[Winter Weather News Conference on February 3, 2023.]
[00:00:04]
I'M MAYOR OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND AS WE GO INTO ANOTHER DAY OF, OF TRYING TO GIVE YOU INFORMATION AND TALK ABOUT WHERE WE ARE AND WHAT HAS HAPPENED, I WANT TO START BY SAYING THAT AS MAYOR, I ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY ON BEHALF, ON BEHALF OF THE CITY.
AND I APOLOGIZE THAT WE'VE LET THE PEOPLE DOWN IN AUSTIN PROVIDING CLEAR AND ACCURATE AND TIMELY COMMUNICATION TO THE PUBLIC IS ESSENTIAL IN AN EMERGENCY LIKE THIS.
AND ONCE AGAIN, THE CITY HASN'T DELIVERED.
THIS HAS BEEN A PERSISTENT CHALLENGE OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, AND PUBLIC FRUSTRATION IS ABSOLUTELY WARRANTED OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
WE SEE THE SAME FAILURE, SO SOMETHING WILL CHANGE.
YOU WILL SEE THAT COMMUNICATION WILL BE CLEAR, FRANK, AND WILL HAPPEN IN REAL TIME USING ANY AND ALL AVAILABLE TECHNIQUES GOING FORWARD.
BUT I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT RIGHT NOW WE STILL HAVE PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO POWER.
WE'LL DO POSTMORTEMS AND WILL ASSURE ACCOUNTABILITY WHEN LIFE AND SAFETY ISSUES ARE COMPLETE.
BUT I WANNA SAY AGAIN, THE CITY LET ITS CITIZENS DOWN.
THE SITUATION IS UNACCEPTABLE TO THE COMMUNITY, AND IT'S UNACCEPTABLE TO ME.
AS I SAID IN MY INAUGURATION SPEECH LAST MONTH, MY GOAL IS TO DO GOOD BY DOING BETTER.
AND I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT GOING FORWARD, WE WILL DO BETTER.
LET ME NOW INTRODUCE THE COUNTY JUDGE FOR TRAVIS COUNTY.
TRAVIS COUNTY, JUDGE ANDY BROWN.
UM, THIS WEEK HAS BEEN HARD FOR ALL OF US, ESPECIALLY OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, AND I WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, UM, FOR ALL THE WORK THAT THEY HAVE DONE OVER THE PAST WEEK AND WHAT THEY ARE STILL DOING TO GET THIS COMMUNITY TO A SAFE PLACE.
UM, A LOT OF US HAVE KIDS WHO HAVE BEEN OUTTA SCHOOL ALL WEEK.
I KNOW I'VE GOT TWO LITTLE KIDS WHO HAVE ENJOYED THE TIME AT HOME THIS WEEK, BUT I KNOW THAT PUTS A STRAIN ON PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS ACROSS THE COUNTY.
WE'RE ALL JUGGLING LIFE AND WORK AND SOMETIMES WITH STORM DAMAGE OR NO POWER AT OUR HOUSES.
TODAY I'LL FOCUS ON TRAVIS COUNTY'S RECOVERY EFFORTS AND HOW DO WE BEST SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY AS WE TRY TO GET BACK TO NORMAL.
I'LL CHECK ON OUR FRONTLINE WORKERS WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING THROUGHOUT THIS EMERGENCY TO HELP KEEP OUR COMMUNITY SAFE.
I'M GONNA VISIT A WARMING SHELTER TO CHECK IN WITH FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN DISPLACED BY THIS EVENT.
ALSO, THERE HAS BEEN A BOIL WATER NOTICE NOTICE ISSUED IN THE WESTERN TRAVIS COUNTY WATER DISTRICT 10.
OUR COUNTY STAFF HAS A STOCKPILE OF WATER, AND WE ARE GOING TO, WE ARE GIVING THEM, HELPING THEM GET 20 PALLETS OF WATER OUT TO THAT AREA SO THAT THEY HAVE DRINKING WATER TODAY.
THROUGHOUT THE DAY, I'LL SURVEY THE EXTENT OF DAMAGE ACROSS THE COUNTY AND EVALUATE WHAT RESOURCES WE NEED FOR A ROBUST AND RESILIENT RECOVERY.
THIS MAY INCLUDE A DISASTER DECLARATION, WHETHER TRAVIS COUNTY AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN ISSUE DISASTER DECLARATIONS WILL DEPEND ON WHETHER DOING SO WILL HAVE A DIRECT IMPACT AND BENEFIT TO OUR COMMUNITY, BOTH IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY.
AND OF COURSE, I WILL ARRIVE AT THIS DECISION CONSULTING WITH THE MAYOR AND CITY MANAGER AND THE FRONTLINE STAFFS IN BOTH THE CITY AND THE COUNTY.
I PLAN TO MAKE THIS DECISION BY THIS AFTERNOON AND JUST REMEMBER THAT IT IS MY TOP PRIORITY TO ENSURE THAT TRAVIS COUNTY HAS A ROBUST AND RESILIENT RECOVERY TO THIS STORM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH, AND I'LL PASS THAT OVER TO CITY MANAGER SPENCER CRONK.
THANK YOU JUDGE, AND THANK YOU MAYOR.
UH, AGAIN, CITY MANAGER SPENCER CRONK, AND I APPRECIATE EVERYONE BEING HERE WITH US THIS MORNING.
UH, AS YOU KNOW, WE ARE COMMITTED TO KEEPING YOU UPDATED AND INFORMED AS WE CONTINUE THIS RECOVERY EFFORT, UH, TO THE HISTORIC WINTER EVENT THAT WE HAVE ALL BEEN EXPERIENCING THIS WEEK.
OUR FOCUS REMAINS ON GETTING POWER BACK ON CLEARING DEBRIS FROM ROADS AND HELPING EVERYONE IN OUR CITY RETURN TO NORMAL.
AND AS ALWAYS, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE IS SAFE.
AUSTIN ENERGY CREWS WORKED THROUGH THE NIGHT AND WE'RE ABLE TO RESTORE WA POWER TO THOUSANDS OF CUSTOMERS AND OVER 172,000, UH, CUSTOMERS OVER THE LAST, UH, SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE EVENT ITSELF.
AND YOU'LL HEAR MORE FROM THAT.
