City of Austin

Austin, TX – As temperatures continue to rise and conditions across the region improve, the City of Austin has deactivated the Austin-Travis County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as of Wednesday at noon. The coordinated city and countywide response to the winter weather event is transitioning into ongoing recovery and monitoring operations.

The Austin and Travis County Area saw an official total of 0.05 inches of ice and 0.6 inches of sleet accumulation, with a liquid equivalent of 0.62 inches, over the course of the weekend’s winter storm.

While the immediate threat from freezing temperatures has diminished, some impacts remain. Residents are urged to continue using caution, especially during overnight and early morning hours when refreezing may occur on shaded roadways, sidewalks, and bridges.

Most City facilities and services are returning to normal operations, though some parks and recreation facilities, cultural sites, and transportation services may continue limited operations while conditions and repairs are assessed. Residents are encouraged to check department webpages for the latest updates before visiting facilities.

Cold Weather Shelters 
The City operated round-the-clock Cold Weather Shelters from January 24-28, successfully sheltering nearly 900 guests, and shattering recent records. Overnight CWS operations will continue through at least Sunday. Embarkation is available at One Texas Center from 6-8 p.m. daily.

Storm Recovery and City Services
City departments will continue recovery work in the days ahead, including addressing residual service delays, monitoring infrastructure, and responding to damage identified during and after the storm.

Residents may begin to see issues such as leaks from thawing pipes or minor property damage. The City encourages residents to promptly report concerns through Austin 3-1-1 and to seek guidance from relevant departments, including Austin Water and Austin Development Services, for repair and safety information.

Austin Resource Recovery will continue its adjusted collection schedule this week as crews catch up from weather-related delays. Trash, recycling and composting collections will "slide" forward and collections will take place the day after the regularly scheduled collection day. Customers should leave carts and materials at the curb until serviced. Customers needing to clear debris should place small branches and yard trimmings into the green composting cart, lawn and leaf bags or a reusable container and set them out on the next scheduled collection day.

• Small branches (no longer than five feet and no thicker than three inches in diameter) that do not fit into the green cart with the lid closed should be stacked into manageable piles no heavier than 30 pounds. ARR will collect the contents of your green cart and up to 15 extra items (lawn and leaf bags or stacks of small branches) placed beside the cart. Learn more about composting collection.
• Large brush, branches and tree limbs should between 5 and 15 feet in length can be collected through on-demand brush collection. Each service address can schedule up to three brush collections every calendar year.
• Austin and Travis County residents can drop off large branches and limbs at the Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant. 

ARR customers can get updates about service changes by downloading the Austin Recycles app or by signing up for reminders at austintexas.gov/myschedule.

Austin Development Services will work with homeowners, business owners, and contractors to permit and inspect emergency repairs to ensure work was completed safely. That means that if your home or business is in need of emergency repairs for your safety, work can begin immediately. Types of repairs that will require permits include:

• Ruptured or damaged water lines
• Main electrical service
• Structural damage

Visit the Permits for Emergency Repairs webpage for more information.

Code Compliance

Common weather-related violations may include no hot water, burst pipes, and cracks in the ceiling or walls. Residents experiencing a possible code violation should first notify their landlord. 

For complaints related to tenant-occupied properties, inspectors are following up to ensure landlords get their properties up to code as quickly as possible. Visit the Report a Code Violation page to learn how to report a possible code violation.

Community Safety Reminder

Even as recovery continues, Austinites should remain alert to lingering hazards:

• Watch for icy patches in shaded areas.
• Drive cautiously and allow extra travel time.
• Avoid using unsafe heating methods indoors.
• Check on neighbors, especially older adults and those with medical needs.

Staying Informed

Residents can continue to find information about Cold Weather Shelters, Warming Centers, and service updates at AustinTexas.gov/Alerts.

Recovery After the Storm

After recent winter weather in Central Texas, many Austinites have been personally impacted. Others may be volunteering to assist with clean-up and recovery efforts. Please read below for safety tips and precautions when participating in clean-up following winter weather and other pertinent public health information. Additional information is available at AustinTexas.gov/recovery.

Beware of scams! Work with your home insurance provider or landlord if you are renting to ensure repairs are coordinated through legitimate channels. If you receive a phone call threatening to interrupt utility service, prevent repairs, demand immediate payment, or request credit card or bank account information, hang up and report the incident.

Austin Emergency Management encourages everyone to sign up for emergency alerts and get preparedness information by registering at WarnCentralTexas.org.

Thank You

While Austin Emergency Management coordinated and led the Emergency Operations Center, the effort would not have been possible without the contributions of over 800 staff members from over 40 departments across the City, who performed critical work in challenging conditions to protect lives and maintain essential services for the community. The City of Austin extends sincere thanks to all of the City and County employees, partner agencies, and volunteers who worked around the clock throughout this event.

Their coordination, preparation, and dedication were instrumental in Austin’s response and recovery.

###