT WAIT A MINUTE.
SO THERE'S LIKE, I'VE GOT THE CHANCE OF SEE, I WAS WATCHING IT ON ONLINE AND JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF MINUTES.
DO YOU WANT ME TO GET IT? WELL, IF YOU CAN MAKE SURE.
UM, AS YOU WERE WATCHING, IT'S TURNED DOWN BECAUSE I WAS HEARING A BIT OF AN ECHO WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED SPEAKING.
[01:10:01]
OKAY.SO IT'S THE SOUNDS TURNED OFF NOW YOU HAVE SEVEN MINUTES AND IF YOU WOULD START BY TELLING US WHAT DISTRICT OR ZIP CODE YOU WERE LIVING IN DURING THE STORM AND WE'D APPRECIATE IT.
UM, I LOOKED IN DISTRICT FOUR SEVEN, EIGHT, SEVEN, FIVE EIGHT OFF OF LINDBERGH DURING THE STORM, AND IT'S STILL LIVE THERE.
UM, AND IF YOU WANT ME TO REPLAY, YOU DON'T NEED ME TO REPEAT MY NAME.
UM, LIKE, UM, LIKE MOST OF AUSTIN'S WORKING CLASS, I LIVE IN UNINSULATED HOUSING THAT WAS BUILT DURING THE 1970S AND 1980S.
I HAVE BUY SOFT, SEEN INSIDE THE WALL.
DURING THE COLD SNAP, AN ICE STORM, THE TEMPERATURE PLUNGE TO JUST ABOVE ZERO.
MY ELECTRICITY WENT UP SUNDAY AT 1:30 AM AND 12 HOURS LATER WITH 45 DEGREES IN MY APARTMENT AT TEMPERATURES UNDER 50 DEGREES.
MANY PEOPLE CAN DIE OF HYPOTHERMIA, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE WAS FLEETS I'M 64 AND OVERWEIGHT AND ALL THAT.
UM, THE CITY OPENED SHELTERS FOR OUR HOMELESS NEIGHBORS ONLY.
AND MAYOR EDWARD EXPLICITLY TOLD EVERYONE ELSE TO HUNKER DOWN IN THEIR HOMES.
I LEARNED BY ASKING PEOPLE ONLINE AND LATER PEOPLE AT WORK AND CHURCH WHO SAID THEY WEREN'T COLD, THAT NEW WERE WELL-INSULATED HOME.
WHEREAS THE MIDDLE-CLASS PHYSICALLY LIVE, UH, TYPICALLY NEVER DROPPED BELOW 50 DEGREES.
EVEN AFTER FIVE DAYS OF WEATHER UNDER 10 DEGREES.
DON'T KNOW HOW SPACE STATION FORMATION.
I DON'T KNOW, BUT THAT'S THE TYPICAL HOME NOWADAYS, AND IT'S NOT THE WORKING CLASS MALE ED WITH THE TECH LAST YEAR ON THE WORKING CLASS FOR BUYING AFFORDABLY CHEESE.
THE DAY CHIBI IS TYPICALLY THE CITY'S LEVEL OF CONTACT WITH WORKING CLASS REALITY.
UM, SOMEONE ON THE COUNTY WEBSITE DESCRIBES OBEYING THE MAYOR OR DEVELOPING SEVERE HYPOTHERMIA AND BEING SCARED RIGHT OUT OF THE TREE.
UM, I SPENT SEVEN OR EIGHT HOURS ON MONDAY ON THE PHONE TRYING TO GET HELP.
UM, TWO, ONE, ONE, I REPEAT RATE WAITING ON HOLD VARIOUS PLACES, BUT I DON'T SAY TWO, ONE, ONE OCCURRED TO ME.
THAT'S USUALLY WHERE YOU CALL FOR HELP WITH EVENTS.
I WATCHED AND READ NEWS ON MY PHONE.
I COULDN'T REACH MY CITY COUNCILMAN'S OFFICE OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
I GOT THE MOST HELP FROM CALLING TV NEWS STATIONS.
AND THEY SAID, SO DID A LOT OF PEOPLE, THERE WAS VERY LITTLE INFORMATION ON WHAT SHELTERS WHO, WHO COULD GO TO NEW SAID POMMERY THAT CENTER WAS ONLY FOR HOMELESS PEOPLE.
THEN PEOPLE WAS SUPPOSED TO REPORT THE, THAT CENTER AND BE TOLD TO GO ELSEWHERE.
I'M USING NO TRANSPORTATION IN THE WORLD COVERED WITH ICE WASN'T VIABLE, UM, TIMELY THAT VENDOR HAD TO TAKE MESSAGE THAT SAID LITTLE EXCEPT TO TAKE A BOOK.
UM, HOW DID THEY NOT KNOW THE BUSES WEREN'T RUNNING? UM, CAPITAL MICHO WAS SUPPOSEDLY PROVIDING RIDES TO SHELTERS, BUT NOW ACCORDING TO THE CUSTOMER SERVICE, MY CHURCH DIDN'T OPEN THEIR SHELTER.
AND MY PASTORS ASSUMES I COULD SAFELY HUNKER DOWN BECAUSE THE HOUSE WAS WARM.
NINE 11 WAS ALLEGEDLY TAKING PHONE CALLS TO PROVIDE RIDES TO SHELTERS.
BUT THE NINE 11 CALL CENTER DID NOT KNOW THAT IF I ONLY TOOK MY INFORMATION AT MY INSISTENCE AND THEY DID CALL ME THE NEXT DAY ABOUT A RIDE, UM, I WAITED ON HOLD, REPEAT ADMISSION TO ONE, ONE.
UM, FINALLY, A NEW STATION CONNECTED ME WITH AUSTIN DISASTER NETWORK, WHICH TOOK ME TO A TEMPORARY HOMELESS SHELTER.
I JUMPED OUT OF THE FIRE INTO THE FRYING PAN DISPLAYED AND PASS THE WARDROBE FOOD FOR BOTH JELLIES.
I STAYED AT, CAME FROM WHERE HOMELESS SHELTERS NORMALLY GET FOOD.
IT WAS PREPARED AND DONATED BY RESTAURANTS DOWNTOWN, EVEN THOUGH THE COUNSELING, SOME FEMA FOOD WAS SCANDI AND SHOWED UP.
IF IT DID ONE DAY, WE HAD ONE MEAL, A LITTLE CORN OIL AND WATER WITH TWO PIECES OF CARROT WITH DRY BREAD, DRY WHITE BREAD AND WATER.
UM, EVERYONE, BUT THEY WAS HOMELESS.
THERE WAS ONE OTHER FEMALE MEN WILL BE SCREENED ALL NIGHT.
MY SECOND NIGHT I GOT A MIGRAINE HEADACHE, BUT HOMELESS PEOPLE ARE NOT CONSIDERED ADULT ENOUGH TO LEAVE, TO GO TO THE GAS STATION TO GET ASPIRIN.
BUT ONE QUESTION WAS 160 OVER 95.
UM, WHEN I LEFT, WE WERE USING PLASTIC GROCERY BAGS IN THE TOILET BECAUSE THE WATER MAIN BOOK, THE NEXT DAY, OFTEN DISASTER RELIEF MOVED ME TO TIME.
DESPITE WARNING, IT'S A BIT ROUGH BECAUSE THE FEW SHELTERS, CHURCHES OPEN DID NOT HAVE FOOD AND WATER THERE.
WE GOT THREE THEORY AT YOUR REGULAR AND VERY STRANGE FOUR QUALITY MEALS A DAY.
AND PEOPLE GOT INTO FIGHTS AND WILLED AND SCREAMED ALL NIGHT.
MY LAST NIGHT THERE, I GOT NO SLEEP AT ALL RIGHT.
I LEARNED THE ELECTRICITY WAS BACK ON AT HOME AND HE ELECTED TO GO THERE EVEN THOUGH THE WATER WASN'T ON.
AND I COULDN'T LEARN WHETHER IT'S TEXTING FIRST.
I TOOK WATER FROM THE SHELTER.
AND, UH, LUCKILY THE WATER, THE WATER BOTTLES I HAD FILLED BEFORE THE STORM HIT DUBAI.
