[00:00:02]
[Winter Storm Remembrance Proclamation & Moment of Silence]
COORDINATING POP-UP FOOD AND WATER DISTRIBUTION SITES AND GIVING OUT DIAPERS TO FAMILIES IN NEEDS.IT WAS THE PHONE CALLS THAT WE HAD EARLY IN THE MORNING AND LATE AT NIGHT OF NEIGHBORS OFFERING THEIR TRUCKS TO GO DELIVER WATER.
NEIGHBORS ALSO MESSAGING ME OVER TWITTER TO ALERT ME OF APARTMENT COMPLEXES THAT WERE WITHOUT WATER.
I WITNESSED INDIVIDUALS SHOW UP AND BRING BAGS OF FOOD TO DONATE OR COOK HOT MEALS FOR NEIGHBORS IN NEED.
I SAW ORGANIZATIONS ALSO STEP UP OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, UM, STEPPED UP TO HOST, UH, FOOD PANTRIES AND FOOD DISTRIBUTION.
WHEN IN FACT WE SAW A LOT CO CARS, UH, LINED UP FOR MILES, JUST, UH, FAMILIES WAITING FOR THAT BOX OF FOOD.
AND I KNOW, UM, THAT THAT TIME WAS REALLY TOUGH FOR US.
AND SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE COME HERE TODAY AND SHOW UP TO RECOGNIZE OUR COMMUNITY HEROES AND TO WATCH, UH, TO REMEMBER THE TIME THAT OUR COMMUNITY CAME TOGETHER AND SAW HOW WE UNITED TO UPLIFT EACH OTHER, DESPITE THE HARDSHIPS THAT PEOPLE WERE LIVING IN IN REAL TIME.
IT'S ABOUT RECOGNIZING OUR COMMUNITY HEROES, THE MEMBERS WHO STEPPED UP ALONGSIDE OUR FIRST RESPONDERS WHO WORKED AROUND THE CLOCK TO KEEP OUR CITY SAFE.
AND WE THINK THOSE ON THE FRONTLINE ADJUSTING TO THE WINTER STORM, UNLIKE ANYTHING WE'VE EVER EXPERIENCED.
AND WE SEND OUR GRATITUDE TO THE HARDWORKING CITY OF AUSTIN STAFF WHO KEPT THINGS IN MOTION, DESPITE ALSO BEING UNDER THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES IN SOME CASES WITH ALSO WITHOUT POWER AND WITHOUT WATER ACCESS.
AND ALTHOUGH MY STAFF AND I, AND I DO WANT TO THANK MY DISTRICT TWO TEAM FOR THEIR INCREDIBLE WORK, JESSICA, JESSIE, ALICIA, UM, WE, WE WORKED TIRELESSLY.
WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO WITHOUT THE COMMUNITY, WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE VOLUNTEERS OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS OF LOCAL PARTNERS OF REGIONAL AGENCIES.
AND OF COURSE, THE CITY OF AUSTIN STAFF WHO WORKED SELFLESSLY, UH, TO SERVE OUR NEIGHBORS, UH, AND BEYOND.
AND SO TODAY IT'S ABOUT HIGHLIGHTING THAT KINDNESS, THAT COMPASSION THAT WE SAW IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND I'VE NEVER BEEN PROUDER TO REPRESENT THIS COMMUNITY.
AND THEN I WAS DURING THOSE FEW WEEKS THAT WE EXPERIENCED WHEN WE SAW OUR COMMUNITY COME TOGETHER.
AND SO, UM, TODAY, THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART.
UM, I'M JOINED TODAY BY MY COLLEAGUES AND AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL.
AND SO YOU'LL HEAR FROM FROM US.
UH, BUT FIRST I WANT TO TURN IT OVER TO ONE OF THOSE COMMUNITY HEROES THAT WE HAD IN DISTRICT TWO.
Y'ALL HOW'S EVERYBODY DOING? THE WEATHER IS MUCH BETTER TODAY THAN IT WAS, UH, A YEAR AGO.
AND IT'S AN HONOR TO BE WITH Y'ALL THIS MORNING.
UH, I'M A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER AND A COMMISSIONER HERE IN AUSTIN.
WE'RE GATHERING AS A CITY TO REMEMBER AND REFLECT ON WINTER STORM URI, A STORM THAT BROUGHT DAYS OF FREEZING TEMPERATURE AND SNOW CAUSING THE TEXAS ENERGY GRID TO FAIL A STORM THAT TRAGICALLY TOOK THE LIVES OF HUNDREDS OF TEXANS, INCLUDING MORE THAN 30 AUSTINITES WHEN THE FREEZE THAWED, I WAS ONE OF THOUSANDS OF MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT JOINED TOGETHER TO HELP ONE ANOTHER DELIVERING GROCERIES WITH AUSTIN MUTUAL AID AND POTABLE WATER WITH THE HELP OF AUSTIN FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION AND LOCAL BREWERIES WHO PURIFIED WATER.
SO IT WAS SAFE TO DRINK THOSE DAYS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE FREEZE THOUGHT ARE STILL A TOTAL BLUR TO ME.
BUT I REMEMBER TWO MOMENTS VERY CLEARLY THAT I THINK DEFINE AUSTIN IN THE SPIRIT OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE.
THE FIRST WAS AN APARTMENT IN NORTH AUSTIN WHERE WE DROPPED OFF GROCERIES.
WE KNOCKED ON THE DOOR AND A WOMAN CAME OUT.
WE HANDED HER A FEW BAGS OF GROCERIES AND SHE HANDED US A BAG BACK.
WHEN WE ASKED WHAT WAS IN IT, SHE SAID IT WAS FULL OF FEMININE CARE AND OTHER TOILETRY PROJECT PRODUCTS.
SHE WAS IN NEED OF GROCERIES, BUT HAD THOSE IN EXCESS.
