[Update on Winter Weather Event]
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I'M TRAVIS COUNTY JUDGE ANDY BROWN.
UM, WANNA THANK MAYOR WATSON AND OUR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TEAMS FOR WORKING DILIGENTLY IN PREPARING AND COORDINATING COUNTY AND CITY RESPONSE EFFORTS THIS ENTIRE HOLIDAY WEEKEND.
I CANNOT OVERSTATE HOW CRUCIAL OUR FRONTLINE FIRST RESPONDERS AND ESSENTIAL WORKERS HAVE BEEN IN KEEPING OUR COMMUNITY PREPARED AND SAFE DURING OUR FIRST WINTER FREEZE OF THE YEAR HERE IN AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY.
AND REALLY, THIS WAS A GREAT COLLABORATION OF EFFORT, AND WE HAVE COME A LONG WAY IN OUR PARTNERSHIPS AND LEARNINGS SINCE FIRST, UH, ENCOUNTERING STORM URI, ESPECIALLY AS WE'RE SEEING MORE EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS FROM CLIMATE CHANGE.
AND AS ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING METROS IN THE COUNTRY, THIS COLLABORATION WILL BE KEY TO CONTINUE TO PREPARE TRAVIS COUNTY IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
SO, THANK YOU EVERYBODY, ALL PUBLIC EMPLOYEES, AND ALL VOLUNTEERS FOR YOUR STELLAR SERVICE ON THIS MLK HOLIDAY WEEKEND.
UM, LAST NIGHT AND THIS MORNING, WE HAD RECORD BREAKING LOW TEMPERATURES IN TRAVIS COUNTY, AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE SOME MORE BEFORE THIS IS OVER.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS, IS ISSUED A HARD FREEZE WARNING THAT WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 10:00 AM WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17TH, AND WE STILL HAVE A WINDCHILL ADVISORY GOING INTO TOMORROW.
SO PLEASE TAKE THE SAME PRECAUTIONS THAT WE'VE BEEN ASKING YOU TO TAKE OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS, PROTECT YOUR PEOPLE, PETS, PLANTS, AND PIPES.
AS THE TEMPERATURES BEGIN TO WARM, WE WILL BEGIN DEMOBILIZING, THE EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER AND PERSONNEL.
WE'LL BE THERE FROM 7:00 AM TO MIDNIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING DAYS, BUT I WANNA EMPHASIZE IT'S, IT'S JUST NOT OVER YET.
UM, TRAVIS COUNTY'S TRANSPORTATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES STAFF WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR ROAD CONDITIONS AND PRE, BUT PRETREATMENT HAS ENDED AS WEATHER CONDITIONS IMPROVE, AND THERE'S BEEN NO, UM, SIGNIFICANT REPORTED ICING TODAY.
UM, IF YOU NEED A WARM PLACE TO STAY TODAY AND TONIGHT, OUR HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN COORDINATING WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, FOR SHELTERS AND WARMING CENTERS ACROSS THE CITY AND ACROSS TRAVIS COUNTY.
AND OUR WARMING CENTERS AT THE COUNTY ARE OPEN TODAY AND THIS WEEK DURING NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS FROM 8:00 AM TO 5:00 PM AT OUR SERVICE CENTERS.
ANYONE NEEDING A COLD WEATHER SHELTER TONIGHT CAN GO TO THE CITY'S ONE TEXAS CENTER IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN.
UM, FINALLY, TRAVIS COUNTY PARKS ARE OPEN TODAY, SO THAT INCLUDES HAMILTON POOL.
IF YOU'D LIKE TO GO FOR A QUICK SWIM TODAY BEFORE IT WARMS UP, UH, WE'LL REACH A HIGH OF 34 DEGREES AS OF 3:00 PM SO MAYBE THAT'S A GOOD TIME TO HEAD TO HAMILTON POOL.
UM, BUENOS ANDY ES MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
CORDO ONE TEXAS CENTER KNOW CENT AUSTIN, UM, HAMILTON.
AND I'LL PASS IT OVER TO MAYOR WATSON.