SO I HAD WATER, UM, THAT NIGHT.
UM, I SUDDENLY GOT VERY VIOLENTLY ILL OUT OF BOTH OF THEM.
ONCE THEY CAUGHT A NASTY VIRUS AND MICHELLE THERE, I DIDN'T GET CRAMPS.
SO I DON'T THINK IT WAS FOOD POISONING.
[01:15:02]
UM, OVER THE THREE DAYS I WAS THERE, I GRADUALLY LEARNED THAT THERE WAS A MORE FAMILY DISABLED AND ELDERLY ORIENTED PLACE ON THE SECOND FLOOR.BUT EVEN THOUGH I'M 64 AND MOVED THERE ON ACCOUNT OF A MEDICAL ISSUE, I WAS NEVER SEEN TO BE PUT THERE NOR TOLD HER THEY EXISTED.
UM, AS TO THE CONFUSION ABOUT WHO KNEW WHAT, WHEN IT WAS THE CITY OFFICIAL, IT'S PATHETIC BLAME SHIFTING.
I CONDENSED A LOT INTO, UM, LIKE A PAGE.
EVERYONE KNOWS THAT IF THERE WAS NO ICE AND COLD, THERE WILL BE NO POWER.
AND MOST OF THE CITY FOR DAYS IT'S HAPPENED REPEATEDLY.
AND, UM, THE CITY OFFICIALS NOT WATCH THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR THE ENTIRE PREVIOUS WEEK.
UM, SO THERE'S NO WAY THEY LOOK AWAY.
THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS COMING.
I HAVE TROUBLE THINKING ANYONE BUT LOOKED AT ERCOT FOR THIS INFORMATION.
UM, JOHN LEEWARD STATEMENTS FROM THE CITY ABOUT ZERO DEGREE WEATHER IN PALATABLE ZONES AND NO ELECTRICITY FOR SIX DAYS.
WHAT IS COST? MY BROTHER AND SISTER DO STB BEFORE THE ROAD WAS SUDDENLY A TESTABLE ON MONDAY AND KEPT MY EMPLOYERS FROM EXPECTING ME TO WORK AS USUAL.
UM, SO, UM, THAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT AND HE NEEDED TO PUT OUT STRONG STATEMENTS AND THIS IS DEFINITELY GOING TO HAPPEN.
AND THIS IS THE WEATHER FORECAST DOING THE USUAL CATASTROPHIZING, UM, SE, AND THERE'S GOING TO BE NO ELECTRICITY.
UM, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS WOULD HAVE FELT KEPT THOUGHTLESS CUT OUT FROM INFORMATION.
IF THEY'D TRIED ANSWERING THEIR OFFICE PHONES, THAT'S IRONIC.
UM, THE CAN SHOULDN'T SEND YOUR, SHOULD HAVE BEEN USE OF THE SHELTER.
THE COVID WARD TOOK UP ONLY PART OF THE HUGE PLACE THAT ONLY HELPS FEW PATIENTS.
AND IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN QUICKLY SCALED BACK.
UM, OBVIOUSLY THE CITY NEEDS TO HAVE A PLAN AND MOBILIZE AHEAD OF TIME, THE RESOURCES TO HANDLE ANY DISASTER FUNDING OUT OF STATE FOOD, SHELTER PORTA-POTTIES AND TRANSPORTATION.
SHELBY JUST NEED TO PUT PEOPLE UP WHO CAN'T STAY HOME, NOT LET PEOPLE WARM UP FOR A FEW HOURS.
IF THERE'S GOING TO BE ICE, PEOPLE NEED, PEOPLE OBVIOUSLY NEED TO BE IN SHELTERS BEFORE THE STORM HITS THE ROAD BACK.
TESTABLE, NOT WAIT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED AND FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH.
UM, IT WOULD BE GOOD IF ANYONE AT ALL ACTUALLY CARES IF IT'S RELIABLE ELECTRICITY.
SO WHAT ELSE IS WORKED AT EARTH? THAT SOMETHING BEING SAD AND KICKED IN OFF, USUALLY IT'S ELECTRICITY ALL BY ITSELF WHEN IT'S COLD WEATHER, A NICE, UM, IT'S TOUGH SMITH.
UM, WE DID HAVE A BUZZER ON YOUR TIME TO SPEAK.
I'D LIKE TO GIVE, UM, OUR TASK FORCE MEMBERS A MOMENT TO ASK YOU QUESTIONS IF THEY HAVE ANY, UM, YEAH.
CAN I JUST SHOOT ONE MORE LINE? YES.
UM, SO, UM, I WAS LEFT CONVINCED THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME, THIS YEAR, THAT CITY OFFICIALS DO NOT CARE WHO LIVES AND WHO DIES.
AND I'M THINKING OF MOVING BACK NORTH AND NOW I'M FINISHED.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR, UH, MS. SMITH OR JUST FEEDBACK ON WHAT SHE SHARED WITH US AGAIN, QUITE A HARROWING STORY.
MS. SMITH, DO YOU MIND IF I ASK WHERE YOU'RE, WHERE YOU'RE LIVING NOW? UM, I'M LIVING WHERE, WHERE I ORIGINALLY LIVED OFF A PHONE BOOK, SO I WENT HOME AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE, EXCEPT IT LOOKS THE HEAT WAS BACK ON.
HOW, HOW MANY DAYS WERE YOU OUT OF YOUR HOME FROM MONDAY UNTIL FRIDAY? THAT'S A LONG TIME.
AND DID ANYONE WITH THE CITY AT ANY POINT HELP YOU ASSIST YOU OTHER THAN YOU FIGURING OUT WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO? NO.
UM, AND I DON'T THINK TWO CALLING TWO, ONE, ONE OCCURRED TO ME THOUGH.
I DID WAIT ON HOLD FOR A COUPLE OF TIMES SOMEWHERE.
MAYBE I CALLED TWO, ONE, ONE, BUT I DON'T THINK SO BECAUSE NORMALLY THAT'S WHERE YOU CALL WHEN YOU CAN'T PAY THE RENT.
NOT YOU'RE ABOUT TO FACE THE DESK TODAY AND YOU NEED TO SHELTER.
ONCE YOU MADE IT BACK HOME, DID YOU HAVE ELECTRICITY AND WATER AT THAT TIME? UH, HOW DO YOU LIKE TO SEE? I DIDN'T HAVE WATER.
UM, I HAD BEEN IN TOUCH WITH MY LANDLORD AND I, AND I'D ALSO BEEN WATCHING THE ELECTRICITY MAPS, WHAT WERE LIKE, JUST DO WITH CROHN'S.
SO I KNEW THAT THERE WOULD BE LIKE TIFFANY AND I KNEW THERE WASN'T ANY WATER AND MY LANDLORD REFUSED TO CHECK ON THE PIPES IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THAT.
BUT I WANTED OUT OF THAT SHELTER.
GLAD I DIDN'T GET THAT SICK IN THAT SHELTER BECAUSE THERE WOULD'VE BEEN NO PLACE.
I MEAN, MY CLOTHES WERE COVERED WITH DIARRHEA.
ARE YOU LIVING IN AN APARTMENT COMPLEX OR IS IT A PRIVATE RENTAL? OKAY, THANK YOU.
SO IT'S AN OLDER APARTMENT COMPLEX, LIKE WE WERE IN THE WORKING CLASS.
CAN'T REALLY RENT NEW HOUSING.
[01:20:02]
HAVE YOU BEEN, HAVE YOU NEEDED ANY OTHER ASSISTANCE FROM THE CITY THAT YOU'VE TRIED TO GET OR ANY OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCY AND YOU'VE RECEIVED NO FEEDBACK? UM, I, I SEND MY STORY TO MY CITY COUNCILMAN AND HE SAID NOTHING.CAUSE OUR, DID YOU SEND THAT TO HIM? EMAIL AND I EMAILED THE ONE THAT IS THE, ONE OF THE PEOPLE IN HIS OFFICE.