UH, FROM AUSTIN ENERGY'S GENERAL MANAGER JACKIE.
WATER REMAINS RELATIVELY UNAFFECTED BY THE STORM AND AUSTIN ENERGY AND AUSTIN WATER HAVE WORKED CLOSELY TOGETHER TO ENSURE POWER IS RESTORED TO PUMPS AND LIFT STATIONS.
WE'RE THANKFUL FOR THE WARMER TEMPERATURES TODAY, BUT WARMING CENTERS WILL REMAIN OPEN FOR THOSE NEEDING ASSISTANCE
[00:05:01]
DURING THIS EVENT.WE WILL ALSO HAVE A LOT OF WORK AHEAD OF US.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO STAY VIGILANT.
WE ARE WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING ALL THE NEEDS THAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS.
I'M JOINED THIS MORNING BY SEVERAL CITY DEPARTMENT LEADERS, INCLUDING AUSTIN AND ENERGY GENERAL MANAGER JACKIE, SERGEANT AUSTIN, WATER DIRECTOR SHA ROYALS RALSTON, TO PROVIDE UPDATES AND ANSWER QUESTIONS.
BUT WE'LL ALSO HAVE EMS ASSISTANT CHIEF WES HOPKINS, UH, WHO'S JOINING US, AND OUR CHIEF, UH, TO TALK ABOUT FIRE CARBON MONOXIDE SAFETY, WHICH IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW.
AND WE ALSO HAVE KEN SNIPES FROM AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY AND JAMES SNOW FROM PUBLIC WORKS.
BUT FIRST I'LL TURN IT OVER TO JACKIE.
SERGEANT AUSTIN, ENERGY GENERAL MANAGER.
I WANT, FIRST, I WANNA FIRST SAY THANK YOU, UH, FOR YOUR PATIENCE AS WE CONTINUE TO RESTORE POWER.
I KNOW THAT THIS HAS BEEN INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING.
AS I HAVE TOLD YOU, WE HAVE HAD EXTENSIVE DAMAGE FROM ICING THAT HAS SLOWED OUR RESTORATION EFFORTS TODAY.
HOWEVER, WE ARE CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC THAT WE ARE TURNING A POINT THAT WE HAVE TURNED A POINT OVERNIGHT AS REFLECTED ON OUR OUTAGE MAP.
THE NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS AFFECTED HAS BEGUN TO COME DOWN BECAUSE OUR RESTORATION NUMBERS ARE GOING UP.
WHILE THE NUMBER OF REPEATED OUTAGES IS GOING DOWN, FEWER TREES ARE FALLING, WHICH MEANS REPEATED OUTAGE OUTAGES HAVE SLOWED DOWN AS OF 7:00 AM FOUR 49,193.
ADDITIONAL CUSTOMERS HAVE BEEN RESTORED SINCE 5:00 PM YESTERDAY FOR A TOTAL OF 182,159 CUSTOMERS RESTORED SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THIS EVENT.
STILL, RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE ABOUT 122,000 CUSTOMERS WITHOUT POWER.
AGAIN, BECAUSE OF COMPLICATING FACTORS, THAT NUMBER MAY CONTINUE TO FLUCTUATE AS CREWS CONTINUE TO WORK.
ONE OF THE REASONS A NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS WERE RESTORED IS DUE TO OUR WORK IN CONJUNCTION WITH NEIGHBORING UTILITY RESULTING IN AN ENTIRE SUBSTATION COMING BACK ONLINE.
HOWEVER, WE HAVE HAD SUBSEQUENT TRIP OUTAGES ALONG THE LINES THAT SUBSTATION FEEDS.
SOME OF THIS IS DUE TO WHAT WE CALL COLD LOAD PICKUP.
WHEN POWER IS RESTORED, CIRCUITS CAN BECOME OVERLOADED BECAUSE OF LARGE APPLIANCES AND THERMOSTATS THAT HAVE BEEN LEFT ON PRIOR TO THE OUTAGE.
CUSTOMERS CURRENTLY WITHOUT POWER CAN HELP US TO AVOID COLD LOAD PICKUP BY TURNING OFF THEIR THERMOSTATS, TURNING OFF OR UNPLUGGING FIXTURES AND APPLIANCES, AND ONLY LEAVING ONE LIGHT ON TO INDICATE WHEN THE POWER HAS COME BACK ON.
ADDITIONALLY, YOU CAN HELP US IF CREWS KNOCK ON RESIDENTS DOORS IN ORDER TO ACCESS AUSTIN ENERGY EQUIPMENT SUCH AS EN ENERGY EQUIPMENT IN A BACKYARD OR UTILITY EASEMENT LOCATED ON THE RESIDENCE'S PROPERTY.
AUSTIN ENERGY PERSONNEL WILL BE CLEARLY IDENTIFIABLE WITH BADGES AND IN AUSTIN ENERGY VEHICLES.
PLEASE WORK WITH THEM ON ALLOWING ACCESS AS NEEDED.
PLEASE KNOW THAT CREWS ARE WORKING DIL DILIGENTLY TO RESTORE POWER TO ALL CUSTOMERS.
AUSTIN ENERGY CREWS AND MUTUAL AID CREWS ARE HELPING WITH THE RESTORATION.
WE HAVE MORE THAN 400 HIGHLY SKILLED PROFESSIONALS IN THE FIELD DOING RESTORATIONS.
JUST THIS MORNING, WE HAVE HAD AN ADDITIONAL 60 CREW MEMBERS FROM BIRD ELECTRIC JOINING OUR EFFORTS, AND WE ARE BR WORKING TO BRING ON ADDITIONAL CONTRACT CREWS.
ONE LAST THING I WANT TO TO REITERATE IS THAT UNLIKE OTHER PARTS OF TEXAS AND PAST STORMS, THE ICE STORM BROUGHT US EXTENSIVE MOISTURE AND ICE ACCUMULATION, WHICH HAD A DIRECT IMPACT ON AUSTIN'S DENSE TREE CANOPY AND VEGETATION.
THE RESULTING ICE THAT PILED UP ON POWER LINES, TREES, AND EQUIPMENT, ADDED HUNDREDS OF POUNDS OF ICE AND AND FORCE THAT CAUSED MASSIVE DESTRUCTION.