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UM, AND I WANNA ALSO SAY THANK YOU TO JUDGE BROWN AND, UH, ALL OF THE ERIC CARTER WHO HEADS UP, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND ALL OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY PERSONNEL THAT HAVE BEEN SO GOOD, UH, AS WE'VE GONE THROUGH THIS PROCESS.I ALSO WANNA SAY THANK YOU AGAIN TO THE MEDIA THAT'S HERE, UH, HELPING US GET OUT THE MESSAGE AND HAVE BEEN BEEN HELPING US THROUGHOUT THIS, UH, WINTER STORM OR WINTER, UH, FRIGID WEATHER SO THAT WE CAN GET THE MESSAGE TO, TO EVERYBODY.
UM, WE HAD ANOTHER COLD MORNING IN AUSTIN TODAY WITH THE LOW HITTING 16 DEGREES, WHICH MATCHED YESTERDAY'S HISTORIC LOW, UH, BUT WITH THE LITTLE WIND, UH, JUST THAT LITTLE WIND THAT'S OUT THERE, OUR FEEL LIKE TEMPERATURES DROPPED TO NEAR ZERO AND ACTUALLY BELOW ZERO IN SOME SPOTS IN THIS AREA.
THE AIR WAS SO FRIGID THAT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUED A WINDCHILL THAT EXPIRED JUST A COUPLE OF HOURS AGO, AND THAT'S ONLY THE THIRD TIME IN THE HIST IN HISTORY THAT A WIND CHILL WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED IN AUSTIN.
BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE ROADS ARE DRY AND PRECIPITATION DRIED UP YESTERDAY, AND WE'RE EXPECTING THE SUN TO SLOWLY WARM US UP, SO IT LOOKS LIKE THE WORST IS BEHIND US.
LAST NIGHT, THE CITY OF AUSTIN STOOD UP A SEVENTH SHELTER FOR THOSE WHO NEEDED A WARM PLACE TO SPEND THE NIGHT.
AND AS OF LAST COUNT, OR THE LAST COUNT THAT I HAD, AT LEAST 659 PEOPLE SPENT THE NIGHT IN ONE OF THOSE SHELTERS.
UH, SHELTERS WILL REMAIN OPEN TODAY AND AGAIN TONIGHT, AS WE'RE NOT EXPECTED TO GET ABOVE FREEZING IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
SO, LET ME BE CLEAR, SHELTERS ARE EXPECTED, THE SHELTERS WILL STAY OPEN AND, UM, AS JUDGE BROWN INDICATED, PEOPLE THAT WANT TO GO TO THE SHELTERS, IF THEY GO TO ONE TEXAS CENTER FROM FIVE UNTIL EIGHT O'CLOCK, THEY CAN REGISTER AND WE WILL GET THEM TO THOSE SHELTERS.
WE ALSO HAVE ALL LIBRARIES AND RECREATION CENTERS, EXCEPT FOR THE FACILITIES THAT ARE BEING USED AS OVERNIGHT SHELTERS.
THOSE, THOSE ARE AVAILABLE TO SERVE AS WARMING CENTERS DURING, UH, NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS.
FOR A MAP OF THE WARMING CENTERS, PLEASE VISIT AUSTIN TEXAS.GOV/ALERTS.
AUSTIN TEXAS.GOV/ALERTS WILL ALLOW YOU TO SEE WHERE WE HAVE WARMING CENTERS.
AS I INDICATED, SHELTER SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE TONIGHT FOR ANYONE NEEDING A WARM PLACE TO SPEND THE NIGHT.
I WANNA BE CLEAR ABOUT REGISTRATION.
UH, YOU CAN REGISTER AT ONE TEXAS CENTER LOCATED AT 5 0 5 BARTON SPRINGS ROAD.
AS I ALSO INDICATED, WE WILL, WE WILL PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION TO A SHELTER FOR ANYONE WHO NEEDS IT, UH, AFTER REGISTRATION CLOSE.
ANYONE NEEDING TRANSPORTATION TO A SHELTER AFTER EIGHT O'CLOCK CAN CALL THREE ONE ONE, OR YOU CAN CALL FIVE ONE TWO NINE SEVEN FOUR 2000.
CALL 3 1 1 OR FIVE ONE TWO NINE SEVEN FOUR 2000 IN ORDER TO REQUEST ASSISTANCE AND BEING ABLE TO GET TO A WARMING SHELTER.