SHE ASKED US IF WE WOULD MAKE SURE THAT THOSE PRODUCTS GOT TO PEOPLE WHO NEEDED THEM, EVEN THOUGH SHE HAD NO WATER, NO ELECTRICITY AND NO FOOD.
SHE WANTED TO GIVE BACK TO THAT.
THE SECOND MOMENT I REMEMBER CLEARLY WAS THE LAST FULL DAY.
I HAD THE WATER CUBE FROM AUSTIN FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION ON MY TRUCK, MY FRIEND, MARTINE MARTINEZ, WHO HAD I'D LOVE TO COME UP HERE FOR A MINUTE.
UM, MARTINE TRAVELED WITH ME, UH, FOR MOST OF THE WEEK.
UM, AND WE COORDINATED WITH MOST EVERY CITY COUNCIL OFFICE.
UM, AND THIS PARTICULAR MEMORY, UH, IS SOMETHING THAT WE COORDINATED WITH NEWLY INAUGURATED JUST WEEKS AGO.
[00:05:01]
CITY COUNCIL MEMBER FOR DISTRICT TWO, VANESSA WENT TO HIS OFFICE TO PUT TOGETHER AN EVENT WHERE PEOPLE COULD DRIVE THROUGH AND PICK UP A HOT MEAL.THEY COULD PICK UP GROCERIES, WATER MASKS, PPE, AND OTHER ESSENTIALS.
THIS WAS PROBABLY FIVE, SIX DAYS AFTER THE FREEZE HAD THAWED.
UM, AND PEOPLE HAD BEEN WORKING NONSTOP AROUND THE CLOCK FOR WELL OVER A WEEK, WE SET UP A JANG JANE LANGFORD ELEMENTARY, AUSTIN ISD POLICE WERE THERE TO HELP DIRECT TRAFFIC DELIVERY.
TRUCKS WERE COMING WITH MORE PRODUCT AND CARS WERE LINED UP FOR AT LEAST A MILE AROUND THE BLOCK AS IS NORMAL IN THESE KINDS OF EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.
IT WASN'T ALWAYS CLEAR WHO WAS IN CHARGE AND PEOPLE HAD VERY DIFFERENT OPINIONS ABOUT HOW TO HANDLE THIS PROCESS.
WE WOULD CHANGE OUR APPROACH AND WE REPEATED THAT FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS.
BUT THEN AT SOME POINT WE FOUND OUR GROOVE AND HAVE Y'ALL EVER BEEN WITH A GROUP OF STRANGERS GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS THAT FINDS THEIR GROOVE.
UM, SUDDENLY SONGS FROM SELENA AND WILLIE NELSON WERE BLASTING FROM THE SPEAKERS.
THE SUN WAS OUT AND IT WAS A DANCE PARTY.
AS WE CONTINUED TO LOAN SUPPLIES INTO PEOPLE'S TRUCKS, PEOPLE IN THEIR CARS WERE CRYING, TELLING US THEIR STORIES OF TRAUMA AND RESILIENCE FROM THAT WEEK, TELLING US HOW THANKFUL THEY WERE FOR WHATEVER WE WERE ABLE TO GIVE THEM UNTIL THEIR POWER OR WATER TURNED BACK ON.
THANKS TO A FEW BRAVE, SKILLED ORGANIZERS AND ONE HIGHLY SKILLED BRAND NEW ELECTED OFFICIAL.
WE WERE GETTING PEOPLE, THINGS THEY NEEDED AND HAVING A MID DAY DANCE PARTY IN THE MIDDLE OF A FREEZE IN THE MIDDLE OF A GLOBAL PANDEMIC.
I KNOW WE ALL HATE THIS WORD BY NOW, BUT THE HUMAN SPIRIT IS INCREDIBLY RESILIENT.
NONE OF THIS IS EASY, BUT WHAT WE DO MATTERS, HOW WE SHOW UP FOR ONE ANOTHER MATTERS.
THE FACT THAT PEOPLE ARE RESILIENT IS NO EXCUSE FOR SYSTEMIC OR OTHER FAILURES.
WHAT HAPPENED IN FEBRUARY, 2021 SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN.
BUT AUSTIN CHOSE TO RESPOND TO WINTER STORM URI, NOT BY THROWING UP OUR HANDS IN DESPAIR, BUT BY COMING TOGETHER WITH COMPASSION TO DO THE WORK NECESSARY, TO SERVE AND TAKE CARE OF ONE ANOTHER.
AND THAT'S WHAT THAT LITTLE SPONTANEOUS DANCE PARTY IN THE AFTERMATH OF A FREEZE IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC TAUGHT ME THAT HOPE IS HARD WORK, BUT WORK.
THE WORK IS WORTH IT BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE WORTH IT.
THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME BE HERE TODAY.
NEXT WE'LL HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER, KATHY.
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
UH, THIS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT DAY FOR SO MANY IN OUR COMMUNITY, BOTH TO REMEMBER AND TO REFLECT ON THOSE WHO PASSED AWAY DURING LAST YEAR'S STORM, BUT ALSO TO HONOR THE GREAT WORK OF SO MANY.
SO MANY PEOPLE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, ARE SO BLESSED TO LIVE IN A COMMUNITY WHERE PEOPLE DO AS, AS RYAN, UH, AS NATHAN SAID, SHOW UP FOR ONE ANOTHER AND CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER.
YOU KNOW, AS I REFLECTED ON, ON JUST THE TREMENDOUS ACTS OF KINDNESS AND COMPASSION AND CARE THAT I SAW THAT WEEK, UM, IT WAS REALLY CHALLENGING TO, TO THINK ABOUT ALL OF THE MANY INDIVIDUALS I WAS AWARE OF WHO, WHO STEPPED UP FOR THEIR NEIGHBORS DURING THAT WEEK, UM, OF, YOU KNOW, THE, YOU HERE TODAY ARE, ARE PEOPLE WHO, UM, LIKE SO MANY OF OTHER AUSTINITES ARE ORDINARY PEOPLE WHO JUST DID EXTRAORDINARY THINGS DURING THAT WEEK.