I'D HAVE TO LOOK UP WHO THAT WAS, BUT IT MIGHT TAKE A FEW MINUTES, BUT THAT THAT'S, THAT WAS BASICALLY THE ROUTE I TOOK.
IF YOU COULD THOUGH PROVIDE THAT, PATRICIA HAS YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION.
UM, IF YOU, IF SHE'S GOING TO REACH OUT TO YOU AND IF YOU COULD PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION, UM, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO US AND WHO YOU REACHED OUT TO.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING YOUR TIME THIS EVENING TO SHARE YOUR STORY WITH US.
AND AGAIN, WE'RE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO TRY TO GET CITY COUNCIL, TO LISTEN AND TAKE THIS FEEDBACK TO IMPLEMENT AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN.
AND, AND, AND WHEN YOU TOLD ME I WAS RUNNING OUT OF TIME, I WAS TRYING TO POINT OUT THAT, UM, USUALLY WHEN THERE'S A STORM AND IT'S PLEASING AUSTIN ENERGY, HAS IT WINTERIZED, IT'S USUALLY AMENDED, USUALLY IT'S, IT'S OFTEN ENERGY'S FAULT AND THAT'S SOMEBODY ELSE'S.
YES, WE WILL TAKE THE NEXT CALLER.
AND WE'LL, WE'LL DO, UM, SIX MINUTES FOR THE, IS ARE THERE THREE REMAINING? YES.
WE'LL DO SIX MINUTES FOR EACH.
SO RHONDA MCMAHON, MS. MCMAHON, WHENEVER YOU'RE READY, PLEASE.
HI, SO, AND MY FAMILY AND I LIVE IN, UM, DISTRICT EIGHT IN AS ZIP CODE SEVEN EIGHT, SEVEN FOUR NINE.
AND, UM, SO I'LL JUST START OUT.
I WROTE DOWN WHAT I WANTED TO SHARE.
SO WE WERE THREE FIREWOOD LOGS AWAY FROM POTENTIALLY FREEZING TO DEATH AND OUR OWN HOME IN AUSTIN, TEXAS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN 2021.
UM, IT WAS A LIVING HELL AND NIGHTMARE THAT WE WOULDN'T WISH ON ANYONE.
UH, WE WERE WITHOUT ELECTRICITY FOR TWO DAYS AND WITHOUT RUNNING WATER FOR FOUR, FIVE DAYS.
AND WE LIVE IN A, WE OWN OUR HOME.
AND, UM, IT'S A TWO STORY HOUSE AND TEMPERATURES DROP BELOW FREEZING INSIDE OUR HOUSE.
AND WE WERE RATIONING FAR WITH LOGS.
UM, WE HAVE A WOOD-BURNING FIREPLACE, OF COURSE NOT KNOWING, UM, HOW LONG WE WOULD BE WITHOUT ELECTRICITY.
AND, UM, THANKFULLY I WAS THE ONLY OF THE FOUR OF US TO HAVE A MILD HYPOTHERMIA SYMPTOMS OF SLIGHT FROSTBITE ON ALL MY SENIORS.
UM, MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE TWO SONS AGES, 17 AND 20, WHO BOTH LIVE AT HOME.
AND OUR OLDER SON, UM, HAS, UH, SEVERE DISABILITIES THAT INCLUDE, UM, DOWN SYNDROME AUTISM AND SOME OTHER MEDICAL DIAGNOSES.
AND THE STORM HAD A HORRIBLE IMPACT ON OUR FAMILY.
UM, HE'S, NON-VERBAL, HE IS VERY SMALL.
AND THEN, UM, HE'S NOT TOILET TRAINED AND HE'S IN PULL-UPS 24 SEVEN.
AND YOU CANNOT BEGIN TO IMAGINE WHAT IT'S LIKE TO CLEAN UP A MESSY DM ACCIDENT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT ON A HARRY YOUNG MAN WHERE WE HAVE NO ELECTRICITY AND NO RUNNING WATER.
UH, IT BROKE OUR HEARTS TO SEE HIM SHIVERING UNCONTROLLABLY, SORRY.
WELL, MY HUSBAND AND I DID OUR BEST TO CLEAN HIM UP AND GET HIM DRESSED AGAIN AND AS WARM AS POSSIBLE, WE WILL NEVER FORGET THE TRAUMA OF THAT WEEK FOR AS LONG AS WE LIVE.
SO, AS I KNOW, SOME OF THIS, YOU GUYS ALREADY KNOW MORE THAN 150 TEXANS DIED IN THEIR HOMES AND CARS DURING THIS DEVASTATING WINTER STORM, EITHER FREEZING TO DEATH OR DYING FROM ACCIDENTAL CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING.
SOME OF THESE DEATHS INCLUDED PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND WE IMPLORE.
I KNOW I SPEAK FOR ALL FOUR OF US IN MY FAMILY.
WE IMPLORE THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND THE STATE OF TEXAS MAKE SIGNIFICANT
[01:25:01]
CHANGES TO WEATHERIZE AND WINTERIZE OUR STATE POWER GRID.UM, ERCOT IS A COMPLETE FAILURE.
THE CITY AND STATE MUST MUST ALL CAPS MUST MAKE IMPROVEMENTS SO THAT TEXANS NEVER EVER EXPERIENCED THIS HORRIFIC TRAGEDY AGAIN.
AND I WILL ADD, I MADE NOTES AS I WAS LISTENING TO OTHER CALLERS.
I KNOW SOME PEOPLE DID AS WELL LOSE NATURAL GAS.
WE WERE ABLE TO WARM UP THROUGH, WE KEPT, WE HAVE TWO FRIDGE FREEZERS.
SO, AND WE KEPT FOOD STORED OUTSIDE IN THE SNOW AND AN ICE CHEST BURIED IN THE SNOW, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO MELT, UM, SNOW AS WE NEEDED TO, UM, AND BOIL IT TO WASH DISHES.
WE WERE MELTING SNOW TO FLUSH TOILETS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE WERE ABLE TO WARM FOOD ON THE COOKTOP.
MY HEART WENT OUT TO PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T HAVE THAT ABILITY.
UM, MY HUSBAND AND I, UM, FROM THIS EXPERIENCE, WE'VE REACHED OUT TO PEOPLE, FRIENDS AND FAMILY SOUGHT THEIR INPUT ON, WE ARE CREATING OUR OWN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN BECAUSE SADLY WITH CLIMATE CHANGE AND IF THE STATE OF TEXAS AND ERCOT, IF CHANGES, SIGNIFICANT CHANGES, AREN'T MADE, THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN.
AND IF ANYTHING, WE MIGHT EXPERIENCE IT THIS SUMMER, BUT FROM THE OPPOSITE EXTREME, INSTEAD OF FREEZING TO DEATH, YOU KNOW, BURNING UP.
UM, BUT ANYWAY, WE ARE CREATING OUR OWN PLAN, UM, TO HELP US BETTER SURVIVE SOMETHING LIKE THIS AND I HAVEN'T FEELINGS.
SOME OF YOU MIGHT ASK, UM, WHY WOULD IT AND CONSIDER GOING TO A SHELTER? UM, WE DISCUSSED IT.
WE CALLED AROUND LOOKING FOR HOTEL RANGE, BUT LIKE SO MANY PEOPLE IN CENTRAL TEXAS.
AND, YOU KNOW, REALLY FOR THAT MATTER THROUGHOUT THE STATE, THERE WERE NO ROOMS AVAILABLE OR THEY WERE OVER A THOUSAND DOLLARS A NIGHT IN OUR SELMA DISABILITIES.
IS THAT HIGH RISK FOR COVID? SO WE WERE NOT OPEN TO GOING TO A SHELTER BECAUSE WE WERE TOO CONCERNED ABOUT HIS SAFETY AND WELLBEING.
SO THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.
THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS WITH US.
AND YOU'RE ALSO, WE, WE FULLY RECOGNIZE YOU'RE SHARING PAIN AND TRAUMA THAT YOU'RE RELIVING RIGHT NOW WITH US.
AND WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE IT BECAUSE IT'S NEEDED TO, TO HELP THE CITY DEVELOP A PLAN SO THAT HOPEFULLY NO ONE IS EVER IN THIS SITUATION.