WE'LL HAVE, UH, SOME ADDITIONAL OPERATIONAL UPDATES IN JUST A MINUTE.
BUT OVERALL, THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS BACK TO REGULAR OPERATIONS.
AND WHILE, UH, OVERALL THIS IS A GOOD NEWS, I DO WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT IT IS STILL VERY COLD, BITTERLY COLD.
WE'RE ASKING YOU TO LIMIT YOUR TIME OUTSIDE.
UH, AGAIN, IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY REASON TO BE OUTSIDE, THERE'S NO NEED TO GO OUT, THEN TRY TO STAY INSIDE.
IF YOU DO GO OUTSIDE, PLEASE BE SURE TO DRESS WARM.
AND REMEMBER, AS JUDGE BROWN HAS POINTED OUT, TO PROTECT THE FOUR PS PEOPLE, PETS, PIPES, AND PLANTS.
BEFORE I HAND THIS OVER TO THE INTERIM CITY MANAGER, I WANNA THANK THE MANY, MANY, MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE HELPED KEEP US ALL SAFE DURING THIS TIME, NOT ONLY AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN, BUT AS I'VE INDICATED TRAVIS COUNTY EMPLOYEES.
BUT I ALSO WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO THE COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND THE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS WHO'VE HELPED US PROTECT OUR MOST VULNERABLE POPULATIONS AND TO ENSURE THAT THEY'RE TAKEN CARE OF DURING THIS TIME.
AND I ALSO WANNA SAY A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE RESIDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN PREPARED AND LISTENED TO WHAT WE WERE ASKING THEM TO DO, AND HAVE PLAYED A ROLE IN THAT THOSE THAT HAVE PROTECTED THE FOUR PS AND HAVE PAID, PAID ATTENTION TO THAT, THOSE WHO HAVE TAKEN THE
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TIME TO CHECK ON THEIR NEIGHBORS THAT NEEDED TO BE CHECKED ON BECAUSE THEY WERE ELDERLY OR VULNERABLE IN SOME WAY.UM, AND, AND THOSE WHO HAVE PAID ATTENTION TO STAY ON, STAY INSIDE, AND TO CONSERVE ENERGY WHEN WE'VE ASKED FOR THAT AS WELL, WE'RE VERY APPRECIATIVE.
I THINK THIS COMMUNITY HAS REALLY COME TOGETHER DURING THIS INCIDENT.
AND WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO HAND IT OVER TO THE INTERIM CITY MANAGER.
UH, JESUS GARZA, AND I WANNA SAY, UH, PUBLICLY THANK YOU TO HIM FOR THE OPERATION THAT HE HAS RUN, UH, AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
LET ME, FIRST OF ALL, THANK, UH, JUDGE BROWN AND, UH, THE MAYOR.
AND I REALIZE THE LAST FEW DAYS HAVE BEEN CHALLENGING FOR ALL OF US, UH, THROUGHOUT THIS COMMUNITY.
AND I WANT TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK, UH, ALL OF YOU FOR RISING, UH, TO THE CHALLENGE AND HELPING US CONSERVE ENERGY AND CHECKING ON YOUR NEIGHBORS.
I ALSO WANNA THANK THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, STAFF AND PARTNERS, MANY OF WHOM HAVE BEEN WORKING REALLY OVER THE PA UH, AROUND THE CLOCK OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR POWER AND WATER STAYED ON, THAT OUR COMMUNITY SAFE, OUR ROADS ARE SAFE TO TRAVEL ON TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY PERSON IN OUR CITY WAS SAFE AND HAS A WARM PLACE TO SPEND THE NIGHT.
IT'S ALSO AN INCREDIBLE LOGISTICAL UNDERTAKING THAT HAS HAPPENED OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS, BUT IT'S OUR JOB AND OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO DO THAT.
AND, UH, AND IT'S ALSO DIDN'T WANNA MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY TO TELL EVERYONE WHO HAS HELPED US IN THIS EFFORT, HOW MUCH WE APPRECIATE YOUR DEDICATION, AND WE VALUED YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS ENDEAVOR.
WE, UH, STILL HAVE A WHOLE NIGHT, UH, COLD NIGHT AHEAD OF US, AND THIS LIKELY WON'T BE THE LAST TIME WE EXPERIENCE THIS, UH, KIND OF EXTREME WEATHER AS THESE BECOME MORE FREQUENT OVER TIME.