THIS CAUSED ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION LINES AND NEARBY VEGETATION TO SAG BREAK OR TO COME IN CONTACT WITH ONE ANOTHER.
BRANCHES FALLING OR LEANING ON POWER LINES HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE OUTAGES ACROSS OUR 437 SQUARE MILE SERVICE TERRITORY.
DESPITE AUSTIN ENERGY'S INCREASED EFFORTS IN THE LAST TWO YEARS TO TRIM TREES AND CLEAR LINES NATURE, PUSH TREES, PUSH THESE TREES TO NEW BREAKING POINTS.
HUGE TREES HAVE COMPLETELY UPROOTED AND FALLEN ON POWER LINES AND MADE THE ROADS IMPASSABLE.
A HALF INCH OF ICE ADDS AS MUCH AS 500 POUNDS TO A POWER LINE AND MAY CAUSE IT TO BREAK ICE BUILDUP ON OTHER ELECTRICAL SYSTEM COM.
EQUIPMENT CAN CAUSE COMPONENTS LIKE SWITCHES TO MALFUNCTION OR BREAK REQUIRING WORKAROUNDS
[00:10:01]
THAT TAKE MORE, MORE TIME TO MAKE THE REPAIRS.AS OUR VICE PRESIDENT OF FIELD OPERATIONS, ELTON RICHARDS SHARED YESTERDAY, ENTIRE TREES OUTSIDE OF OUR VEGETATION MANAGEMENT ZONE HAVE FALLEN OVER ONTO LINES.
LARGE TREES AWAY FROM THE LINES HAVE BROKEN OFF AND FALLEN ONTO THEM.
AND COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE HAS IMPACTED OUR LINES AS WELL.
THESE EVENTS ARE WELL BEYOND WHAT CAN BE ADDRESSED WITH OUR VEGETATION MANAGEMENT EFFORTS.
I WANT TO THANK THE ENTIRE AUSTIN ENERGY TEAM WHO HAS BEEN WORKING 24 7 FOR THEIR DEDICATION AND COMMITMENT TO RESTORE POWER AS SAFELY AND QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
I'M SHAY OLSON, DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN WATER.
THROUGHOUT THIS EVENT, AUSTIN WATERS WATER TREATMENT PLANTS HAVE OPERATED NORMALLY.
WE HAVE NOT SEEN A SPIKE IN LINE BREAKS EITHER ON THE PRIVATE SIDE OR THE PUBLIC SIDE.
AND STORAGE LEVELS HAVE REMAINED HEALTHY.
WE HAVE HAD A NUMBER OF POWER OUTAGES AT PUMP STATIONS AND LIFT STATIONS, AND I WANNA THANK AUSTIN ENERGY'S CREWS FOR WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH US TO PRIORITIZING RESTORING POWER TO THOSE PUMP STATIONS AND LIFT STATIONS.
WE CONTINUE TO WORK THOSE OUTAGES AS NEEDED.
AT THE, UH, THERE ARE CURRENTLY THREE PUMP STATIONS AND 16 WASTEWATER LIFT STATIONS OUT OF POWER.
UH, AND A NUMBER OF THOSE ARE OPERATING ON, UH, GENERATOR.
A NUMBER OF OUR FACILITIES ARE OPERATING ON GENERATORS.
UM, BUT AT THIS TIME, WATER STORAGE LEVELS, UH, IN THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM ARE HEALTHY.
WE HAD TWO SMALL POCKETS OF OUR WATER SYSTEM THAT EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF WATER PRESSURE DUE TO POWER OUTAGES AT PUMP STATIONS.
UM, THAT'S, UH, 15 HOMES IN THE GLEN LAKE SUBDIVISION AND 24 HOMES ON MOUNT LARSON.
WE HAVE COMMUNICATED DIRECTLY WITH THOSE RESIDENTS AND DELIVERED WATER, AND WE ARE WORKING TOWARD, UH, RESTORING, UM, SERVICE TO THOSE CUSTOMERS.
UM, WE ENCOURAGE ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS TO CONSERVE AS WE, UH, CONTINUE TO RESTORE NORMAL, UH, POWER AND OPERATIONS TO OUR PUMP STATIONS AND LIFT STATIONS.
UM, AND, UH, AS THINGS THAW OUT, BE SURE THAT YOU CHECK, UH, YOUR HOMES FOR LEAKS.
UM, AND, AND IF YOU SEE LEAKS OUT IN THE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, PLEASE CALL AUSTIN WATER DISPATCH TO REPORT THOSE.
OKAY, WE'RE GONNA OPEN UP FOR QUESTIONS.
WE'LL START MR. QUESTION, PUT IT THROUGH THE ANDERSON MILL ALCON'S AREA.
SO THE ROADS ARE PRACTICALLY IMPASSABLE IN THERE.
UH, WHY HASN'T A STRIKE TEAM BEEN GOING INTO NEIGHBORHOODS AND CARRYING THOSE KINDS OF SECONDARY ROADWAYS? I WAS REALLY SURPRISED.
YOU KNOW, YESTERDAY'S ONE THING MM-HMM.
THERE ARE A LOT OF TREES IN THE ROADS.
I MEAN, THERE ARE TREES EVERYWHERE, AND SO WE ARE ALL HANDS ON DECK.
WE'VE CALLED IN FOR REINFORCEMENTS AND WE WANT THE COMMUNITY TO ALSO HELP OUT WITH THAT BY CALLING 3 0 1 WHERE THEY DO SEE DOWN TREES.
I'M GONNA ASK OUR PUBLIC WORKS AND, AND AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY TO DESCRIBE HOW ELSE YOU CAN BE HELPFUL IN THIS.
UM, BUT PLEASE KNOW THAT WE HAVE NOT ONLY DEPLOYED OUR RESOURCES CALLED IN RESOURCES FROM OTHER JURISDICTIONS AND HAVE A CONTRACT IN PLACE, UH, FOR ADDITIONAL HELP.
WE WANT PEOPLE TO BE SAFE AS THEY'RE, AS WE'RE DOING THIS.
UM, BUT WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO CLEAR THOSE ROADS.
THE CITY CONFIRMED ANY DEATHS RELATED TO WHETHER HYPOTHERMIA, CARBON OR NOT.