UM, AS I THINK ABOUT THE FOLKS I INVITED TO BE HERE, I SEE I WON'T NAME YOU ALL.
UM, BUT I SEE PEOPLE WHO, WHO WORKED TIRELESSLY TO MAKE SURE THAT THE IMPROMPTU SHELTER THAT COMMISSIONER HOWARD STOOD UP HAD HAD COTS FOR THOSE WHO WERE, WHO WERE HOMELESSNESS, WHO NEEDED A SAFE PLACE TO BE.
YOU BROUGHT WATER ENDLESSLY, BROUGHT WATER TO SOME OF OUR POOREST NEIGHBORS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
YOU MADE SURE TO ORGANIZE FOOD DRIVES.
YOU PROVIDED INFORMATION ABOUT SCHOOLS THAT WERE, THAT WERE ABLE TO SERVE AS WARMING CENTERS.
AND I'M JUST GOING TO HIGHLIGHT ONE, UM, ONE CONSTITUENT OF MINE WHO SHOWED UP FOR HER NEIGHBORS, UM, AFTER RETURNING HOME TO FIND THAT HER ELECTRICITY HAD BEEN OFF AND, AND HAD CREATED, UM, A BURST PIPE SITUATION AND A FLOODING.
WHEN SHE GOT MY CALL, SHE IMMEDIATELY TURNED AROUND AND PROVIDED RESOURCES TO A MOM WHO WAS REALLY IN NEED, WHO WAS CONCERNED THAT IF SHE LOST ELECTRIC, HER CHILD WHO IS ON LIFE, SUPPORTING MEDICAL EQUIPMENT, UM, WOULD REALLY BE IN DANGER.
AND SHE DIDN'T KNOW THAT SHE HAD ENOUGH GAS IN HER CAR TO POWER THAT EQUIPMENT, AND THAT CONSTITUENT STOPPED WHAT SHE WAS DOING, AND IMMEDIATELY PROVIDED RESOURCES TO THAT MOM, WHO SHE HAD NEVER MET, UM, AND ALSO WAS WILLING TO BE THAT
[00:10:01]
PERSON'S CONTACT INFO CONTACT, UM, IF SHE NEEDED HELP AND ANY KIND OF RESOURCE AT, AT, AT ANY POINT DURING THE NIGHT OR IN THE DAYS AHEAD SAYING, THANK YOU TO THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE ASSEMBLED HERE.UM, AND, AND THE MANY OTHERS LIKE YOU THROUGHOUT THE CITY SEEMS, SEEMS REALLY AN UNDERSTATEMENT.
YOU KNOW, IF THAT WAS THE WORST WEEK IN AUSTIN AND HAVING BEEN HERE 30 YEARS, I CAN SAY IT WAS CERTAINLY ONE OF THE WORST WEEKS I'VE EXPERIENCED IN AUSTIN.
UM, YOU REPRESENT THE VERY BEST YOU REPRESENT.
UM, REALLY WHAT IS THE SPIRIT OF AUSTIN THAT WE CARE? WE WORK WITH COMPASSION, AND WE'RE GOING TO STAND UP FOR ONE ANOTHER, UM, REGARDLESS OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
SO THANK YOU ALL FOR THE, FOR THE TREMENDOUS WORK, UM, THAT YOU PROVIDED.
AND MANY OF YOU TURNED IMMEDIATELY AROUND AND PROVIDED US WITH FEEDBACK ABOUT THE WAYS WE CAN IMPROVE OUR CITY PROCESSES, HOW WE CAN BETTER WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY AND HOW WE CAN TOGETHER AND COLLABORATIVELY WORK TO MAKE AUSTIN THE MOST RESILIENT CITY IN THE NATION.
SO THAT THE NEXT TIME WE FACE AN EMERGENCY AND WE KNOW WE WILL, UM, WE WILL DO SO BETTER PREPARED.
UM, UM, I'M ANN KITCHEN AND I'M THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER FOR DISTRICT FIVE, WHICH IS A SOUTH CENTRAL AUSTIN.
UM, I TOO WANT TO THANK EVERYONE AND RECOGNIZE EVERYONE WHO'S HERE.
UH, OUR COMMUNITY PULLED TOGETHER AND TOOK CARE OF EACH OTHER.
AND THAT IS ONE OF THE, THAT IS, I'M VERY PROUD OF THAT.
AND I WANT TO RECOGNIZE THE WORK THAT EVERYBODY DID, EVERYBODY HERE, THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE WATCHING AND THOSE WHO COULD NOT, UM, PARTICIPATE WITH US TODAY, I AM, THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN DISTRICT FIVE, SO MANY THINGS THAT HAPPEN THROUGHOUT THE CITY, IN TERMS OF PEOPLE PULLING TOGETHER, I'M GOING TO HIGHLIGHT JUST TWO EXAMPLES FOR YOU FROM DISTRICT FIVE AND ALSO CITYWIDE.
FIRST, I WANT TO, I WANT TO THANK THE MAYOR FOR HIS WORK.
UM, HE AND I WORKED TOGETHER AS WELL, AS WELL AS WITH OUR COLLEAGUES TO CREATE A PHONE BANK, TO CALL SENIORS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, TO CHECK ON THEM, TO SEE IF THEY NEEDED WATER OR FOOD WE HAD IN, THANK YOU MAYOR FOR, UH, UH, IN PART OF INITIATING THAT WE HAD THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF SENIORS THAT WE CALLED.
WE HAD HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS THAT WORK THROUGH OUR LOCAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY TO GET THAT ORGANIZED.
WE WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY FOLKS WHO NEEDED HELP WITHIN HAD VOLUNTEERS WHO FOLLOWED UP AND WENT TO PEOPLE'S HOMES AND MADE SURE THAT THEY WERE OKAY.