UH, BUT IT IS, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE PREPARED AS A CITY, AS A COUNTY, AND AS A COMMUNITY.
AND I THINK WE'VE LIVED UP TO THAT CHALLENGE OF THIS EVENT.
WE'RE GOING TO TAKE, UH, WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT READINESS AND ABOUT PREPAREDNESS, AND SO THAT ALL OF YOU PARTICIPATE IN HELPING GET THIS COMMUNITY READY.
AND, UH, IN ADDITION TO THE COUNTY AND THE CITY.
AND WE WANNA ALSO HERE, WE WANNA ALSO TELL YOU THAT WE'RE HERE TO SUPPORT, UH, THE CITY BOTH DURING WINTER STORMS AND BLUE SKY DAYS.
AND LET ME NOW TURN IT OVER TO, UH, KEN SNIPES, OUR DIRECTOR OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
THANK YOU, JUDGE BROWN, MAYOR WATSON, INTERIM CITY MANAGER GARZA AND ALSO ERIC CARTER.
UH, OEM MANAGER FOR, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY.
UM, OUR PRIORITIES CONTINUE TO BE THE SAFETY OF EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY OUR MOST VULNERABLE POPULATIONS LEADING UP TO THIS STORM.
WE WORK TO PREPARE OUR COMMUNITY TO TAKE ACTION AND TO BE PREPARED.
WHILE I'M PROUD TO OF THE WORK THAT WE HAVE DONE WITH THIS STORM, OUR WORK IS NOT YET COMPLETE.
THE CLIMATE IS BEHAVING DIFFERENTLY AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE, AND WE MUST ADJUST AND CHANGE THE WAY THAT WE PREPARE.
HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MONITORS THE WEATHER ALONG WITH ALL OF OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS, AND WE'VE HAD MULTIPLE CALLS WITH THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TO UTILIZE THEIR EXPERTISE IN THEIR HELP, UH, AS WE ACCESS THEIR WEATHER PROJECTIONS AND MODELS.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS REPORTING A BRIEF WARMUP ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AFTERNOON BEFORE ANOTHER ARCTIC FRONT PUSHES INTO OUR AREA.
THE TEMPERATURES WITH THAT EVENT WILL DROP INTO THE MID TWENTIES BY SATURDAY.
WE ENCOURAGE ALL AUSTINITES TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR OUR WEATHER BY TUNING INTO YOUR PREFERRED TV OR RADIO STATIONS.
AND BY FOLLOWING HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR ANY REAL-TIME CHANGES OVER THE LAST WEEK, I'M PLEASED TO SEE THE RESPONSIVENESS AND THE DEPTH OF COLLABORATION ACROSS ALL OF OUR CITY PARTNERS AS WE WORK TO MEET OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS.
IT TAKES THE STRENGTH OF THE CITY, THE COUNTY, AND OUR NONPROFITS TO WORK TOGETHER DURING AN EMERGENCY.
FROM OUR FIRST RESPONDERS TO OUR SHELTER TRANSPORT, WE HAVE ALL WORKED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PROVIDE OUR BASICS OF FOOD AND WATER.
WITH THE FREEZING PARTICIPATION BEHIND US, THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER IS SHIFTING ITS FOCUS TO SHELTER SUPPORT AS ALL WINDSHIELD EXTREMES DIP INTO THE NEGATIVE TEMPERATURES.
ANYONE NEEDING A WARM PLACE TO SPEND THE NIGHT SHOULD GO TO ONE TEXAS CENTER AT 5 0 5 BARTON SPRINGS ROAD, BETWEEN THE HOURS OF SIX AND 8:00 PM TO REGISTER AND TO BE TRANSPORTED TO A SHELTER.
ANYONE NEEDING TRANSPORTATION TO A SHELTER AFTER 8:00 PM CAN CALL 3 1 1 TO REQUEST ASSISTANCE.
AS MAYOR WASHINGTON MENTIONED, WE EXPANDED TO 24 HOUR SHELTERING AT SEVEN LOCATIONS ACROSS THE CITY.
IN TOTAL, OVER 600 AND PE 600 PEOPLE UTILIZED OUR COLD WEATHER SHELTERS LAST NIGHT.