I'M AN ASSISTANT CHIEF FOR AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES.
I DON'T HAVE EXACT STATS AT THIS TIME.
WE'RE COMPILING THAT INFORMATION, BUT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT SOME VITAL SAFETY MESSAGE TO OUR COMMUNITY.
AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY HAS RECEIVED TEN NINE ONE ONE CALLS FOR CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING INVOLVING 32 PATIENTS.
THE MAJORITY OF THESE INCIDENTS INVOLVE MULTIPLE PATIENTS FREQUENTLY IN CARBON MONOXIDE EXPOSURES THAT IMPACTS ENTIRE HOUSEHOLDS.
MOST INVOLVED FOLKS WERE RUNNING GENERATORS IN THEIR GARAGES.
THE MOST RECENT WAS A FAMILY WHO WAS RUNNING THEIR CAR IN THEIR GARAGE TO KEEP WARM.
THE GARAGE DOOR WAS OPEN ABOUT A THIRD OF THE WAY, AND WE HAD EIGHT PATIENTS FROM THAT ONE CALL.
THREE OF THOSE PATIENTS WERE TRANSPORTED.
ONE CHILD AND ONE ADULT WERE AIRLIFTED TO SAN ANTONIO, UH, WITH SERIOUS CARBON MONOXIDE SYMPTOMS REQUIRING HYPERBARIC TREATMENT.
AND ONE TEENAGER WAS TRANSPORTED TO DELL CHILDREN'S MEDICAL CENTER WITH NON-LIFE THREATENING SYMPTOMS. CARBON MONOXIDE, AS YOU WELL KNOW, IS A SILENT KILLER.
YOU MAY NOT KNOW YOU'VE BEEN EXPOSED UNTIL IT'S WAY TOO LATE IF YOUR POWER IS OUT.
DO NOT USE GENERATORS OR GRILLS IN ENCLOSED SPACES, EVEN IF IT'S IN A GARAGE AND THE GARAGE DOOR IS OPEN.
GENERATORS NEED TO BE AT LEAST 20 FEET FROM YOUR HOME OUTSIDE WITH THE EXHAUST FACING AWAY FROM THE STRUCTURE.
DO NOT USE STOVES OR OVENS TO HEAT YOUR HOME
[00:15:01]
IF YOUR POWER IS OUT.AND WE HAVE A COUPLE MORE NIGHTS OF THIS COLD STRETCH, IT'S IMPERATIVE TO KEEP WARM THAT YOU WEAR MULTIPLE LAYERS, LIGHTWEIGHT CLOTHING, MITTENS, GLOVES AND HATS.
WRAP YOURSELVES IN PLENTY OF BLANKETS, KEEPS CURTAINS CLOSED UNLESS THE SUN IS OUT TO CONSERVE HEAT.
PUT EVERYONE IN HOUSEHOLDS IN ONE ROOM.
AND IF YOU'RE USING A SPACE HEATER, MAKE SURE IT HAS PLENTY OF ROOM.
AND AN AUTOMATIC OFF SWITCH IS SOMEONE IN THAT POWER TONIGHT.
WHERE, WHERE SHOULD THEY GO TO WORK? UH, WE WILL PUBLISH THE WARMING CENTERS AND PLACES THAT THEY CAN GO.
WE'LL MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THAT INFORMATION TO PUSH THAT OUT.
IS THERE A RUNNING LIST OF TRAFFIC LIGHTS THAT ARE OUT AND WHAT'S THE PRIORITIZING VISION PROCESS FOR THAT? I'LL TURN THAT OVER TO TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS.
WE CAN FOLLOW UP, WE CAN FOLLOW UP.
UH, JAMES SNOW, INTERIM DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS.
WE'RE WORKING WITH THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT RIGHT NOW, AS YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY HAVE CREWS RIGHT NOW DEPLOYED THROUGHOUT THE CITY, TRYING TO GET THE LIGHTS BACK UP.
THE FIRST, FIRST THEY DO IS THEY GET BACK TO THE BLINKING LIGHT AND THEY HAVE CREWS DOING A SPOT TO BRING THE LIGHTS BACK UP TO SERVICE.
SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT THEY'VE HAD IS THAT THEY'VE HAD PROBLEMS WITH, UH, THE TECHNOLOGY, UH, REMOTELY GETTING TO THE LIGHTS.
SO THEY'RE SENT DEPLOYING CREWS TO CHECK THE LIGHTS SPECIFICALLY.
UM, WE CAN FOLLOW UP FURTHER LATER WITH, UH, UPDATES.
UH, THAT WAS ACTUALLY GONNA BE MY QUESTION.
IS THERE A PLAN IN PLACE ON HOW SOON WE CAN RESTORE POWER AND HOW PEOPLE SHOULD BE TREATING THESE OUTAGE OUTAGES OF LIGHTS? AND, UM, THE TRANSPORTATION PARTNER WAS ASKED THAT ANY OUT LIGHTS TREATING IS A FOUR-WAY STOP AS WE GO THROUGH IT.
AGAIN, AS THEY MENTIONED BEFORE, THEY ONLY HAD A SIX HOUR BACKUP FOR POWER, BUT THEY ARE GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW AND HAVING CREWS GO OUT THROUGH THE CITY, ADDRESS EACH OF THE LIGHTS AND DO A STATUS UPDATE SO THEY CAN MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
CVS, WHAT WHAT ABOUT ACCESS TO FOOD? UH, WE SAW SOME VIDEO OF SOME PEOPLE THAT HAD RESORTED A DUMPSTER DIVING OUTSIDE OF GRO GROCERY STORES.
JUST SOME KEY DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN WHAT WE EXPERIENCED IN WINTER STORM ERIE AND THIS WINTER WEATHER EVENT.
AGAIN, THE ROADS ARE PASSABLE.
UH, WE'RE ABLE TO RESTOCK AND REPLENISH THOSE GROCERY STORES.
THEY ARE CONSIDERED CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND SO IF THEY DID LOSE POWER, THAT WAS CERTAINLY A HIGH PRIORITY.
AND SO WE'RE NOT AT THIS POINT IN TIME, UH, LOOKING AT ADDITIONAL NEEDS FROM FOOD SECURITY.