AGAIN, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR FEEDBACK FOR RHONDA? HI, RHONDA.
THIS IS COMMISSIONER CLEMENTS.
I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT MY HEART REALLY DOES GO OUT FOR YOU.
UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'RE MAKING A PLAN NOW, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE TO MAKE A PLAN WHEN WE HAVE SO MANY RESOURCES IN THIS CITY AND WE HAVE, UM, SO MANY INTELLIGENT PEOPLE WHO CAN HELP MAKE THOSE PLANS TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING.
SO, UM, I'M JUST INCREDIBLY SORRY THAT YOU HAD TO GO THROUGH THIS EXPERIENCE AND THAT YOUR FAMILY HAD TO GO THROUGH THIS EXPERIENCE MORE BROADLY.
SO, UM, I HOPE THAT OUR TASK FORCE CAN DO GOOD BY YOU AND ALSO THAT WE CAN HOPEFULLY GET YOU CONNECTED WITH ANY RESOURCES THAT YOU MIGHT NEED, UM, AFTER THIS MEETING.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME THIS EVENING.
WE'LL WE'LL TAKE THE NEXT SPEAKER.
THE NEXT SPEAKER IS ED SCRUGGS.
UM, I WANT TO SAY THAT RONDA'S STORY IS REALLY MOVING.
UM, MY NAME'S ED SCRUGGS, I LIVE IN DISTRICT EIGHT SEVEN EIGHT SEVEN THREE NINE.
I CURRENTLY NOW WORK FOR THE CITY.
I, I, UM, WAS WORKING WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH AT THE TIME OF THE STORM, UM, AND DOING COVID, UM, CONTACT TRACING.
NOW I WORK WITH COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS, BUT THE STORM HAPPENED BEFORE I MOVED TO THE COUNCIL MEMBER'S OFFICE.
SO, UH, THIS IS MY OWN STORY AND, AND IS JUST REPRESENTS MY VIEW OF WHAT HAPPENED.
UM, I'LL SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, THANK GOODNESS WE DIDN'T EXPERIENCE THE TRAUMA THAT SOME OF THE OTHER FAMILIES DID, UM, EXPRESSING THEIR STORY, BUT I'LL SAY I WAS VERY ALARMED.
[01:30:01]
UM, THAT WEEK OF THE STORM, THAT AS THINGS WENT ALONG, IT SEEMED TO GET WORSE.UM, OTHER PEOPLE ON OUR STREET WERE OUT THE ENTIRE TIME.
UM, UH, WE DID LOSE WATER AND, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE NEED TO REALIZE THAT SOUTHWEST AUSTIN WAS THE FIRST PART OF TOWN TO LOSE WATER.
AND WE WERE THE LAST TO HAVE IT RESTORED.
SO WE WERE WITHOUT WATER FOR A WEEK.
AND, UM, WE WERE JUST TOTALLY UNPREPARED FOR THAT.
AND TH THAT COMMUNICATION COMING FROM THE CITY AND FROM EMERGENCY RESPONSE WAS SO SPOTTY AND INCONSISTENT, LEADING UP TO THOSE THAT OTHERS HAVE MENTIONED.
FIRST, WE WERE TOLD TO DRIP ALL OF OUR, UM, FAUCETS AND DRIP, ALL OF THE OUTSIDE OF FAUCETS.
UM, AND THEN THERE WAS CONTRADICTORY INFORMATION ALL OVER THE INTERNET SAYING, DON'T DRIP, YOUR FAUCETS, PEEL THEM OFF AND TAKE THEM OFF.
UM, A LOT OF CONFUSION ABOUT THAT.
UM, AND LATER ON, WHEN WE LOST WATER, THEY SAID, STOP DRIPPING THE FAUCETS.
WHEN I THINK THE TEMPERATURE WAS 10 DEGREES, AND I KNOW PEOPLE WHOSE PIPES BURST AFTER THAT.
UM, HOW WE LOST WATER AND WHY WE LOST WATER AT THE TIME.
UM, IN MY OPINION, THERE WERE NOT ENOUGH UPDATES GIVEN PUBLICLY.
UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS, BUT, UH, I REMEMBER SEEING MAYBE ONE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE WATER DEPARTMENT EACH DAY, AND IT WAS VERY HAZY EACH TIME.
UM, WHEN YOU FACTOR IN THAT PEOPLE HAD LOST WATER AND POWER, THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN UPDATES EVERY COUPLE OF HOURS, EVEN IF IT WAS JUST TO SAY FOLKS, WE DON'T KNOW MUCH MORE, BUT WE WANT TO GIVE YOU THE STATUS BECAUSE YOU CAN'T ASSUME THAT EVERYONE SEES YOUR ONE UPDATE THAT YOU GIVE EACH DAY.
UM, I DIDN'T REALLY EVER SEE THE BROADCAST SYSTEM USED THAT YOU WOULD SEE CLASSICALLY WITH THE TONE, UM, BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE WITHOUT POWER.
MAYBE THEY WERE ONLY GOING TO HEAR THINGS ON THEIR CAR RADIO, UH, WHY WASN'T THAT USED? UM, SO THAT'S JUST PART OF THAT.
BUT ONE THING THAT REALLY CONCERNS ME WAS OUR LACK OF AN EMERGENCY WATER DISTRIBUTION.
UM, WHEN THIS FIRST HAPPENED, I FIGURED, OH, IT'LL BE A FEW DAYS AND WATER WON'T BE BACK ON.
WE HAD FLUIDS AND WATER IN THE HOUSE.
UM, WE WERE ABLE TO FILL UP THE BATHTUB A LITTLE BIT BEFORE WATER WENT OUT.
WE USED THAT WATER FOR FLUSHING TOILETS.
WE HAVE FIVE PEOPLE IN THE HOUSE, AND I WAS AMAZED AT HOW QUICKLY THAT WENT.
UM, WHEN YOU FACTOR THAT IN WITH WASHING DISHES AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE, THAT WATER WENT LIKE THAT, UM, THERE WAS NO EMERGENCY WATER DISTRIBUTION AND SOME ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE KELLY.
CONSTABLE WAS ONE OF THEM HAD MANAGED TO DIG UP WATER FROM, I THINK YOURS BIRTHDAY PARTY HAD A STACK OF WATER THAT THEY DIDN'T USE THAT YEAR, UH, BECAUSE OF COVID.
SO ON THURSDAY EVENING, UM, SOME ELECTED OFFICIALS WERE ABLE TO GET A FEW TRUCKS FULL OF WATER DOWN TO MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, AND IT WAS JUST ANNOUNCED ONLINE VERY QUICKLY.
AND IF YOU WERE ABLE TO GET OUT OF YOUR STREET, WHICH OUR STREET WAS NEVER CLEARED OF SNOW, YOU WERE ABLE TO GET THERE AND GET ONE CASE OF WATER.
AND MY WIFE WAS ABLE TO GET ONE CASE OF WATER.
WE WERE TOTALLY OUT AT THAT TIME.
AND SO THAT ONE CASE OF WATER, WE MANAGED TO STRETCH THAT OUT, UM, FOR DRINKING AND FOOD, UM, UNTIL SUNDAY, WHEN IT WASN'T UNTIL SUNDAY THAT WE GOT EMERGENCY DISTRIBUTION AT ACC CLINICAL CAMPUS.
BUT WHAT WAS REALLY FRUSTRATING TO ME WAS ON FRIDAY MORNING, UM, I TURN ON CNN AND I SEE SYLVESTER TURNER, THE MAYOR OF HOUSTON PASSING OUT CASES OF WATER TO A LONG LINE OF DRIVES THROUGH EMERGENCY DISTRIBUTION.
AND I SEE IT HAPPENING IN DALLAS AND THERE'S NOTHING HERE.
AND THERE WAS NO MENTION ON THE NEWS OF WHEN THE EMERGENCY WATER DISTRIBUTION WOULD OCCUR, WHY IT HADN'T OCCURRED YET.