WE ALSO REALIZED THROUGH THAT PROCESS, THAT OUR CITY NEEDED TO DO A BETTER JOB TO HAVE IN PLACE A SYSTEM SO THAT WE COULD BE SURE THAT WE REACHED OUT TO VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS AND SENIORS, WHENEVER THERE WAS AN EMERGENCY.
I WANT TO THANK, UM, UM, TABITHA TAYLOR, OUR CITY'S AGE-FRIENDLY PROGRAM COORDINATOR FOR HER WORK, HELPING US, UH, WITH, UM, WHAT WE SHOULD BE SAYING AND HOW WE SHOULD BE REACHING OUT TO FOLKS.
AND ALSO THE WORK THAT SHE'S DOING WITH THE SENIOR COMMISSION TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A SYSTEM IN PLACE OF THIS SYSTEM.
WE PULLED TOGETHER REALLY AT THE LAST MINUTE WITH THE WORKS OF MANY, MANY PEOPLE.
UM, AND, UM, AND SO TABITHA IS WORKING WITH HER TEAM AND THE AGE AND THE SENIOR COMMISSION TO MAKE THIS A STANDARD OPERATION THAT WE DO.
I'M GOING TO VERY QUICKLY JUST SAY, JUST RECOGNIZE A NUMBER OF FOLKS IN DISTRICT FIVE WHO MADE COUNTLESS PHONE CALLS AND HELPED REACH OUT TO OUR SENIORS.
JENNY BREEZE, MEISTER, WHO IS ALSO, UM, A LEADER ON THE COMMISSION FOR SENIORS, JOAN OWENS, DAVID KING, SAMMY FRY, NELLIE RAMIREZ, KRISTEN WEIGERT MINA HOLSON MEGAN HICKS, PEGGY FRAZIER, GREG LAMOND TOG WANDA REDMOND, SARAH FAUST, KELLY, LITTLE ALETHA, HOUSTON VINCE KABBALAHS, KAREN WOLF, ROB SNYDER, MELISSA HAWTHORNE, NANCY MCLEAN, CAROL BARRAGE, DEBBIE L FARA, KATE DENNIS, MANDY WILSON.
JENNIFER MAY BERRY CATHOLIC COULD SO PALMER NEW HOUSE AND MARIA SOLIZ.
WE OWE THEM THANKS FOR ALL THE PHONE CALLS THEY DID, UH, TO REACH OUT TO SENIORS.
UM, ANOTHER EXAMPLE, THE SECOND AND LAST EXAMPLE THAT I WANT TO GIVE IS OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE WORK THAT HAPPENED IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, I AM VERY PROUD OF DISTRICT FIVE.
FIVE HAS A NETWORK OF NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS WHO COME TOGETHER, UH, NOT ONLY TO ADDRESS ISSUES, BUT WHO COME TOGETHER IN TIME OF CRISIS.
[00:15:01]
LEADERS THROUGHOUT A DISTRICT FIVE, WORKED WITH, UH, THEIR NEIGHBORS AND THEIR COMMUNITY TO, TO, IN SOME CASES, GO DOOR TO DOOR, UH, TO DELIVER WATER, TO DELIVER FOOD, TO CHECK ON PEOPLE.UH, SOME OF THOSE FOLKS WHO LED THAT WERE JENNY BREEZE, MONSTER NELLIE RAMIREZ, CHRISTINA LONG, UH, SARAH RTS, ALLYSON KLEIN, MEGAN, LOSCH SEAN KENDALL AND KEN, JACOB.
UM, I WANT TO ALSO PARTICULARLY CALL OUT MINA HOLSON AND, UM, AND ANDREA FREIBERGER, THEY, THEY VERY QUICKLY CALL TOGETHER THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS TO HELP ONE OF OUR SENIOR LIVING CENTERS, UH, IN THE WESTERN TRAILS NEIGHBORHOOD.
THOSE FOLKS NEEDED WATER AND FOOD.
SO THEY PULLED TOGETHER THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THEY ENDED UP WITH SO MANY, SO MUCH HELP THAT THE FOLKS AT WESTERN TRAIL SAID, HEY, WE'RE GOOD, THANK YOU.
YOU CAN NOW SAVE, SAVE THAT FOR OTHER FOLKS.
AND THEY DID THIS ON THE DIME.
THEY PULLED TOGETHER THEIR NETWORKS AND DID IT VERY QUICKLY.
WE MUST THANK BOB NICKS FOR WORKING WITH THE AUSTIN FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION.
THEY DID A LOT OF WORK TO HELP PEOPLE WITH WATER.
AND OF COURSE, RICHARD SUTTLE, I THINK IS HERE MADE MULTIPLE TRIPS TO DROP OFF WATER, UH, THAT HE PURCHASED TO HELP US HAVE THE WATER THAT WE NEEDED TO GO MAKE DELIVERIES.
SO, AND LAST, BUT OF COURSE NOT LEAST MY STAFF, MY D FIVE STAFF CAME TOGETHER VERY QUICKLY TO WORK WITH OUR NETWORK OF NEIGHBORHOODS.
SO I WANT TO THANK KEN JASON, UH, DONNA AND DORA FOR THE WORK THAT THEY DID TO MAKE SURE THAT WE VERY QUICKLY WERE ABLE TO REACH OUT TO OUR NETWORK OF NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS, UM, TO, UM, TO GET PEOPLE HELP.
AND SO AGAIN, WE SHOULD NOT, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE RECOGNIZE FOLKS.
AND ONE OF THE REASONS I WANTED TO READ OUT PEOPLE'S NAMES IS BECAUSE IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO REMEMBER THAT PART OF WHAT HAPPENED TO REMEMBER THE WORK THAT WE ALL DID, THE CARING THAT WE ALL EXHIBITED AS A COMMUNITY, BECAUSE IT'S THAT COMMUNITY SPIRIT AND THAT COMMUNITY COMING TOGETHER THAT GETS US THROUGH THINGS LIKE THIS.