WE HAVE SO MANY INDIVIDUALS IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO NEED THAT TYPE OF ASSISTANCE.
AND SO WE WERE PLEASED TO SEE EVEN AFTER, RIGHT AFTER OUR PRESS CONFERENCE YESTERDAY THAT THE, UM, FOOD BANK DID GET BACK ONLINE.
AND SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE MEALS, UH, TO RESIDENTS THAT NEED THEM.
UM, BUT WE'RE ALWAYS WORKING WITH OUR NON-PROFIT PARTNERS TO PROVIDE THAT TYPE OF ASSISTANCE.
HERE'S THE FOOD THAT WE LEFT IN OUR FRIDGE FOR 30 DAYS.
IS IT SAVED FOR 30 DAYS? I'LL HAVE TO ASK HER.
UH, AGAIN, I THINK EACH SITUATION IS DIFFERENT DEPENDING ON WHAT THE TEMPERATURE WAS, HOW LONG YOU HAD THAT FOOD.
UM, BUT I WOULD DEFER TO OUR PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS ON THAT.
I WAS GONNA SAY, I'VE NEVER GOT, UH, PUBLIC, UH, WORKS TO TALK TO A R DID YOU WANNA SAY ANYTHING ON BRUSH? SURE.
KEN SNIPES, DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, WE'VE DONE IN TERMS OF, UH, GETTING OUT TO COLLECT DEBRIS IS, UH, A AFTER WINTER STORM URI.
UH, WHAT WE DID WAS WE ESTABLISHED A, UH, NEW CONTRACT FOR BEING ABLE TO SPIN UP SOME OF OUR PARTNERS IN THE, IN THE, UH, PRIVATE SECTOR.
UH, AND SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF BRINGING ON THREE NEW, UH, ADDITIONAL CONTRACTORS TO HELP WITH THAT PROCESS.
THAT PROCESS WILL OCCUR THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND.
UH, IT IN, IT INCLUDES CERTIFYING THE TRUCKS, ALSO, UH, CERTIFYING THE VEHICLES, UH, SO THAT WE QUALIFY FOR FE FEMA REIMBURSEMENT.
UM, ON MONDAY, THOSE CREWS WILL ACTUALLY START COLLECTING, UM, AND, UH, OUT IN THE COMMUNITY IN ADDITION TO THE CREWS THAT WE HAVE, UH, IN THE CITY AS WELL.
YOU KNOW, FOLKS IN BALCONIES ARE GONNA SAY, MONDAY, WHAT ABOUT TODAY? I MEAN, THOSE ROADS ARE BLOCKED.
WELL, OUR CREWS ARE OUT TODAY, RIGHT? THIS IS ADDITIONAL SUPPORT.
AND WE'RE ALSO, UH, CONDUCTING A CITYWIDE EFFORT BETWEEN THE FOUR DEPARTMENTS.
UH, PARK DEPARTMENT, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH, EXCUSE ME, PUBLIC WORKS.
AND THEN ALSO, UM, WATERSHED PROTECTION OR ALL, ALL OUT WITH THEIR CREWS RIGHT NOW DOING THAT WORK.
SO WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS A FORCE MULTIPLICATION WHERE WE'RE ALSO IN ADDITION TO OUR CREWS, BRINGING ON OTHER CREWS AS WELL FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
AND AGAIN, THOSE CREWS, PART OF THE PROCESS THERE IS, IT, IT REQUIRES TIME THAT ALL THE VEHICLES HAVE TO BE CERTIFIED AND WEIGHED DECALED BEFORE THEY CAN START WORKING.
CAN WE GO BACK, EXCUSE ME, FOR CUSTOMERS WHO ARE STARTING CLEANUP TODAY, HOW LONG DO PEOPLE EXPECT BRANCHES TO BE PICKED UP FROM CURBSIDE? IS THERE A SORT OF TIMELINE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING AT WEEKS OR MONTHS OF CLEANUP? NOT RIGHT NOW.
UM, JUST BECAUSE IT JUST HAPPENED AND WE'RE STILL OUT ASSESSING.
UH, AS YOU HEARD, A LOT OF THE STREETS ARE STILL BLOCKED.
UM, WHAT WE'RE ASKING PEOPLE TO DO IS TO PUT THAT DEBRIS UP THE CURB AND, AND WE'LL GET TO IT AS SOON AS WE CAN.
SO, UM, THE, THE MAIN THING FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, IT'S A PROCESS.
WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF TRIAGING THE ENTIRE CITY.
ONE OF THE TOOLS AT OUR DISPOSAL IS TO CALL THREE 11.
THAT HELPS US KNOW WHERE THE, UM, THE MOST DIRE NEEDS ARE IN TERMS OF OUR PLANNING ON THE MAP,
[00:20:01]
UH, AND THE MAPPING PROCESS.WE'RE ALSO GONNA BE, UH, STANDING UP A MAP ON THE A R WEBSITE SO THAT CUSTOMERS CAN LOOK AND TAKE A, UH, UH, HAVE A VISUAL IDEA OF WHERE WE'RE ACTUALLY WORKING, UH, ON A GIVEN DAY OR A GIVEN TIMEFRAME.
SO WE'LL BE GETTING THAT UP AND THEY'LL HAVE ACCESS TO ALL, TO ALL OF THAT INFORMATION AS WELL.
THIS QUESTION IS FOR AUSTIN ENERGY.
ANY MESSAGE YOU WOULD LIKE TO GIVE TO YOUR CLIENTS DIGGING INTO A ACCOUNT, EVERYONE HAD THE IMPRESSION THAT AUSTIN ENERGY WAS READY FOR THIS TO HAPPEN, BUT NOW WE'RE SEEING SOMETHING DIFFERENT, ESPECIALLY WITH THE RETRACTION THAT FIRST WAS, OH, WE'LL GET POWER BACK BY FRIDAY.
NOW WE'RE LIKE, SORRY, WE CAN'T REALLY GIVE YOU AN ESTIMATE BECAUSE X, Y, AND Z.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL YOUR CLIENTS? SO THEY REALLY HAVE TRUST ON THIS UTILITY GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES.
WHEN WE GO INTO THESE EVENTS, WHEN WE'RE WATCHING THE WEATHER, WE STAFF UP OUR CREWS, WE GO THROUGH ALL OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS.