AND THEN YOU WOULD SEE A LITTLE THINGS ONLINE ABOUT, WELL, THEY'RE SPEAKING OF WATER IN DALLAS, AND THEY'RE GOING TO DRIVE IT IN ON A TRUCK AND THERE'S FEMA WATER IN HOUSTON, AND THEY'RE GOING TO FLY IT TO THE AIRPORT.
AND THEN YOU WOULD HEAR NOTHING AND SEE NOTHING.
AND IT TURNS OUT THE RUNWAY WAS CLOSED AT THE AIRPORT AND THE TRUCKS COULDN'T DRIVE FROM DALLAS.
AND THE THING THAT I THINK IS VERY CONCERNING ABOUT ALL OF THIS IS WE'RE THE 10TH LARGEST CITY IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND WE HAVE NO EMERGENCY SUPPLIES, STOCKPILE FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
THAT WAS VERY EYEOPENING THAT WE ARE DEPENDENT AS A SATELLITE AND OTHER TEXAS CITIES THAT HAD EMERGENCY WATER DISTRIBUTION TWO DAYS BEFORE WE DID.
[01:35:01]
THE HARDSHIP THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WENT THROUGH WAITING THOSE EXTRA TWO DAYS FOR A WATER.UM, AND IT WAS GREAT WHEN THE WATER DID COME AND THE DISTRIBUTION SET UP WAS GOOD.
UM, WE HAD TO GO OUT AND DIG UP SNOW FRIDAY OR SATURDAY BECAUSE IT WAS MELTING.
AND THAT'S WHEN I BEGAN TO THINK, OH MY GOSH, WE MAY NOT BE GETTING THIS BACK FOR ANOTHER WEEK.
SO WE SCRAPED UP AS MUCH SNOW AS WE COULD TO PUT IN THE BATHTUB SO WE COULD KEEP FLUSHING THE TOILETS.
BUT SO THE WATER CAME ON SUNDAY, BUT THE THING IS BY SUNDAY NIGHT, THE ROADS WERE CLEARED.
AND BY SUNDAY NIGHT THE STORES HAD WATER.
SO THE EMERGENCY DISTRIBUTION OF WATER ALMOST CAME TOO LATE.
UM, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE SUFFERED DURING THOSE THREE, FOUR DAYS.
AND I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY IT'S NEVER FULLY BEEN EXPLAINED WHY, UM, THAT WE SOMEHOW COULDN'T GET WATER HERE.
AND IF WE COULDN'T GET WATER HERE, THAT'S THAT REALLY WORRIED? WHAT IF WE HAVE A BIG TORNADO? WHAT IF WE HAVE OTHER BIG WEATHER EVENTS? ARE WE GOING TO BE DEPENDENT AGAIN, STRANDED HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STATE? AND I HOPE THAT WHAT COMES OUT OF THIS AS WE CAN COME UP WITH A PLAN TO STOCK PILE, AT LEAST SOME AMOUNT OF WATER OR EMERGENCY SUPPLIES.
SO WE DON'T HAVE TO BE DEPENDENT ON FEMA OR OTHER TEXAS CITIES FOR THOSE FIRST FEW DAYS THAT WE CAN GET AN EMERGENCY SUPPLIES, UM, TO PEOPLE THAT NEED THEM.
SO, UM, AGAIN, I DIDN'T HAVE SOME OF THE PERSONAL HARDSHIPS SOME OF THESE FOLKS HAVE HAD, BUT I JUST FEEL THAT, THAT WE COULD HAVE DONE A BETTER JOB.
AND MR. SCRUGGS, I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU IN TERMS OF NO DISPATCH FOR WATER, NOTHING ORGANIZED, NO ONE KNOWING WHERE TO GO, HOW TO GET IT.
AND YES, IF, IF HE HAD ELECTRICITY, YOU'RE SEEING, UM, ORGANIZED RESPONSE PLANS AND OTHER CITIES, UM, IT IS, IT IS SOMETHING THAT IT'S HARD TO NOT TAKE NOTE OF.
UM, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MR.
AND I WOULD JUST SAY THAT, AND I KNOW IT WAS A REALLY HARD SITUATION FOR EVERYONE AND, AND IT'S HARD TO COMPREHEND THAT SOMETHING LIKE THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED.
I, I ALWAYS THOUGHT, WELL, HOW WE'RE AND HEAT WOULD BE THE MAJOR FACTOR IN A WINTER STORM, NEVER COULD HAVE IMAGINED THIS WHOLESALE FAILURE OF THE WATER SYSTEM.
UM, BUT IT REALLY MAKES ME REALIZE THAT THAT IN TERMS OF PERSONAL HEALTH AND WELFARE, WHEN YOU LOSE WATER, UM, AND LET'S SAY YOU DON'T HAVE POWER EITHER.
THAT IS REALLY, YOU ARE REALLY ON YOUR OWN AT THAT POINT.
AND THERE WAS A POINT ON SATURDAY MORNING WHERE WE STARTED TO PANIC BECAUSE THERE WAS SO LITTLE CONFIDENCE IN OUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE THAT IT DIDN'T SEEM LIKE WE WERE GOING TO HAVE WATER BACK FOR THREE OR FOUR DAYS, AND THAT WE WERE NEVER GOING TO GET AN EMERGENCY DISTRIBUTION OF WATER.
AND SO IF IT WOULD HAVE GONE ANOTHER DAY OR TWO WITHOUT ANY WATER, I THINK YOU WOULD HAVE HAD A MUCH BIGGER DISASTER ON YOUR HANDS.
AND A LOT OF THOSE FOLKS THAT WERE ILL AT HOME, UM, WOULD HAVE BEEN IN WORSE SHAPE.
SO, UM, HOPEFULLY WE CAN LEARN FROM THIS AND, AND NOW THE LEAST, UH, DEAL WITH THAT A LITTLE BETTER IN THE FUTURE.
AND THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR STORY WITH US, ESPECIALLY AS YOU NOW, UM, WORK FOR THE CITY AND, YOU KNOW, YOUR, YOUR FEEDBACK IS VERY VALUABLE TO US.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE HE JUST CONNECTS AND THANK YOU, MR. SCRUBS.
ALL RIGHT, PATRICIA, WE'LL MOVE TO THE NEXT CALLER.
AND IF YOU COULD SET THE TIMER FOR FIVE MINUTES SURE THING.
UM, SISSY SANDERS, MS. SANDERS, WELCOME.
AND CAN START SPEAKING WHENEVER YOU'RE READY.
HI, MY NAME IS CASEY SANDERS AND I JUST, FIRST OF ALL, BEFORE I, UH, DESCRIBE MY SITUATION, I WOULD LIKE YOU TO TAKE NOTE THAT I BELIEVE EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER WHO CURRENTLY WORKS ON THE CITY COUNCIL SHOULD HAVE ATTENDED THIS MEETING TONIGHT.
AND EVERY CITY COUNCIL MEMBER SHOULD BE HOLDING A LARGE SCALE MEETINGS IN THEIR DISTRICTS AND EITHER AN OUTDOOR PARKS OR REC CENTERS WITH THE DOORS WIDE OPEN TO ALLOW FRESH AIR AND VENTILATION WHILE WE'RE STILL IN THE PANDEMIC.
BUT TO HAVE A CALL ABOUT THIS SERIOUS OF A CONCERN ON A FRIDAY NIGHT FROM SIX TO EIGHT, WHERE ONLY ROUGHLY NINE PEOPLE FROM THE PUBLIC SPEAK IS INEXCUSABLE.
I FULLY EXPECT MY COUNCIL MEMBER AND THE DAYS TO COME TO BE HOLDING A LARGE SCALE FEEDBACK SESSION AT SOME PUBLIC SPACE IN MY
[01:40:01]
DISTRICT.MY ZIP CODE IS SEVEN EIGHT, SEVEN OH FOUR.
WE LOST POWER FOR 72 HOURS, THREE DAYS FROM TWO O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15TH, TIL TWO O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH.
UNFORTUNATELY I'M NOT IN WHAT I WOULD DESCRIBE THE ZONE OF PRIVILEGE IF YOU WILL.
I, UM, AT THE TIME HAD A 16 YEAR OLD CAR.