SO, UM, THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES AND, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES FOR ORGANIZING THIS FOR US TODAY.
MY NAME IS ALISON ALTER AND I'M MAYOR PRO TEM, AND I REPRESENT DISTRICT 10 ON THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL.
UM, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY, AS WE MARK FEBRUARY 15TH AND REMEMBER WHAT WE WENT THROUGH AS A COMMUNITY, UM, DURING WINTER STORM, BOTH INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY.
AND WE THINK OF THE FOLKS WHO, UM, STEPPED UP IN WAYS THAT AUSTIN DOES EVERY TIME, BUT MOST NEEDED AT THAT TIME.
UM, WE ALSO REMEMBER THOSE WE LOST, UM, FOR OVER A WEEK AUSTINITES AND TEXANS ACROSS THE STATE, DEALT WITH BLOW, FREEZING TEMPERATURES, POWER OUTAGES, DANGEROUS ROADS, AND LIMITED ACCESS TO FOOD AND WATER.
AND WHILE AT THIS 0.2 YEARS INTO THE PANDEMIC AND AFTER SO MANY THINGS WERE A LITTLE BIT NUMB AND WE EXPECT THE NEXT SHOE TO DROP.
UM, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO SIT BACK AND REMEMBER TODAY WE MARK FEBRUARY 15TH, WHICH IS THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE BEGINNING OF THE AIR-CON DIRECTED OUTAGES FOR MY DISTRICT THOUGH, THE TRAUMA, THE ICE, THE FREEZING BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 11TH.
AND WE HAD FOLKS WHOSE POWER OUT WAS POWER WAS OUT FROM THAT PERIOD ALL THE WAY THROUGH TILL WHEN POWER WAS RESTORED, THE IMPACTS STARTING FEBRUARY 11TH WERE IMMENSE.
AT ONE POINT 40% OF MY DISTRICT WAS OUT OF POWER.
AND THAT WAS BEFORE FEBRUARY 15TH.
UM, I WILL NOT FORGET THOSE DAYS AND, AND WHAT HAPPENED AND, AND EVERYTHING WE EXPERIENCED AFTER THE 15TH, WE WERE ALREADY EXPERIENCING IN MY DISTRICT, UM, STARTING ABOUT THE 12TH.
UM, THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE, WHO WE COULD THINK, UM, DRIVE A SR 80 RN, UM, THE CHURCHES, THE SYNAGOGUES THAT OPENED THEIR PLACES FOR SHELTER AISD THAT OPENED UP WARMING CENTERS AND SHELTERS.
UM, OUR CITY STAFF, WE HAD LINEMEN AND WE HAD FOLKS THAT AUSTIN WATER, OUR FIREFIGHTERS, OUR EMS, OUR CITY STAFF, MY CITY STAFF, NINA WHO'S HERE, UM, WHO WAS, I THINK THE ONLY ONE WHO HAD POWER, ONE OF THE NINA AND KURT WERE THE ONLY ONES WHO HAD POWER, UM, AMONG MY STAFF.
UM, PEOPLE STEPPED UP, COMMUNITY, STEPPED UP.
THAT IS WHAT MAKES AUSTIN GREAT.
AND IT'S IN MOMENTS OF CRISIS THAT WE SEE THE MEASURE OF WHO WE ARE, HOW WE RESPOND, HOW WE LIFT EACH OTHER UP.
I'M REALLY PROUD OF HOW AUSTIN STEPPED UP DURING THE STORM.
[00:20:01]
AND I'M REALLY PROUD TO CALL YOU ALL MY NEIGHBORS.WE WERE JOINED ALSO BY FOLKS FROM OUT OF STATE.
WE WORKED WITH WHEN WA WATER MISSION AND PLUMBERS WITHOUT BORDERS TO HELP FOLKS WHO DIDN'T HAVE WATER IN THE AFTERMATH.
THE PROCESS LASTED WEEKS, IF NOT MORE THAN A MONTH.
UM, AND PEOPLE SHOWED UP FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY IN DIFFERENT WAYS TO HELP US.
IT IS NOW MY HONOR TO INVITE YOU TO STAND IN REMEMBRANCE, TO JOIN ME IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE.
AS WE REMEMBER WINTER STORM URI, THE HARDSHIPS BROUGHT TO US BY THE STORM AND THE RESILIENCE OF OUR COMMUNITY TOGETHER.
WE BOW OUR HEADS IN HONOR, OF THE 246 DIED ACROSS TEXAS WITH 28 OF THOSE SOULS IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
AND I NOW TURN THE PODIUM OVER TO THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER.
I AM A PROUD MEMBER AND LEADER WITH THE AUSTIN LATINO COALITION.
OUR COALITION WAS ESTABLISHED BACK IN 2013 AS AN ALLIANCE OF LATINO ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS PROMOTING CIVIC INVOLVEMENT.
AND SELF-DETERMINATION BY LATINOS HERE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, OUR AUSTIN LATINO COALITION INCLUDES APPROXIMATELY 20 COMMUNITY BASED CIVIC, NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, AND MANY DEDICATED INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE JOINED TO ADVOCATE AND TAKE ACTION ON ISSUES THAT IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR OUR COMMUNITY IN ALL OF AUSTIN, THE COVID PANDEMIC.
AND CERTAINLY THE URI WINTER STORM CRISIS WAS A CRISIS AFTER CRISIS FORCED ALL OF US AS INDIVIDUALS AND AS A COMMUNITY TO DO SOME SELF REFLECTION.
AND I KNOW THAT WE WOULD ALL AGREE THAT THE AUSTIN TRADITION OF NEIGHBOR HELPING NEIGHBOR HAS ALWAYS BEEN ONE OF OUR GREATEST STRENGTHS AND MOST NOBLE TRADITIONS.