THERE'S A DELIBERATE PROCESS, UM, WHERE WE IDENTIFY THE TYPES OF CREWS THAT WE WANT ON HAND AND ON STANDBY.
UM, SO THAT THEY'RE READY, UH, TO, TO, UM, MANAGE THROUGH THE, THE OUTAGES AND THE RESTORATION PROCESS.
UM, AS WE GOT INTO THIS EVENT, IT WAS MORE SEVERE THAN WHAT HAD BEEN, UM, PREDICTED, AND IT WAS ACROSS THE ENTIRE SERVICE TERRITORY.
AND THAT CREATED, UH, CHALLENGES AS WELL.
SO WHEN WE IDENTIFIED THAT WE HAD THAT WIDESPREAD OF, OF, UM, EXTENSIVE DAMAGE, THAT'S WHEN WE RELIED ON OUR MUTUAL AID AND STARTED CALLING IN ASSISTANCE.
WE HAD THE IMPEDANCE OF THE, THE ROADWAYS.
UM, WE'VE TALKED, HEARD ABOUT THE TREES ON, ON THE ROADWAYS, UH, AND, AND THE ICE THAT WAS THERE.
FORTUNATELY, THE ICE IS PRETTY MUCH, UH, HAS MELTED BECAUSE OF THE WARMER TEMPERATURES.
AND THAT IMPEDED OUR EFFORTS TO GET OUT IN PATROL.
SO IN ORDER TO HAVE THE AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE, WE NEED TO HAVE PEOPLE OUT THERE ON THE GROUND, BOOTS ON THE GROUND, DOING THAT ASSESSMENT AND IDENTIFYING WHAT ALL THE PROBLEMS ARE.
AND WE GOT OVERNIGHT, UM, YOU KNOW, MORE RAIN AND, AND MORE ICING THAT OCCURRED, AND THAT CAUSED INCREASING DAMAGE.
THE OTHER THING THAT HAPPENED IS WE WERE RESTORING CIRCUITS AND THE APPROACH THAT WE WERE TAKING WITH THE CRUISE, THEY WOULD RESTORE A CIRCUIT AND THEN IT WOULD TRIP BACK OUT BECAUSE ANOTHER TREE WOULD FALL ON IT.
AND AS MY VICE PRESIDENT, UH, ELTON RICHARDS, UH, SHARED YESTERDAY, WE'VE REVAMPED THAT.
WE'VE CREATED BIGGER CREWS SO THAT WE HAVE VEGETA, WE HAVE THE PATROLLERS, WE HAVE THE VEGETATION MANAGEMENT, AND WE HAVE THE RESTORATION CREWS WORKING TOGETHER IN SERIES, GOING DOWN THE CIRCUITS TO, UH, RESTORE POWER.
AND THEN THE, PROBABLY THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE RIGHT NOW IS MAINTAINING SAFETY AND IDENTIFYING THE WORK ZONES SO THAT PEOPLE CAN STAY PROTECTED WITHIN THEIR WORK ZONES.
SO SAFETY HAS TO BE OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY AS WE WORK THROUGH THIS.
BUT I AM HOPEFUL WE SAW THE SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF CUSTOMERS, UH, THAT CAME ONLINE.
AND THAT WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN THROUGHOUT THE DAY WITH THE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES THAT WE'VE BROUGHT IN.
AND THEN ADDITIONALLY WITH THE, THE CONTRACT CREWS, UH, THAT WE'RE WORKING TO BRING ONLINE.
YOUR CHIEF, UM, THIS QUESTION IS FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN, BEING THAT AUSTIN IS THE CITY OF AUSTIN, YOU KNOW THAT TRAVIS COUNTY SENDS OUT TAX MESSAGES TO THEIR CONSTITUENTS.
IS THERE A REASON CITY NOT MESSAGES, TEXT, TEXT, TEXT MESSAGES, I'LL START.
AND THEN THE AMERICAN CHIME IN.
AGAIN, THESE ARE ISSUES THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK AT IN OUR AFTER ACTION REPORT AND HOW WE'RE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE TO ALL CUSTOMERS.
UH, WE WERE USING OTHER MEANS TO COMMUNICATE TO OUR, OUR CUSTOMERS, BUT TO YOUR POINT, UH, TEXT MESSAGES COULD HAVE BEEN SOMETHING THAT WE WILL BE REVIEWING THAT AND MAKING SURE THAT THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN.
BUT I WANT TO ADD TO THAT, AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT EARLIER.
I, I'VE BEEN VERY CLEAR SINCE THE FIRST TIME I STEPPED UP TO A PODIUM THAT I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THE CITY HAS DONE WHAT IT NEEDS TO DO IN TERMS OF COMMUNICATING.
AND IT'S A PERSISTENT PROBLEM.
IT'S, THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT OUR CITIZENS HAVE FELT LIKE THEY HAVE NOT GOT RECEIVED THE COMMUNICATIONS THEY NEED IN A TIME OF EMERGENCY.
I BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS, UH, THAT CAN BE PUT INTO PLACE, INCLUDING HOW WE GO ABOUT USING TECHNOLOGY THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO RELY UPON IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THEM THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED.
UH, WHEN THE CITY MANAGER TALKS ABOUT AFTER ACTION REPORTS, UH, NOT ONLY WILL YOU SEE A REPORT COME IN THAT TALKS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT COULD BE CHANGED, BUT YOU WILL ALSO HAVE THE MAYOR AND COUNSEL ENGAGED
[00:25:01]
IN A WAY TO BE ASKING THE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT WENT WRONG AND WHAT CAN BE CHANGED.AND LET ME BE CLEAR ABOUT THE AFTER ACTION REPORT.
THIS SHOULD NOT BE AN AFTER ACTION REPORT THAT TAKES A LOT OF TIME.
THIS OUGHT TO BE SOMETHING WHERE YOU CAN PUT EVERYBODY IN A ROOM AND VERY QUICKLY FIGURE OUT WHAT WENT WRONG AND WHAT DIDN'T, WHAT DIDN'T GO RIGHT, AND HOW WE CAN MAKE CHANGES AND GET RECOMMENDATIONS.