AND WHEN YOU HAVE AN OLD CAR LIKE THAT, IT DOESN'T HAVE THE, UM, THE CURRENT, UM, I GUESS, A DEVICE WHERE YOU CAN GO IN AND PLUG IN YOUR, YOUR PHONE CHARGER.
SO YOU CAN CHARGE YOUR PHONE IN THE CAR.
MY CAR WAS TOO OLD, IT WAS A TWO FIVE CAR.
SO I HAD TO RELY ON MY NEIGHBOR WHO LIVED ACROSS THE STREET.
SHE WAS STAYING WITH FRIENDS AND ANOTHER NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT SHE WOULD COME AROUND ABOUT NOON EACH DAY, RIGHT AROUND LUNCHTIME AND MY SISTER AND MY SON, AND I WOULD RUN OUTSIDE AND WE WOULD SAY, HEY, CAN WE SIT IN YOUR CAR? AND CAN WE CHARGE OUR PHONES? BECAUSE MY SISTER AND I NEEDED TO LET OUR EMPLOYERS KNOW THAT WE WEREN'T GOING TO BE ABLE TO WORK.
WE COULDN'T JUST LIKE, NOT SHOW UP ONLINE FOR OUR JOBS.
WE HAD TO LET OUR EMPLOYERS KNOW.
SO, UM, I'M SURE YOU ALL KNOW THAT, UH, CHARGING YOUR PHONE IN THE CAR.
UH, YOU DON'T REALLY GET THAT MUCH POWER.
YOU CAN SIT IN THERE FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS AND YOU STILL DON'T REALLY HAVE A HIGH PERCENTAGE.
SO I WOULD GET TO ABOUT 5% ON MY PHONE, UM, BECAUSE YOU KNOW, MY NEIGHBOR COULDN'T SIT THERE ALL DAY AND LET US CHARGE OUR PHONES.
I GET TO 5%, BUT I COULDN'T GET OUT OF HER CAR UNTIL I MADE THREE IMPORTANT CALLS.
BECAUSE IF I GOT OUT OF HER CAR, THE TEMPERATURES WERE SO FREEZING COLD, THAT IT WOULD IMMEDIATELY DRAIN THAT 5% ON MY PHONE.
AND I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO MAKE ANY OF MY CALLS OR TECH.
MY FIRST TEXT WAS TO MY EMPLOYER, AND I WOULD SAY TO MY EMPLOYER, I'M STILL WITHOUT POWER.
I'M NOT ABLE TO GET ONLINE AND WORK.
THINGS ARE GETTING MORE SERIOUS DOWN HERE IN TEXAS.
MY SECOND ONE IS I WOULD EITHER LOOK AT MY EMAIL BECAUSE ANN KITCHEN, MY CITY COUNCIL MEMBER WAS SENDING OUT LIKE A DAILY NEWSLETTER UPDATE.
SO I WOULD EITHER GO THERE TO LOOK FOR THE LATEST NEWS, OR I WOULD TRY TO GET ON KX, SAY IF MY DATA ALLOWED ME TO, AND THEN MY THIRD ONE WOULD BE, I WOULD CALL THE NURSING HOME WHERE MY MOTHER LIVES.
MY MOTHER'S NURSING HOME WAS, UH, UH, OUTBREAK FACILITY AND COVID UM, SO MY MOTHER HAD ALREADY GONE THROUGH A LOT.
UM, OVER THE COURSE OF MANY MONTHS, I WAS MY MOM'S SURVIVED.
SHE WAS ONLY ONE OF 18 WHO WERE NOT INFECTED.
UM, EVERYONE ELSE WAS AND DIED.
AND SO I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, MY MOM SURVIVED.
UM, I'M NOT GOING TO WATCH MY MOM NOW FREEZE TO DEATH BECAUSE OF ELECTED OFFICIALS AND COMPETENCE.
SO I WOULD CALL THE NURSING HOME AND SAY, HEY, DO Y'ALL STILL HAVE POWER? AND THEY WOULD SAY, YES.
SO THOSE WERE MY THREE CALLS OR TEXTS.
SO ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS IS THIS.
IF YOU'RE NOT IN A ZONE OF PRIVILEGE, I E YOU KNOW, ABILITY TO HOP A PLANE AND GO DOWN TO CANTON AND STAY IN A RITZ-CARLTON OR GO SOMEWHERE WHERE THERE IS POWER AND STAY WITH YOUR FRIENDS.
IF YOU DON'T FALL INTO THAT CATEGORY OF INDIVIDUALS, AND YOU DON'T HAVE A CAR WHERE YOU CAN CHARGE YOUR PHONE, WHAT YOU NEED, IF YOU NEED THE NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYED, YOU NEED BOOTS ON THE GROUND.
DON'T GET ME WRONG, POST EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT YOU CAN'T ASSUME THAT EVERYONE IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS THE INTERNET.
AND SOCIAL MEDIA WENT, GUESS WHAT? THERE'S NO POWER.
SO YOU'RE ASKING PEOPLE TO READILY AND EASILY ACCESS, UH, THE INTERNET AND NEWS FROM THE INTERNET.
WHEN YOU'RE GOING THROUGH A MAJOR, A MAJOR POWER OUTAGE CRISIS.
THOSE TWO THINGS ABSOLUTELY DO NOT LINE UP.
SO YOU NEED THE NATIONAL GUARD.
IF THE NATIONAL GUARD ISN'T GOING TO BE DEPLOYED, THEN YOU NEED FIREFIGHTERS.
YOU NEED POLICEMEN, YOU NEED DOCTORS.
YOU NEED THEM TO GET INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS, EITHER AT A FIRE STATION, A SCHOOL,
[01:45:01]
A REC CENTER, A MAIN POINT OF CONTACT, A KIND OF A MAIN PUBLIC SPACE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.IF YOU WILL GET THEM ON A BULLHORN, GET THEM SOMEWHERE WHERE THEY ARE COMMUNICATING INFORMATION TO THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, BECAUSE WHAT WAS HAPPENING IS I WOULD GO OUT AND WALK MY DOG.
I WOULD GO OUT AND GO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY FOOD LEFT AT THE CORNER, CONVENIENCE STORE.
AND AS I SAW OTHER PEOPLE, I WOULD SAY, HEY, DO YOU HAVE ANY NEWS ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON? I DON'T HAVE ANY DATA.
I CAN'T CHARGE MY PHONE BECAUSE I HAVE AN OLDER CAR.
AND THEN SOMEBODY WOULD GIVE ME A SNIPPET OF INFORMATION.
THAT'S NOT THE WAY THINGS ARE SUPPOSED TO WORK.
THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN NATIONAL GUARD IN SEVEN, EIGHT, 700 FOR DISTRIBUTING DRIED FOOD, DISTRIBUTING BLANKETS, DISTRIBUTING WATER, AND GIVING EVERYONE CURRENT INFORMATION THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN HAPPENING IN EVERY SINGLE DISTRICT ACROSS THE CITY.
SECOND OF ALL IS, UM, UH, HOLD ON.
UM, I, SO MY SON AND I, ON MONDAY NIGHT, WE WERE STANDING OUTSIDE BECAUSE IT, I KNOW THIS SOUNDS BIZARRE, BUT IT WAS ACTUALLY WARMER OUTSIDE THAN IN THE HOUSE.
SO WE WERE, AND MY SON GOES, OH, LOOK, UH, ALL THE LIGHTS ARE ON DOWNTOWN.
AND I LOOK, CAUSE I LIVE IN THE ZILKER NEIGHBORHOOD.
I'M LIKE, OH YEAH, YOU'RE RIGHT.
ALL THESE BIG OFFICE BUILDINGS THAT DON'T HAVE ANYONE WORKING IN THEM BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL WORKING REMOTELY BECAUSE WE'RE STILL IN A PANDEMIC.
THEY'RE ALL JUST LIT UP, INCLUDING THE PARKING GARAGES.