AND DURING THE, DURING THE URI WINTER STORM, OUR AUSTIN LATINO COALITION AND OUR SISTER ORGANIZATION, THE DEL VALLEY COMMUNITY COALITION, WE'RE PROUD TO DO OUR PART HOSTING UPLIFT AUSTIN FOR WEEKS ESTABLISHING NUMEROUS GESTURE, NUMEROUS DISTRIBUTION SITES ON THE EASTERN CRESCENT, PROVIDING SUPPORT AND RESOURCES, INCLUDING PERSONAL HYGIENE, HOUSEHOLD, CLEANING SUPPLIES, PPE SUPPLIES, DIAPERS, FORMULA, FOOD, WATER, FINANCIAL SUPPORT, MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT TO THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES IN AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY.
IN FACT, IF ROY WOODY, MATT WORTHINGTON, ROBERT LEDESMA, LILIANA, SOMEBODY BY DEBBIE THREE-HOLE, UH, OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR AUSTIN IDENTICAL CAN STAND UP AND JOIN US.
UH, IT WOULD BE GREAT, YOU KNOW, SADLY THE ENERGY INDUSTRY'S HUNGER FOR PROFITS LEFT THE STATE'S POWER SECTOR, ILL PREPARED TO WEATHER THE URINE URI WINTER STORM.
AND ULTIMATELY ALL OF US PAID THE PRICE AND TOO MANY LOST THEIR LIVES IN TEXAS.
AND AS THE COUNCIL MEMBER MENTIONED, 20 OF OUR FELLOW, AUSTINITES LOST THEIR LIVES.
AS WE'VE DISCOVERED DURING THE WINTER STORM STORM RECOVERY, WAS THAT WHAT WE HAVE, WHAT WE, WHAT WE DISCOVERED DURING THE YURI WINTER STORM WAS THAT WE HAVE TWO HANDS, HANDS, ONE FOR HELPING OURSELVES.
AND OF COURSE THE OTHER FOR HELPING OTHERS IN OUR COMMUNITY, OUR AUSTIN LATINO COALITION, OUR DEL VALLEY COMMUNITY COALITION REMAINS PROUD OF THE WORK THAT WE DID THEN, AND THAT WE CONTINUE TO DO.
UH, EVEN THOUGH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE MORALIZING THE URI WINTER STORM, WE'RE STILL IN A COVID PANDEMIC.
AND THESE ARE JUST A HANDFUL OF FOLKS TO THIS DAY WHO HAVE BEEN VOLUNTEERING FOR OVER 100 WEEKS NOW IN THE COMMUNITY.
WE HAVE WAREHOUSES IN THE CITY WHERE WE HAVE, UH, SUPPLIES READY TO GO FOR THE NEXT CRISIS.
BUT AGAIN, ONE OF THE THINGS I LOVE ABOUT AUSTIN AND I'M A NATIVE AUSTINITE, MY FAMILY HAS BEEN HERE FOR SIX GENERATIONS, IS THAT WE UNEQUIVOCALLY WILL STEP UP TO HELP EACH OTHER.
AND THAT'S WHAT I LOVE ABOUT OUR CITY.
THAT'S WHAT I LOVE ABOUT AUSTIN.
THAT IS SIMPLY JUST THE AUSTIN WAY.
THERE ARE SO MANY GROUPS TO HIGHLIGHT THAT WERE SO CRITICAL AS PART OF OUR RESPONSE.
WE JUST PICKED A FEW COMMUNITY GROUPS TO, TO FEATURE TODAY.
UH, NEXT STEP WE'LL HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER VELA FOLLOWED BY MEMBER KELLY, AND THEN THE OFFICIAL PROCLAMATION PRESENTATION BY THE MAYOR.
[00:25:01]
THANK YOU SO MUCH.I HAVE TO START OFF BY THANKING SO MANY.
UH, MY PREDECESSOR INCLUDED WHO, UH, GREG CASAR, WHO JUMPED INTO ACTION.
UH, AUSTIN NEEDS WATER, UH, TIMOTHY BRAY, WHO CAME TOGETHER ORGANIZED, GOT PEOPLE.
WATER TRIED TO HELP THEM AS MUCH AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN.
HOWEVER, I'M GOING TO TAKE A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT TACK BECAUSE I'M STILL UPSET ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR.
ONE YEAR AGO, TODAY, WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DEADLIEST WINTER STORM.
TEXAS HAS EVER SEEN HUNDREDS OF TEXANS LOST THEIR LIVES AS OUR ELECTRICAL GRID FE FAILED AND PLUNGED US INTO DARKNESS.
WE REMEMBER AND MOURN THOSE WHO WE LOST, BUT WE MUST ALSO INSIST ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND JUSTICE FROM THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BLACKOUTS WHILE MILLIONS OF TEXAS TEXTS AND SUFFERED IN THE FREEZE AND STRUGGLED TO SURVIVE.
A HANDFUL OF COMPANIES WERE EXPLOITING THE TRAGEDY TO MAKE BILLIONS IN PROFITS, TEXAS, NATURAL GAS AND PIPELINE COMPANIES WHO ARE PRACTICALLY UNREGULATED MADE RECORD PROFITS DURING THE FREEZE SELLING NATURAL GRASS FOR UP TO A HUNDRED TIMES, ITS NORMAL PRICE ESTIMATES ARE THAT LARGE NATURAL GAS COMPANIES THAT USED PREDATORY TACTICS TO SUCK $11 BILLION OUT OF THE POCKETS OF TEXAS FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES DURING THE WEEK-LONG TEXAS FREEZE.
THIS WAS AS BAD AS ANY WALL STREET SWINDLE.
AND WHAT DID THEY DO AFTER REAPING THOSE RECORD PROFITS? ONE OF THE GUESTS COMPANY OWNERS DONATED $1 MILLION TO GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT.
WE CANNOT LEAVE OUR RESIDENTS OPEN TO WHAT HAPPENED AFTER LAST YEAR.
STORM UTILITIES SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO PROFIT FROM THEIR OWN FAILURE AND NEGLIGENCE.