THERE ARE BEST PRACTICES, BUT WE WILL HAVE AN AFTER ACTION REPORT THAT WILL BE SCRUTINIZED BY THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL GOING FORWARD.
UH, AGAIN, I WANT TO SAY WE KNOW THAT MISTAKES WERE MADE AND NEED TO BE CORRECTED, THEY WILL BE CORRECTED.
THE OTHER THING I WANNA SAY IS I WANT US TO ALSO FOCUS ON WHAT WE NEED TO DO RIGHT NOW TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE STAY SAFE AND, UH, GET THEIR POWER RESTORED AND ALSO THOSE FRONTLINE WORKERS THAT ARE OUT THERE WORKING.
UH, EVEN THOUGH THE CONDITIONS SEEM TO BE GETTING A LITTLE BIT BETTER BECAUSE WE'RE HAVING SOME BETTER WEATHER AND THINGS ARE WARMING UP, THEY'RE STILL DOING DANGEROUS JOBS.
AND, UM, WE THANK THEM FOR WHAT IT IS THAT THEY'RE DOING.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP.
I I ALSO LIVE, LIVE NEXT TO THE BALCON WOODS SECTION AND I'VE BEEN WITH OUR POWER FOR THREE DAYS.
WHAT TOOLS DO WE DON'T HAVE THAT THE OTHER CITIES HAVE? I, I HAVEN'T HEARD THAT WE HAVE MAJOR CATASTROPHES IN SURROUNDING CITIES SUCH AS AUSTIN.
WHAT QUESTION DOES WE LACK THAT OTHER CITIES MIGHT HAVE? WELL, I, I'M NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION SPECIFICALLY, AND I'LL ASK, UH, MS. SERGEANT IF, IF SHE WANTS TO LAY SOMETHING OUT ON THAT.
BUT OTHER CITIES HAVE HAD ISSUES.
I MEAN, I, I, SAN ANTONIO HAD SOME, UH, NOT AT THE, THE LEVEL WE HAD.
AND I THINK IN PART BECAUSE OF WHAT MS. SERGEANT SAID, THAT THIS ENDED UP BEING ACROSS THE ENTIRE SERVICE AREA.
BUT AGAIN, IN TERMS OF LOOKING FORWARD, UH, THINGS LIKE HOW WE ADDRESS OUR CANOPY, UH, OUR, OUR, OUR URBAN CANOPY HAVE TO BE LOOKED AT.
UH, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT, NOT JUST FRANKLY BECAUSE OF SEVERE WINTER WEATHER THAT CAN DO DAMAGE, BUT FROM A WILDFIRE PERSPECTIVE, THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT THIS EVENT HAS EMPHASIZED AND, AND PERHAPS ALLOWED FOR A GREATER PROBLEM, UH, IN AUSTIN THAN MAYBE YOU'VE SEEN IN OTHER PLACES THAT HAVE LESS OF A CANOPY OR APPROACHED THAT IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
AND WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT.
AS I'VE SHARED, UM, THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE THAT THIS STORM, UH, BROUGHT ONTO THE ENTIRE SERVICE TERRITORY, UH, WAS SO SIGNIFICANT.
AND AS WE HAVE TALKED WITH OTHER UTILITIES, UM, THEY'VE HAD EXPERIENCES AS WELL, BUT THEIR SERVICE TERRITORIES ARE MORE SPREAD OUT.
OURS IS MORE DENSE AND COMPACT, AND BECAUSE IT FELL ON THAT ENTIRE SERVICE TERRITORY, WE'VE SEEN THE EXTENT OF THE OUTAGES THAT WE HAVE, WHEREAS YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE SEEN THAT IF YOU LOOK AT VARIOUS OUTAGE MAPS AND YOU DO PERCENTAGES.
SO IN THIS AREA, THERE'S THIS MANY CUSTOMERS THAT ARE SERVED AND THERE'S THIS MANY CUSTOMERS OUT THE PERCENT, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS IS LOWER BECAUSE THERE'S FEWER CUSTOMERS IN THOSE AREAS.
BUT FROM A PERCENTAGE PERSPECTIVE, IT'S BEEN SIGNIFICANT AS WELL.
UM, I WANNA, UH, ADDRESS SOMETHING THAT THE MAYOR TALKED ABOUT AND THAT'S WILDFIRE MITIGATION.
THAT IS ONE OF OUR TOP PRIORITIES.
AND AS WE DO RISK ASSESSMENTS, AND I REALLY WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO COUNCIL MEMBER ALLISON AL ALTER, WHO HAS BEEN A CHAMPION AND A SUPPORTER OF OUR EFFORTS AS WE'VE INCREASED OUR VEGETATION MANAGEMENT.
AS MR. RICHARD SHARED YESTERDAY, WE'VE IN INCRE OUR DOUBLED OUR VEGETATION MANAGEMENT BUDGET.
AND SO I REALLY WANNA EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION TO HER AND THE ENTIRE COUNCIL FOR THEIR SUPPORT AS WE WORK TO DO THAT MITIGATION EFFORT.
WE'VE, THE BIGGEST QUESTION THAT PEOPLE WANNA KNOW WHO DON'T HAVE THEIR POWER YET IS, IS WHEN THEY'RE GONNA GET IT BACK ON.
IS THERE ANY WAY FOR THEM TO GET ANY KIND OF REAL TIME UPDATES AS TO WHEN CREWS ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET TO THEIR AREA? SO WITH OUR, UM, OUTAGE COMMUNICATIONS AND THE TOOL THAT WE USE OUR OUTAGE MAP, WHEN WE HAVE THIS WIDESPREAD OF, OF, UM, IMPACT, IT BECOMES REALLY CHALLENGING TO GIVE ESTIMATES.
AND WE NEED THOSE PATROLLERS OUT IN THE FIELD GIVING INFORMATION BACK.
THESE INCIDENTS ARE COMPLICATED BECAUSE ON ONE PORTION OF THE CIRCUIT, IT MAY BE SOMETHING WHERE A TREE FELL OVER AND IT'S CAUSED POLES TO GO DOWN AND WIRES
[00:30:01]
TO GO DOWN, AND THAT HAS TO BE REPAIRED.BUT THIS, THIS IS SOMETHING YOU ASKED YESTERDAY, BUT IS THERE A, I'M JUST ASKING.