WHEN TEMPERATURES BEGIN TO WARM UP, PLEASE CHECK YOUR PIPES FOR AREAS THAT MAY BE FROZEN AND THAW THEM PROPERLY.
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WATER COMING FROM YOUR HOME'S FAUCET, A PIPE, A FROZEN PIPE OR WATER METER MAY BE THE PROBLEM.FOR COMPLETE INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO LOCATE AND THAW FROZEN PIPES, PLEASE VISIT AUSTIN WATER.ORG.
AGAIN, THAT'S AUSTIN WATER.ORG.
FOR ISSUES WITH SUSPECTED DAMAGE TO A METER, CALL AUSTIN'S WATER DISPATCH AT FIVE ONE TWO NINE SEVEN TWO 1000.
AGAIN, THAT'S 5 1 2 9 7 2 1000.
OTHERWISE, PLEASE STAY INDOORS.
TEMPERATURES AND WHEEL WINDSHIELDS ARE LOW ENOUGH TO MAKE HYPOTHERMIA AND FROSTBITE A REAL THREAT.
AND NEXT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO TRA UH, TRAVIS COUNTY, OEM MANAGER, ERIC CARTER.
UH, THANK YOU, UH, UH, KEN, JUST TO SAY, UH, UH, AGAIN, IT'S BEEN A, UH, A, A STRONG RESPONSE FROM THE CITY AS A COUNTY AGENCY, AS AN OFFICER OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
WE'VE BEEN HAPPY TO, TO PROVIDE A LOT OF, UH, SUPPORT, BOTH, NOT TO AUSTIN, BUT THE COMMUNITIES ACROSS TRAVIS COUNTY, UH, FROM LAGO VISTA OVER TO MANOR, UH, AND ALL THOSE COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN RESPONDING STRONGLY.
UH, THE GOOD NEWS, RIGHT THERE HASN'T BEEN A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE DAMAGE AS WE GET INTO THESE DEEP FREEZES.
THAT STORY IS YET TO BE TOLD AS WE COME OUT OF THIS IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
BUT, BUT WE'RE HAPPY WHAT WE'RE SEEING TO THIS POINT.
UH, AND AGAIN, ON THE SHELTER FRONT, HATS OFF TO THE CITY TEAM AND THE, AND THE, THE YEOMAN'S WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE, NOT JUST WITH THE CITY STAFF, BUT WITH THE NONPROFITS OUT THERE TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE, KEEP 'EM WARM, UH, AND THEN WE, UH, ALSO THANKING OUR, OUR RESIDENTS RIGHT ABOUT, UH, TAKING THOSE, THOSE WORDS WE'VE BEEN SPEAKING TO HEART AND, UH, TAKING CARE OF THEIR NEIGHBORS, STAYING, STAYING SAFE AND STAYING WARM.
SO WITH THAT, I'LL UH, GO AHEAD AND, UH, PASS IT BACK OVER TO THE COUNTY JUDGE TO GIVE US A FEW WORDS OUT.
THANK YOU AGAIN TO THE PRESS FOR BEING HERE TODAY ON ANOTHER COLD DAY.
REALLY APPRECIATE Y'ALL HELPING GET THE MESSAGE OUT.
UM, OPEN UP TO ANY, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE OR OPEN UP TO QUESTIONS OVER HERE,
UH, THE CITY HAS THE SEVEN BORING SHELTERS ACROSS THE CITY AS THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO OPEN AN EIGHTH OR NINTH SHELTER.
AND WHEN YOU GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS, CAN YOU EXPLAIN, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU MAKE THAT DECISION SURE.
TO OPEN THAT SHELTER ADDITIONAL FILTER.
SO, TO THE QUESTION OF WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO EXPAND, WE DO, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO ADD MORE SHELTERS, WE HAVE THOSE AS PART OF OUR PLANNING PROCESS, UH, THOSE, UH, UH, INSTRUCTIONS AS PART OF OUR PLANNING PROCESS ALREADY.
UM, SO WHAT WE TYPICALLY DO IS WE'RE MONITORING DAILY THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ENTERING SHELTERS.