OUR GOVERNMENT MUST NOT ALLOW IT.
THANKFULLY ORDINARY TEXANS CAME TOGETHER AND HELPED EACH OTHER THROUGH THE TRAGEDY.
LAST YEAR STORM WAS A TRAGEDY, BUT IT WAS ALSO A CRIME.
OUR PEOPLE DESERVE BETTER THAN TO FREEZE IN THE DARK, TO FEAR FOR THEIR LIVES AND TO LOSE FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES.
WE MUST CHANGE OUR SYSTEMS. SO THIS NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN, AND COMPANIES CANNOT PROFIT OFF OF DISASTER.
I AM COUNCIL MEMBER MCKINSEY KELLY.
I SERVE DISTRICT SIX, WHICH IS FAR NORTHWEST AUSTIN.
AND LIKE MANY OF YOU DURING THE WINTER STORM, I WAS WITHOUT POWER AND WATER.
I EXPERIENCED A LOT OF GREATNESS IN OUR COMMUNITY AND AMONG THEM WORKING ALONGSIDE OUR STATEWIDE ELECTED LEADERS, I WAS TOLD ABOUT A COMMUNITY IN MY DISTRICT, THE CLAREMONT, WHICH IS A LIVING HOME FOR SENIOR CITIZENS THAT DIDN'T HAVE ANY WATER AND THEY JUST NEEDED TO FLUSH THEIR TOILETS.
AND WITH EVERYTHING GOING ON, I WAS ABLE TO REACH OUT TO THE JOLLYVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT, WHICH IS JUST OUTSIDE OF MY DISTRICT.
AND ACTUALLY WE WERE ABLE TO GO THERE WITH STATE REPRESENTATIVE, JOHN BUCY AND TOGETHER WE GAVE WATER TO THE COMMUNITY SO THEY COULD FLUSH THEIR TOILETS.
THAT MAKES MY HEART BIG BECAUSE IT SHOWS THAT DESPITE THE DISASTER AND DESPITE POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS OF ANY SORT, WE WERE ABLE TO HELP ONE ANOTHER IN A TIME OF NEED.
I ALSO WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR, WHO PROBABLY DOESN'T KNOW I'M GOING TO SAY THIS, BUT SHE OFFERED MANY TIMES FOR ME TO GO TO HER HOUSE INSTEAD OF BEING ALONE IN THE DARK WITH MY FAMILY.
BUT I ALSO WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT WE DON'T RUN FROM A TIME OF CRISIS IN AUSTIN.
WE BAND TOGETHER, WE ARE RESILIENT AND WE COME OUT THE OTHER SIDE STRONGER.
AND FOR THAT, I AM THANKFUL TO LIVE IN THIS CITY TO REPRESENT PEOPLE FROM THIS CITY AND TO CONTINUE TO WORK HARD ON BEHALF OF EVERYONE IN THIS CITY.
I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY HERE FOR WHAT THEY DID A YEAR AGO.
THE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM, THE, THE VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, BOTH HERE AND NOT HERE, UH, IN, IN LARGE MEASURE ARE THE REASONS WHY OUR CITY DID AS WELL AS IT DID DO DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME.
UH, I WANT TO ALSO MENTION THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE THAT WERE, THAT WERE THANKED.
UH, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRAVEL DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME.
IT ALL THE DISTRICTS ALL OVER THE CITY SEE THE ORGANIZATIONS OF THE VOLUNTEERS WORKING, BUT ALSO TO SEE BY COLLEAGUES ON THE COUNCIL OUT, UH, RESPONDING.
UH, I'M NOT SURE THAT THAT ANY OF MY COLLEAGUES REALLY GOT A CHANCE TO SLEEP MUCH DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME, AS WAS THE COURSE FOR SOMEBODY THAT WERE VOLUNTARY, A SPECIAL MESSAGE TO THE COUNCIL OF STAFFS, UM, MINE INCLUDED, UH, WHO REALLY EXTENDED THAT, UH, EFFORT, UH, DURING
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THAT PERIOD OF TIME WIDE YEAR, BEFORE WE HAD THIS WINTER STORM, THERE WAS THE BED OF THE EMERGENCY OPERATION COMMAND IN THIS AREA, HAD A TABLETOP EXERCISE AT WESTERN BARREL.AND WHAT ARE THE MANY CARDS OF TRADING PROGRAMS AND SYSTEMS OR INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE SET UP TO MAKE SURE THAT WE COULD RESPOND TO THIS? IT'S INTERESTING THAT THAT EXERCISE, THAT TEST OF CAPABILITY WAS BUILT AROUND A WINTER STORM SCENARIO.
AND THE WAY THAT THEY DO THOSE THINGS IS, IS, IS THEY START A SCENARIO WITH FAIRLY MILD CONDITIONS TALKING ABOUT WHAT TO ANTICIPATE AND EVERY COUPLE HOURS IT ADVANCES ITS SEVERITY.
AND THE ASSEMBLED GROUP OF A HUNDRED PEOPLE PLANNING THE EMERGENCY OPERATION COMMAND GOING THROUGH THIS EXERCISE HAVE TO BEAT THAT CHALLENGE.
AND THEN A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER, IT GETS LAYERED ON AGAIN AND IT GETS MORE SERIOUS AND MORE CHALLENGING.
WE WENT THROUGH THAT EXERCISE, BUT WHAT I WOULD TELL YOU IS THAT AN EXERCISE THAT IS DESIGNED TO REACH A CHALLENGING SITUATION BEYOND WHAT CAN BE ANTICIPATED.
THIS IS A THEORETICAL EXERCISE.
THE EXTENT OF THAT CHALLENGE DID NOT REACH WHAT WE WERE SUSTAINING A YEAR LATER.