WE, WE'VE ACTUALLY HAD TO SHUT THAT OFF BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A WAY TO GET THE INFORMATION FROM THE FIELD TO GIVE ACCURATE INFORMATION.
AND WE DON'T WANNA SET EXPECTATIONS THAT WE CAN'T MEET.
AND SO UNTIL WE HAVE FEWER OUTAGES THAT WE'RE MANAGING AND WE HAVE ALL OF THE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT IS IMPACTING, UH, THE PARTICULAR OUTAGE, BECAUSE IT COULD BE A NUMBER OF THINGS AND WE MAY IDENTIFY ONE, AND IF WE REPORT ON THAT, IT DOESN'T HAVE THE FULL PICTURE.
SO THAT'S WHY THIS, UM, PARTICULAR EVENT HAS BEEN SO CHALLENGING, UH, FOR US.
AND WE, WE UNDERSTAND THE FRUSTRATION.
UM, WE WANNA BE ABLE TO TELL PEOPLE WE, WE WANNA BE ABLE TO GIVE 'EM THAT COMFORT BECAUSE IT IS VERY UNSETTLING AND IT'S EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING.
LAST QUESTION, BOB, SERGEANT, I'M SORRY NOT, NOT TO MAKE THIS A SCIENCE CLASS.
UH, ONE QUESTION THAT, THAT SOMEONE BROUGHT UP TO ME WAS THAT AS Y'ALL ARE TRYING TO FIX THESE TRIPS AND THINGS GO BACK TO LINE, HAVE YOU HAD TO TURN ANOTHER COMMUNITY THAT HAS BEEN OKAY? HAVE YOU HAD BEEN, HAVE TURNED THEM OFF TO HELP THE CIRCUIT RECOVER? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? SO AS WE WORK TO, UM, RE-ENERGIZE THE SYSTEM, RIGHT? I WOULDN'T SAY THAT WE'VE HAD TO TURN A COMMUNITY OFF, BUT AS WE'VE IDENTIFIED AND NEEDED TO CLEAR THINGS AND DO SOME RES SWITCHING, WE MAY HAVE HAD TO SHUT POWER OFF ON A CIRCUIT SO THAT WE COULD THEN RECONNECT ANOTHER CIRCUIT AND THEN REPOWER THAT.
BUT THOSE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN EXTENDED OUTAGES.
I WAS GONNA SAY THOSE WOULD BE BRIEF.
SO IF, IF YOU GET A BLINK TO THE, THE MESSAGES, DON'T PANIC.
AND, AND JUDGE BROWN, UH, SORRY, YOU GOT NEGLECTED A LITTLE BIT.
LAST WORD IN REGARDS TO YOUR DEC DECLARATION YEAH.
AND YOUR FINAL MESSAGE TO TRAVIS COUNTY AS A WHOLE.
YEAH, SO WE'RE LOOKING AT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT HERE TODAY.
THE, THE NUMBER OF TREES IN THE ROADWAYS, TREES EVERYWHERE.
TREES ON ACC A I S D CAMPUSES, UH, TREES OUT IN THE OUTLYING AREAS OF THE COUNTY.
SO WE'RE ASSESSING THAT TODAY TO SEE IF IT MEETS THE STANDARD THAT WE THINK IT NEEDS TO MEET IN ORDER TO MAKE A DISASTER DECLARATION, TO SEE IF THAT WILL MAKE IT, UH, EASIER ON OUR CITY, COUNTY AND POSSIBLY CITY TO DO CLEANUP OF THAT TO WHERE IT WILL GO MUCH QUICKER THAN, UH, OTHERWISE.
SO I'LL GET BACK WITH YOU THIS AFTERNOON.
WE'RE GONNA ASSESS THAT THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
I'M GONNA LOOK AT, UH, DAMAGES AS BEST I CAN AND, UH, CONSULT WITH THE MAYOR AND THE, THE CITY MANAGER ON THAT AND GET BACK THIS AFTERNOON.
I WANNA FOLLOW UP ON THAT BECAUSE I WANT TO SET EXPECTATIONS FOR WHAT ALL THAT MEANS OR WHAT MOST OF THAT MEANS.
UM, CAUSE IT, PART OF WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN BEFORE A DISASTER DECLARATION IS MADE IS YOU HAVE TO HIT CERTAIN THRESHOLDS ON WHAT KIND OF DAMAGE.
AND IT'S TYPICALLY A MONETARY THRESHOLD.
SO PART OF THE REASON TODAY WOULD BE A GOOD DAY AS WE ARE MAKING SUCH PROGRESS IN TERMS OF REPOWERING, WE HAVE A CHANGE IN THE WEATHER.
YOU HAVE TRUCKS OUT THERE THAT ARE GONNA BE DOING, UH, MITIGATION OF, OF, OF THE DEBRIS THAT'S IN THE STREETS THAT WILL ALLOW US TO MAKE THE KIND OF ASSESSMENT YOU HAVE TO MAKE IN ORDER TO DECLARE A DISASTER.
SO, UH, I I CAN HEAR THE QUESTION NOW.
WHY WASN'T A DISASTER DECLARED TWO, TWO OR THREE DAYS AGO? IT'S BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO MAKE CERTAIN ASSESSMENTS.
IN FACT, YOU CAN MAKE A DISASTER DECLARATION MANY DAYS E EVEN WEEKS AFTER AN EVENT BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN YOU HAVE ASSESSMENT OF THE MONETARY DAMAGE.
SO I JUST WANNA MANAGE EXPECTATIONS IN CASE, UH, LATER TODAY WE DO THAT, UH, AS, AS THE JUDGE SAYS, THAT WILL THEN MAKE, MAKE MONEY MORE AVAILABLE AND MAKE IT EASIER FOR US TO DO CERTAIN THINGS.
IF Y'ALL HAVE ANY FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS, PLEASE UH, COMMUNICATE WITH THE COUNTY AND PLEASE
I SAN ANTONIO THE OTHER DAY, HOMELESS MAN.
HE, AND THEN WHEN I TOOK A BUS TO
[00:35:02]
WHERE WILL YOU STAYING AROUND? I DUNNO WHAT I HOPED TO FIND HERE.