UM, AT THE END OF THE DAY DURING THE EMBARKATION POINT, WHAT WE TEND TO DO THERE IS WE TAKE A, A REAL TIME ACCOUNTING FOR HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE SIGNING UP.
WE'RE IN CONSTANT CONTACT, AND ONCE WE HAVE THOSE NUMBERS, WE DETERMINE IF WE NEED ANOTHER SHELTER OR NOT.
ONE THING I MIGHT JUST ADD IS, IS KIND OF AN ASIDE, BUT IT, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE DURING THE PAST YEAR WITH REGARD TO ADDRESSING, UM, UH, OUR POPULATION LIVING HOMELESS IS WE HAVE HAD A CONCENTRATED EFFORT ON INCREASING THE NUMBER OF EMERGENCY SHELTER BEDS IN ANY EVENT, RIGHT? AND, UM, SO FOR EXAMPLE, OPENING THE MARSHALING YARD, UH, REOPENING, UH, WHAT WE NOW REFER TO AS THE EIGHTH STREET SHELTER FOR, UM, UH, FOR ITS U ITS ITS USE.
AND THAT PUTS US, I CAN'T, I WON'T, DON'T WANNA SAY IT PUTS US AHEAD, BUT IT ALLOWS FOR MORE SPACE TO ALREADY BE BEING UTILIZED SO THAT WHEN AN EVENT OCCURS LIKE THIS, AND THEN AS, AS, UM, UH, DIRECTOR SNIPES IS POINTING OUT, PART OF OUR PREPARATION FOR AN EVENT LIKE THIS IS HOW YOU, YOU LAYER IN, UH, ADDITIONAL SHELTER SPACE.
SO, UM, HOPEFULLY WE, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE, UH, GOING TO BE THROUGH WITH THIS TONIGHT.
AND THEN WE MAY BE FACING IT AGAIN IN A FEW DAYS AS HE'S POINTED OUT.
BUT I THINK WE'RE WELL PREPARED.
THE FIRST ONE IS, PEOPLE HAVE STATED THE OVERNIGHT SHELTERS.
IS THAT A RECORD BREAKING FAITH IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN? YOU SEE THAT MANY PEOPLE, YEAH, IT'S, IT, IT IS FOR COLD WEATHER SHELTERS.
UM, BUT AS THE MAYOR POINTED TO, WE HAVE THE ABILITY THROUGH PART OF OUR ALL HAZARDS, UH, MANAGEMENT TO CONTINUE TO FLEX AND GROW IF WE NEED IT TO.
AND THEN HAS ALSO TRAVIS COUNTY SEEN ANY GUESTS RELATED TO COLD WEATHER? UM, NOT SPECIFICALLY TO COLD WEATHER, UH, PER SE.
UH, I THINK THERE WAS AN INCIDENT YESTERDAY INVOLVING A FIRE, BUT I, I DON'T THINK, UH, THERE WAS ANYTHING SPECIFIC TO THE COLD WEATHER ITSELF.
ARE YOU GUYS TALKING A LOT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, CHECKING ON YOUR NEIGHBORS AND CALL TO ACTION FOR THE COMMUNITY? ARE YOU AWARE OF ANY, YOU KNOW, THREE, ONE OR NINE ONE CALLS FOR, UH, A WELFARE CHECK ON A NEIGHBOR OR HELPING THE NEIGHBOR THAT HAPPENED IN THE LAST COUPLE DAYS? UH, NO.
UH, NOT, NOT ONE THAT RESULTED IN, IF, IF I UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION, NOT ONE WHERE THERE WAS A CHECK
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AND THEY NEEDED EMERGENCY HELP.AND, AND NO, AUSTIN TRAVIS, EMS, WE HAVEN'T HAD THAT.
YEAH, THEY, THEY WOULD, THEY, THEY MAINTAIN A UNIT TO, TO SUPPORT THOSE.
AND WE'VE GOT NO REQUEST OVER THE LAST TWO DAYS, WHICH IS GOOD.
WE HAVE THAT CLARITY ON THOSE NUMBERS.
UM, IS IT ALMOST 700 OR ABOUT 600? THE, THE LAST NUMBERS I HAD BEFORE I CAME OVER HERE WAS 649.
AND IS THAT JUST LAST NIGHT OR? YES.
IT WAS 649, SO THAT, THAT WAS UP FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE.