IT WAS THAT EXTREME THAT WE, WHAT WE WERE, WHAT WE WENT THROUGH, YOU KNOW, HAVING WATCHED THE VOLUNTEERS WORK VERY WATCH THE COMMUNITY WORK, YOU THAT BOBA WHEN IT WAS OVER.
AND I HAD THE FIRST KIND OF QUIET TIMES TO THINK ABOUT WHAT IT WAS THAT HAD TRANSPIRED.
YOU KNOW, MY THOUGHT AT THE TIME WAS THEY GOODNESS FOR A COMMUNITY THAT REACHED OUT TO HELP ONE ANOTHER BECAUSE ABSENT THAT WE WOULD NOT HAVE WEATHERED THIS STORE THE WAY THAT WE DID.
AND I BEGAN TO THINK IN TERMS OF WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS A, UH, A FAILURE OR A FAULT ON THE BEHALF OF, OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, UNABLE TO DO ALL OF THAT WORK.
AND THE REAL EPIPHANY THAT THAT I HAD OR CHANGE OF PERSPECTIVE THAT I HAD WAS THE REALIZATION THAT NO LOCAL GOVERNMENT COULD EVER, EVER BREAK WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR A COMMUNITY TO SURVIVE A CATASTROPHE OF THE LEVEL THAT WE SAW.
IT WILL ALWAYS INVOLVE THE COMMUNITY, STEPPING FORWARD, NEIGHBORS, HELPING NEIGHBORS, COMMUNITIES, HELPING OTHERS, THAT LEVEL OF CATASTROPHE HAPPENING TO A COMMUNITY.
AND THEY KNOW, GOD FORBID, WE DON'T SEE WHAT HERE ANY TIME SOON, BUT WE KNOW THAT WE WILL.
IT'S A BOY, THOSE THINGS TAKE A COMMUNITY COMING TOGETHER.
AND THE REAL CHALLENGE THAT I SAW FOR US AND FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT WAS TO DO A MUCH BETTER JOB OF RECOGNIZING THAT.
SO WE COULD INSTITUTIONALIZE THAT COMMUNITY RESPONSE SO THAT WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB OF ELEVATING AND EXTENDING THE REACH OF NEIGHBORS, HELPING NEIGHBORS.
SO WHAT WE GATHER HERE TODAY, IT IS WITH THANKS FOR THE WORK THAT WAS DONE, BUT ALSO THAT CHANGE IN PERSPECTIVE.
AND WE NOW ARE RESPONDING TO THAT AND ABILITY, RESILIENCE, HUBS IN NEIGHBORHOODS, DOING A BETTER JOB OF TRYING TO FORMALIZE HOW WE COMMUNICATE IN MORE LANGUAGES, SUITOR TO THE PEOPLE THAT ENTER OUR COMMUNITY, THAT ACTUALLY ARE INVITED TO DELIVER WHAT IT TAKES.
I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR THAT.
I WANT TO THANK, UH, FOR BRINGING US ALL HERE, UH, TODAY.
UH, IT'S UH, AN HONOR TO STAND UP WITH THE COUNCIL AND WITH THESE PARTICULAR COMMUNITY, UH, ADVOCATES, UH, WHO DID SUCH A PHENOMENAL JOB TOGETHER WITH THE ENTIRE CITY, BUT ON BEHALF OF THE COUNCIL, WE HAVE A PROCLAMATION, UH, THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO TODAY.
BE IT DOE THAT WE'RE AS RESIDENTS OF THE STATE OF TEXAS FACED WIDESPREAD IMPACTS FROM WINTER STORE OF URI.
ONE OF THE DEADLIEST NATURAL DISASTERS IN THE STATE BEGINNING ON FEBRUARY 13TH, 2021.
AND WHEREAS THE WINTER STORE LEFT BILLIONS WITHOUT POWER AND WATER REQUIRING SUPPORT FROM COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS AND LED TO AT LEAST A MORE THAN 200 LIVES LOST.
AND WHEREAS OUR COMMUNITIES CONTINUE TO RECOVER FOR THE IMPACTS OF THE STATE'S CRIPPLED POWER GRID, RECORD LEVEL ENERGY COSTS, AND THE FATALITIES FROM HYPOTHERMIA VEHICLE CRASHES, CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING, AND OTHER COMPLICATIONS
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BY THE STORE.AND WE'RE, AS IN RECOGNITION OF THE HEROIC EFFORTS PROVIDED BY COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS, FIRST RESPONDERS AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS WHO STEPPED UP AND PROVIDED MUTUAL AID IN A CRITICAL TIME OF DEED.
NOW, THEREFORE I, STEVE ADLER, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN, TEXAS, TOGETHER WITH MY COLLEAGUES ON THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL DO HEREBY PROCLAIM THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY AS WINTER STORE, YURI REMEMBRANCE MONTH.
AGAIN, YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DID.
I DO JUST WANT TO RECOGNIZE SOME OF THE GROUPS WE HAVE IN ATTENDANCE, AUSTIN DISASTER RELIEF NETWORK, AISD TRUSTEE SABATA VOLUNTEER.
ROBERT LA RESMAH, AUSTIN LATINO COALITION, THE UNITED PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZERS VOLUNTEER MARTIN MARTINEZ DO GOOD.
ATX OUR HAYSOM DEPARTMENT, OUR HOMELAND SECURITY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT, DEL VALLEY COMMUNITY COALITION VOLUNTEER, STEPHANIE BUZZ ON VOLUNTEER, MONICA.
MALDINADO OUR PART AND AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENTS VOLUNTEER, MATT WORTHINGTON.
ARMERSON BROWN DRIVE A SENIOR BUSTA WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT AND COUNTLESS OTHER VOLUNTEERS.
WE INVITE YOU ALL TO JOIN US FOR A QUICK GROUP PHOTO.
UM, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE, UH, TACOS AND COFFEE OUT IN THE ATRIUM FOR THOSE WHO WOULD LIKE THANK YOU SO MUCH.
AND THE COMMUNITY RESILIENCE TRUST.