IT WASN'T UNTIL I THINK LATE, OR MAYBE EVEN TUESDAY BEFORE I HEARD SOMEONE SAY, OH YEAH, THEY'RE STARTING TO CALL THE BUSINESSES IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN AND ASK THEM IF THEY WOULD PLEASE LIKE TURN OFF THEIR LIGHTS TO CONSERVE ENERGY.
TALK ABOUT A SLAP IN THE FACE TO PEOPLE WHO ARE LITERALLY RIGHT ACROSS THE RIVER, WHO ARE LOOKING AT A LIT UP DOWNTOWN AUSTIN WHILE WE'RE OVER HERE, FREEZING TO DEATH, LITERALLY FREEZING TO DEATH.
YOU ALSO CAN'T EXPECT THAT PEOPLE HAVE THE MONEY TO OWN DOWN JACKETS AND TO OWN ALL THE APPROPRIATE WINTER BOOTS AND STUFF I'M BORN AND RAISED IN TEXAS.
I'VE NEVER HAD TO USE ANY OF THAT CLOTHING.
I DON'T PURCHASE THAT CLOSING.
I WAS SLEEPING UNDER SEVEN BLANKETS WITH A GERMAN SHEPHERD IN THE BED WITH MY SISTER AND MY SON ALL TO GIVE EACH OTHER BODY WARMTH.
YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? AND I CONSIDER MYSELF SOMEONE WHO, WHO HAS ME AND, AND WHO HAS RESOURCES.
I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE PEOPLE WHO ARE STRUGGLING FINANCIALLY AND STUFF, AND THEY'RE BEING EXPECTED TO ENDURE THIS.
THE OTHER THING IS I AM SO TIRED OF THE STATE OF TEXAS THREATENING THE CITY OF AUSTIN WITH EVERY SINGLE THING.
WELL, IF YOU WANT TO BE A SANCTUARY CITY TO SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO TAKE MONEY, I WANT TO HEAR THE CITY OF AUSTIN SAY TO THE STATE OF TEXAS, IF YOU CAN'T DO YOUR JOB, IF YOU CAN'T KEEP THE LIGHTS ON IN THAT ENERGY STATE OF THE NATION, THEN YOU GUESS WHAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS GOING ON.
THE NATIONAL GRID, THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS TO TAKE CARE OF ITS CITIZENS.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PUBLIC SAFETY OF ITS CITIZENS.
AND IF THE STATE CAN'T TAKE CARE OF US AND IT CAN'T ENSURE OUR SAFETY, THEN WE GO ON THE NATIONAL GRID.
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS IF, IF WE ARE GOING TO BE THE ENERGY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, DIDN'T WE HAVE WARLEY FELD.
THIS WAS THE KATRINA OF TEXAS.
AND LET ME TELL YOU, THERE WAS NO HELP, NO HELP WHATSOEVER.
I THINK PEOPLE STARTED LONG ABOUT TUESDAY, EVENING, WEDNESDAY GOING, OH, I THINK THERE'S SOMETHING'S GOING ON DOWN THERE IN TEXAS.
WELL, WE'RE GOING INTO 72 HOURS OF FREEZING TO DEATH, LITERALLY IN OUR HOUSE.
NO ONE'S BEING DEPLOYED OUT IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
EVERYBODY'S EXPECTING US TO GET OUR INFORMATION OFF THE INTERNET OR SOCIAL MEDIA WHEN WE DON'T HAVE POWER.
AND SO HERE WE, HERE WE ARE NOW THE ZILKER NEIGHBORHOOD I HAD TO GET IN TOUCH.
THE OTHER, THE OTHER DAY, I HAVE MY COUNCIL MEMBER INVOLVED IN THIS ZILKER NEIGHBORHOOD HAS NOW LOST POWER UPWARDS OF 10 TIMES.
[01:50:01]
ONE ZERO, 10 TIMES SINCE THE, THE WINTER STORM.IT'S JUST THIS PAST SUNDAY ON, ON MAY NOT.
SO I TWEET, I TWEET OFTEN ENERGY.
WHY IS CENTRAL AUSTIN HAVING SO MANY POWER OUTAGES? AMAZINGLY SOMEONE TWEET DMD ME BACK.
AND I GAVE THEM ALL THE DATES OF OUR POWDER OUTAGES.
OH ONE WAS BECAUSE MUD PIT PARAKEETS BUILT A NEST IN THE LINE AND THE LINE CAUGHT ALL THE BUYER.
OH, ANOTHER ONE THEY HAD TO SPLICE THE LINE.
OH, ANOTHER ONE, THIS AND THAT.
SO MY QUESTION IS THIS WE'RE GOING INTO SUMMER NOW.
I THINK ALL OF US KNOW IT'S TEXANS.
WE ALL KNOW IT MEANS 105 DEGREES, 108 DEGREES AND 30 DAYS OF A HUNDRED PLUS TEMPERATURE.
WHAT IS THE CITY OF AUSTIN? AND WHAT, REGARDLESS, BECAUSE YOU CAN'T DEPEND ON THEM, THEY DON'T DO THEIR JOBS.
WHAT IS THE CITY OF BOSTON AND AUSTIN ENERGY DOING RIGHT NOW, AS WE SPEAK TO ENSURE THAT WE DO NOT HAVE A THREE DAY POWER OUTAGE IN THE SUMMER, AND NOW EVERYONE IS BURNING UP AND HAVING TO TAKE SHOWERS TO COOL THEMSELVES OFF EVERY TWO HOURS TO SURVIVE THE HEAT FOR 72 HOURS.
SO AS YOU CAN, AND LET ME JUST MAKE SURE I'VE COVERED ON EVERYTHING I WANTED TO, UM, TO MENTION, OH, THE LAST THING I WANTED TO MENTION IS ABOUT THE CENTERS.
SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN I DID GET ONTO KX AND IT WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, WARMING CENTERS.
SO COME ON, WE ALL KNOW THE WARMING CENTERS WORK FOR HOMELESS.
I'M NOT CRITICIZING THAT THEY'RE HUMAN BEINGS.
I DON'T WANT THEM DYING ON THE STREETS, BUT YOU CAN'T SAY THAT YOU HAVE WARMING CENTERS AVAILABLE TO THE P TO THE PEOPLE, TO, IF YOU ONLY HAVE LIKE A HUNDRED SPOTS IN THE WARMING CENTER.
AND I KNOW THAT WE'RE IN A PANDEMIC AND YOU COULDN'T FILL UP, BUT YOU JUST GOT TO BE HONEST.
YOU JUST GOT TO SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? THE WARMING CENTERS ARE JUST FOR THE HOMELESS PEOPLE.
AND WE JUST DON'T HAVE ENOUGH SPACE BECAUSE WE WEREN'T PREPARED.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE, I HAVE VERY STRONG FEELINGS ABOUT THIS.
UM, I FEEL LIKE THERE SHOULD BE MORE THAN NINE PEOPLE FROM THE CITY OF SPEAKING ON THIS TOPIC.
AND THAT IS WHY I DO NOT BELIEVE YOU ARE EQUIPPED WITH THE INFORMATION THAT YOU'RE, YOU NEED TO COMPILE A REPORT FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UNTIL YOU HAVE FAR MORE FEEDBACK THAN JUST FROM NINE CITIZENS OF THIS CITY.
YOU NEED HUNDREDS, HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE'S FEEDBACK.
REMEMBER 4.4 MILLION PEOPLE LOST POWER IN THIS STATE, OR MAYBE THAT WAS JUST WATER AND THE POWER WAS LARGER.
SO IF YOU'RE GOING TO WRITE A REPORT BASED ON NINE PEOPLE'S FEET, THAT SHOT IS NOT GOING TO BE A QUALITY REPORT AND SISSY, WE ARE, UM, UH, UNFORTUNATELY PRESSED FOR TIME.
NO, WE'RE NOT WRITING A REPORT BASED ON NINE PEOPLE'S FEEDBACK.
AND WE HAVE FUTURE LISTENING SESSIONS TO COME.
UM, AS WELL AS OTHER INFORMATION WE'RE TAKING IN FROM OTHER SOURCES, UM, THE, THAT TIME ARE THE FUTURE AND LISTENING SESSIONS SHOULD NOT BE 10 TO 11 ON A WORKDAY SHOULD NOT BE FROM SIX TO EIGHT ON A FRIDAY.