UM, SO THE, THE PROCESS IS, IS WORKING IS THE WAY I WOULD, I WOULD SEE THAT, I WOULD SEE THAT AS EVIDENCE THAT THE PROCESS IS WORKING.
WE, IT HAS BEEN POINTED OUT, WHAT WE, WE DID IS WE INCREASED THE NUMBER OF SHELTERS AND THAT INCREASED THE NUMBER OF BEDS.
AND I THINK THE MESSAGE IS, HAS BEEN ABLE TO, WE'VE BEEN GETTING IT OUT AND EFFICIENTLY MOVING PEOPLE INTO THOSE SHELTERS.
SO 649 IN SEVEN SHELTERS THAT HAVE BEEN SET UP DOWN HERE.
LET ME, YEAH, JUST SO YOU ALL ALL KNOW THE, THE HOMELAND, UH, SECURITY, UH, UH, I MEAN THE HOMELAND, UH, OFFICE, UH, STARTED, UH, TEXTING FOLKS AND, UH, REACHING OUT, USING OUR, OUR PARTNERS TO GO TO EACH OF THE ENCAMPMENTS TO LET THEM KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
AND I THINK ALSO WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE DONE IN PUBLICIZING THE NUMBERS AND WHERE, UH, WHAT NUMBER TO GO, UH, WHERE TO GO TO, TO REGISTER, REALLY ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO COME, UH, TO ONE TEXAS CENTER.
THAT WAS A BIT OF A PROBLEM A YEAR AGO.
UH, WE, THAT DIDN'T WORK AS SMOOTHLY.
IT WORKED MUCH MORE, UH, MUCH MORE, UH, SMOOTHLY THIS TIME.
AND LIKE IN ANY EVENT, WE'LL DO A DEBRIEF, WHAT, WHAT WORKED, WHAT DIDN'T WORK, AND WHAT WE NEED TO IMPROVE ON.
BUT I THINK THE RESULT OF JUST YOUR COMMUNICATION YOU'VE DONE AS A MEDIA, UH, WHAT, UH, UH, THE HOMELESS, UH, SERVICE OFFICE DID, UH, DURING THE, BEFORE THE EVENT AND DURING THE EVENT HAS REALLY HELPED.
AND OF COURSE, UH, UH, THE, THE PEOPLE RESPONDED FAVORABLY, AND THAT'S WHY WE HAD THE NUMBERS WE HAD.
AND I'LL MENTION ONE, ONE LAST THING ALONG THOSE LINES.
THE, THE, THE JUDGE AND I WENT AND VISITED SHELTERS YESTERDAY.
AND IN THE PROCESS OF DOING THAT, WE TALKED NOT ONLY TO THE PEOPLE THAT WERE THERE HELPING, UH, BUT WE ALSO TALKED TO THE PEOPLE THAT WERE, UH, UTILIZING THE SHELTER, UH, UH, AND, AND STAYING WARM AND, UM, SPECIFIC, AND GRANTED, THIS IS NOT A, A, A SAMPLE SIZE, BUT, BUT I, I SPOKE, UH, AND I THINK THE JUDGE DID AS WELL TO A NUMBER OF PEOPLE AND ASKED THEM ABOUT THE PROCESS AND ASKED THEM HOW THE PROCESS WORKED FOR THEM.
AND, UM, IT WAS VERY POSITIVE FEEDBACK, UH, PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU TALK, WHEN YOU WOULD VISIT ABOUT, UM, TRANSPORTATION, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
SO, UH, WE'LL CONTINUE THAT PROCESS BECAUSE YOU, YOU KNOW, WE'LL, WE'LL ALWAYS BE LOOKING FOR HOW WE DO THIS BETTER, BUT, BUT, UH, TO HAVE A RECORD NUMBER OF PEOPLE, UH, IN THE SHELTERS TO, TO SET UP SEVEN, UH, AS RAPIDLY AS WE WERE ABLE TO DO, AND TO HAVE THE KIND OF RESPONSE THAT WE'VE HAD, UH, HAS BEEN, UH, IT'S BEEN GOOD.
WHAT'S THE BIGGEST CONCERN YOU HEARD FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE UTILIZING THE SHELTER? WAS TRANSPORTATION TO GET THERE? YEAH, BUT THE, THE, IT'S TRANSPORTATION.
