The City of Austin continues to respond to the lasting impacts from the severe weather last week. Work continues by City and County staff and scores of community partners to provide essentials to Austin residents.  

Speaking at a virtual news conference Feb. 22, shortly after Austin Water lifted the Boil Water Notice from additional parts of the city, Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk paid tribute to Austinites for the help, support and resources they have offered each other as the City government worked to restore utility services in the wake of the severe weather. 

Cronk said: “It's inspiring how our community has come together so quickly to help each other out – a true example of neighbors helping neighbors. About a week ago, a historic severe storm hit all of us, impacting the state's electrical grid and then our water system. All of this on top of an enduring pandemic that has lasted over a year. Our community has been hit hard, emotionally, physically, financially and even spiritually. 

“Thank you for everyone who has offered help, support, and resources to our community. The help provided has had a tremendous impact and we are so grateful for all of the patience and support that you are showing each other. We know that many have been impacted by this winter storm and we will all recover together.” 

Water Service

Austin Water today partially lifted the boil water notice that has been in place since Wednesday, Feb. 17. Customers in Austin Water’s Central, South, North, and ‘Northwest A’ pressure zones no longer need to boil water used for drinking, cooking and making ice after water quality testing  confirmed that tap water in these areas meet all regulatory standards and is safe for human consumption. 

Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros expressed hope that the boil water notice could be lifted from the remaining areas under restrictions – the far northwest and far southwest portions of the system - tomorrow. Austin Water will be using automated tools to send out texts and phone calls to notify the community when the boil water notice is no longer in effect for them. 

Austin Water has more than 20 crews working 24 hours a day to repair water mains. 

Water Distribution

Water distribution pods continue throughout various locations in the region. Some sites have been closed due to lower demand and the improving water situation in the communuity.  

Distribution begins at 9 a.m. tomorrow, Tuesday Feb. 23, at the following sites: 

• Lakeline Station, 13625 Lyndhurst Blvd. 

• Nelson Field, 7105 Berkman Drive 

• Roy G. Guerrero Park, 400 Grove Blvd. 

• Garrison Park, 6601 Menchaca Rd. 

• Onion Creek Soccer Complex, 5600 E. William Cannon Dr. 

• ACC Pinnacle Camps, 7748 US-290 

• Manor Distribution Site, Corner of Lockwood Road and Blake Manor Road, Manor TX 78653 ***Distribution in Manor begins at 11 a.m.*** 

• Lago Vista City Hall, 5803 Thunderbird, Lago Vista, TX 78645 

• Village of Point Venture Offices, 411 Lohman Ford Road, Leander, TX 78645 

• Jones Brothers Park, 10301 Lakeside Dr, Jonestown, TX 78645 

Each pick up will include 1 case of water. If you are driving a vehicle, we ask that you have your trunk open or have your doors unlocked so that volunteers can place water in your vehicle. 

If you are on foot, we recommend that you bring a cart or carrier large enough to hold 1 case of water. With the increased use of bottled water, we ask residents to recycle all single-use plastic bottles and jugs instead of throwing them in the trash. 

Food

While grocery stores work to restock their shelves we know that many in our community need food and water. Due to the severe weather we’ve experienced in our region and issues with power and water, the organizations focused on providing emergency feeding in our community have been strained and not able to provide their normal level of services. 

City of Austin Food Policy Manager, Edwin Marty, said the City and County had partnered with numerous organizations in the last couple of days, primarily with the Red Cross, and had been able to secure emergency meals. 

These meals, were distributed today and will continue to be distributed tomorrow, Tuesday, February 23rd, at the Millennium Complex at 1156 Hargrave Street in east Austin, from 1:00 P.M. until 6:00 P.M.  

Shower and Laundry Resources 

The following locations will  open tomorrow to begin providing access to warm clean showers and laundry units – residents MUST sign up in advance through ADRN.org for a designated time slot before arriving at the locations 

• Northwest Austin: City Reach Church (3502 Hatch Road, Cedar Park 78623)  

• Southwest Austin: Austin Oaks Church (4220 Monterey Oaks Blvd., Austin 78749)  

• Southeast Austin: Shoreline Church - South Campus (2008 Brandt Rd., Austin 78744) 

• Northeast Austin: Our Savior Lutheran Church (1513 East Yager Lane, Austin 78756)  

Residents will need to bring their own towels, soap and shampoo for showers, and provide their own laundry detergent to use the facilities. 

For more information visit ADRN by clicking the link. 

Emergency Repairs

The Development Services Department has established a webpage for emergency repairs information (www.austintexas.gov/page/emergency-repairs). See this page for answers to questions about safety while conducting repairs, which work types require a permit or not, and how to proceed with permitting for an emergency repair. Residents and contractors can also call our emergency repairs permitting hotline (512-974-1500) or live web chat, both are operational Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  

Austin’s business community partners have come together to provide emergency contractor resources. These lists consist of local contractors who specialize in plumbing, fire protection, HVAC and utility repairs. They are available now to serve the community for freeze related repairs. Please note the City does not endorse any specific private company. These are community-sourced resources to aid in timely emergency repairs.  

Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce Storm Resources  

Greater Austin Asian Chamber members providing service and repair  

Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber members providing service and repair  

Downtown Alliance Winter Storm Emergency Contractors Resource List 

Debris Clean-Up

Austin Disaster Relief Network and Texas voluntary organizations are collaborating with the counties of Bastrop, Hays and Williamson to include the cities of Austin and Round Rock in a massive cleanup effort. This effort has begun today and residents in these areas can call the crisis clean up toll free number - 1-800-329-8052 - for assistance in clearing their homes and removing debris.  

The “Crisis Clean Up” line will operate Monday-Saturday, 9 am – 8 pm, and Sunday, 1 pm – 6 pm. Homeowners can register for assistance through the “Crisis Clean Up” number until Tuesday, March 2. 

For Austin Resource Recovery customers wishing to remove large tree limbs, please cut tree limbs to any size between 5 feet to 15 feet in length and stack them at the curb no higher than 4 feet. Call 3-1-1 to schedule a storm debris collection.  

Parks and Recreation Openings

City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD)continues to assess winter storm damage at its facilities and schedule needed repairs. Beginning tomorrow, Feb. 23, City golf courses, cemeteries, the South Austin Tennis Center and the Austin Tennis Center will reopen under their previous COVID-19 operational guidelines. Additional PARD facilities allowed to operate under the current City of Austin COVID-19 Risk-Based Guidelines will reopen as resources/repairs and staffing allows. Additional operations will be announced as they come online. For the latest information on PARD facility closures, visit austintexas.gov/parkclosures. 

COVID-19  

Austin Public Health safely resumed COVID-19 operations Sunday, Feb. 21. The rescheduling of vaccine appointments is underway for the estimated 3,300 patients who had appointments canceled starting on February 13. If you had an appointment, please check your phone and email frequently for updates.  

Austin Public Health will be adding more locations throughout the week as they come online, which includes hours and days open. All APH-affiliated testing operations resumed their normal schedules today, Feb. 22. To schedule a test through APH visit austintexas.gov/covid-testinfo. 

Additional City Resources and Information   

Individuals who are looking for available City and County resources, as well as other community resources can visit austintexas.gov/weatherinfo or austintexas.gov/infoclimatica for Spanish. City and County departments will also continue to provide updates on social media channels. 

To view  the Severe Weather Response & Recovery Virtual News Conference in English click the link  

To view the Severe Weather Response & Recovery Virtual News Conference in Spanish click the link  

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