THE FUTURE LISTENING SESSIONS NEED TO BE IN REC CENTERS, CHURCHES, OUTDOOR PUBLIC SPACES, WHERE YOU HAVE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE JOINING AND GIVING YOU FEEDBACK.
OKAY, WELL, WE TAKE YOUR COMMENTS TO HEART AND, YOU KNOW, WE ARE WORKING WITH WHAT WE HAVE IN ORDER TO GET THIS DONE, BUT I CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND YOUR FRUSTRATION WITH CITY COUNCIL GENERALLY, AND YOUR, YOUR CITY COUNCIL PERSON.
WELL, I APPRECIATE YOU AT LEAST HOLDING A PUBLIC SESSION.
I, I DON'T THINK IT'S ADEQUATE.
UM, YOU NEED TO MAKE THESE MUCH MORE ACCESSIBLE TO PEOPLE, UM, AND YOU NEED TO BE GETTING A LOT MORE FEEDBACK, UM, BECAUSE THIS WAS A COMPLETE AND UTTER FAILURE AT EVERY SINGLE LEVEL.
AND THE THING IS, IS THAT PEOPLE ARE JUST STILL FOCUSED JUST ON THE WINTER STORM.
I'M I'M LOOKING TO THE SUMMER.
I MEAN, I'VE LOST POWER NOW, 10 TIMES, UH, FEBRUARY TIME, EVERY SINGLE TIME THE POWER GOES OFF, I HAVE PTSD AND YOU KNOW, SO FINALLY I'M LIKE, OKAY, AUSTIN ENERGY, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT THIS? YOU KNOW, BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT THE SUMMER JUST AROUND THE CORNER.
[01:55:01]
I HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING ON LOCAL NEWS OVER THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS OR MONTHS ABOUT THE PLAN FOR ROLLING BLACKOUTS OR A POWER OUTAGE IN THE SUMMER DUE TO HIGH TEMPERATURES, BUT WE ALL KNOW THEY'RE COMING.YES, WE DO KNOW THEY'RE COMING AND WE, UM, APPRECIATE YOUR FEEDBACK AND YOUR TIME.
AND WE'RE ALL TAKING COPIOUS NOTES.
I THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.
UM, WE HAVE SOME EMAILS WE CAN READ INTO THE RECORD.
ONE IS THAT CALLER WAS PRESENT.
WE ALSO HAVE A CHART WITH FEEDBACK.
YOU SHOULD HAVE ALL RECEIVED VIA EMAIL FROM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KOSSAR'S OFFICE.
AND SO I THINK WE CAN TAKE NOTE OF THAT WITHOUT READING IT INTO THE RECORD.
UM, WE DO HAVE ONE SHORT EMAIL FROM SOMEONE NAMED PATRICIA.
IS THAT RIGHT? COMMISSIONER CONNOR? YES.
I'M OPEN TO EATING, UH, PATRICIA, I'VE GOT AN EVEN MORE AND I'VE GOT AN NANCY WELCH.
SO NANCY, NANCY WELLS, UH, WE HAVE FOUR MINUTES.
HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU THINK YOU'LL NEED TO READ IT? NO, NO.
UM, I WILL TRY TO DO IT AS FAST AS I CAN.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK UP ON THE IMPACT THAT THE EXTREME MAP POWER OUTAGE DURING THE WINTER STORM HAS HAD ON MY LIFE.
I'M A 70 YEAR OLD WOMAN WITH PARKINSON'S A PROGRESSIVE NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE.
WHEN THE TEMPERATURE DROPS, MY PARKINSON'S SYMPTOMS ARE WORSE.
I HAVE HAD NO OTHER HEAT IN MY HOME FOR MY HOME AND TEMPERATURE.
THE TEMPERATURE GOT DOWN TO NINE DEGREES WAY BELOW FREEZING.
THIS IS THE LATE, UH, THIS, THIS LASTED FOR DAYS.
NEEDLESS TO SAY IT WAS AWFUL FOR ME.
I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS NOT HAPPENING AGAIN.
AND WILL WE HAVE WITH THREE MINUTES LEFT, WE WILL SAVE THE NEXT ONE FOR OUR NEXT LISTENING SESSION.
UM, THAT ONE WAS QUITE IMPACTFUL THOUGH.
I REMEMBER READING THAT, UM, CITY STAFF, WILL YOU PLEASE DISPLAY OUR AGENDA? AND I'D LIKE TO JUST PUT ON YOUR RADAR SOMETHING I'D LIKE TO DISCUSS IN OUR NEXT, UM, MEETING PRIOR TO OUR NEXT LISTENING SESSION IS JUST, UM, THESE ARE HARROWING STORIES WE'RE GOING TO HEAR.
UM, AS WE BUILD OUT, I BELIEVE WE'LL RECEIVE MORE AND MORE FEEDBACK AT THE NEXT LISTENING SESSIONS.
UM, IT IS DIFFICULT TO GIVE SOMEONE TWO OR THREE MINUTES TO SEEK AND ASK THEM QUESTIONS WHEN THEY'RE TRYING TO REALLY RELAY ALL THAT THEY WENT THROUGH.
SO I'D LIKE US TO DISCUSS THE BEST WAY WE THINK WE CAN GET THAT DONE BECAUSE I ANTICIPATE US HAVING PROBABLY DOUBLE THE SPEAKERS NEXT TIME.
UM, WE, OUR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, WE KNOW WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE.
UM, I THANK YOU ALL FOR MAKING SURE WE HAVE THE ENCORE ON THIS EVENING ON A FRIDAY AT SIX TO 8:00 PM.
I'D LIKE TO STATE FOR THE RECORD FOR THE PUBLIC THAT, UM, WE, UH, WE'RE GIVING LIMITED DATES AND TIMES TO CHOOSE FROM, TO HAVE OUR TASK FORCE MEETINGS DUE TO THE BANDWIDTH THE CITY HAS IN STEADY CITY STAFFING ISSUES.
SO WE ARE NOT ATTEMPTING AT ALL TO MEET AT A TIME THAT IS INCONVENIENT TO WE'RE TRYING TO PICK THE BEST TIMES, UM, THAT ARE AFTER A WORKDAY, A, A USUAL WORKDAY FOR MOST PEOPLE IS ENDED.
SO, UM, I JUST WANT TO WANT IT TO STATE THAT TO THE PUBLIC GENERALLY SO THAT THEY KNOW THAT WE ARE WORKING WITH THE BEST THAT WE HAVE TO WORK WITH AS A TASK FORCE.
UM, WE'VE ALL GOT A LOT TO THINK ABOUT.
I KNOW WE'VE ALL TAKEN COPIOUS NOTES TO DISCUSS, UM, AFTER THIS MEETING.
UH, SO IT IS 7:59 PM ON MAY 14TH, 2021.
UH, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY COMMENTS? IF NOT, I MOVE THAT WE ADJOURN.
DAVIS, I'D LIKE TO MENTION THAT JEFFREY CLEMENS, UM, SHARED A GRAPHIC AND I CIRCULATED THAT THIS EVENING.
IF YOU GUYS WOULD TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, WE CAN DISCUSS IT AT THE DEBRIEF SESSION.
I THINK IT LOOKS GREAT JEFFREY FOR THE RECORD.
DO I HAVE A SECOND REGARDING A GERMAN SECOND? THANK YOU.
BEFORE I TAKE A VOTE, UM, I WILL WATCH THE TIME MYSELF FOR FUTURE SESSIONS.
I WAS TRYING NOT TO BE DISTRACTED BY THAT, BUT I THINK THAT'S GOING TO HELP US AS WELL AT THE NEXT MEETINGS VERSUS I THERE'S A CHIME, BUT I CAN'T HEAR IT.
I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE ELSE COULD.
ALL IN FAVOR OF ADJOURNING, PLEASE SAY AYE.
I'LL SEE YOU ALL AT OUR DEBRIEF AND THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.
IT IS 8:00 PM ON MAY 14TH, 2021.
[02:00:03]