BUT, BUT I WILL TELL YOU THAT THEY WERE VERY POSITIVE ABOUT THAT BECAUSE, UH, CAPITAL METRO HAS BEEN REALLY GOOD ABOUT, AND WE, AND OF COURSE Y'ALL HAVE BEEN REALLY GOOD ABOUT TAKING THE INFORMATION WE'VE PUT OUT WITH REGARD TO WHAT BUSES, WHAT BUS LINES WOULD GET YOU TO, UM, ONE TEXAS CENTER, AND THEN OF COURSE TRANSPORTATION.
UH, WHEN THE, THE DESCRIPTION OF IT FROM PEOPLE THAT WERE ACTUALLY UTILIZING THE SERVICES WAS A VERY POSITIVE DESCRIPTION ABOUT HOW, HOW SEAMLESS THE TRANSPORTATION WORKED TO GET THEM TO THE SHELTERS.
BUT OF COURSE, UM, TRANSPORTATION, AS YOU MIGHT GUESS, IS ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE, THE ISSUES THAT HAS TO BE, HAS TO BE ADDRESSED, UM, UH, BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S ALWAYS GONNA BE A PROBLEM UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES.
I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THOUGH THAT, UH, THAT WHAT THE CITY MANAGER JUST SAID, AND THAT IS THE EFFORT THAT HAS GONE INTO GETTING OUT TO CAMPSITES TO GIVE PEOPLE INFORMATION, THE TEXTING IN ADVANCE SO THAT PEOPLE WOULD HAVE THE INFORMATION, I THINK PROBABLY ALSO HELPED WITH THAT.
NOT, NOT, I DON'T THINK, I KNOW THAT THAT HELPED WITH IT.
WITH THE RETURN TO REGULAR OPERATIONS, JUST NOW THAT WE'RE ANTICIPATING THE THAW TO COME, ARE, DOES THE CITY AND THE COUNTY, DO YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO ROLL OUT MORE RESOURCES IF NEEDED? SHOULD THERE BE SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE LIKE THE FROZEN PIPES WE TALKING ABOUT? SURE.
UH, AS TO THE QUESTION OF DO WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO ROLL OUT MORE RESOURCES, WE DO, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO SCALE AND FLEX AS NEEDED, UM, OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS? WE'LL, WE, WE'VE ALREADY STARTED TO PULL BACK A, A LITTLE BIT BASED ON THE FACT THAT THE PRECIPITATION, UH, THREAT IS NO LONGER, UH, A REALIZED THREAT, RIGHT? SO WE, WE ARE, WE'RE KIND OF SCALING BACK NOW, BUT AT ANY MOMENT WE COULD SCALE UP AGAIN IF, IF WE NEEDED TO.
YEAH, I, I THINK YOU CAN'T IGNORE THE FACT THAT
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WE HAD POWER THIS WHOLE TIME, WHICH IS A BIG DIFFERENCE FROM WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE PAST.AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP IN MIND THAT IN THE FUTURE THAT MIGHT NOT BE THE CASE.
AND I WENT YESTERDAY TO THE CENTRAL TEXAS FOOD BANK, WHICH DEPENDS ON VOLUNTEERS, AND I THINK IN, IN, IN THIS DISASTER, THERE ARE A GOOD NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS THERE.
BUT IN THE FUTURE, UM, WOULD LOVE, UH, TO SEE MORE PEOPLE AT THE CENTRAL TEXAS FOOD BANK VOLUNTEERING FOR THINGS LIKE THIS, UH, VOLUNTEERING WITH THE AUSTIN AREA URBAN LEAGUE THAT WAS HELPING RUN THE CITY SHELTERS THIS TIME.
SO, YOU KNOW, THE CITY STAFF AND THE COUNTY STAFF DID GREAT WORK.
UM, VOLUNTEERS DID GREAT WORK.
AND I THINK THE THING THAT'S GONNA SAVE US IN THE FUTURE FOR WHEN WE HAVE STRONGER, UH, WORSE DISASTERS, FRANKLY, IS A ROBUST NUMBER OF PEOPLE VOLUNTEERING.
SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN ALL CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
ANY OTHER QUESTION? THANK Y'ALL.