February 2021 - Cold Weather Emergency Resources

Release Date

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Last Updated: 03/15/2021 - Please be sure to check back frequently for the most up to date information.

Información en español

In response to the severe cold weather and its after effects, the City of Austin is partnering with multiple governmental and public agencies to provide critical services to the community. You can also find the latest updates through the City of Austin’s Twitter and Facebook.

Available Resources

FEMA Assistance	Food Resources & SNAP Benefit Replacements
Water Distribution	Disaster Unemployment Assistance
Water Outages and Services	Insurance Claims
Emergency Repair Resource & Debris Clean Up	Trash and Recycling
COVID-19	Ways to Help
Volunteer and Donate	Surrounding Cities
Latest News

FEMA Assistance

Travis County residents seeking to apply for individual assistance for losses can register online at DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362 or 1-800-462-7585 TTY. More information is available in the FEMA press release.

Frequently asked questions about applying for aid have been produced by the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

Food Resources & SNAP Benefit Replacements

Resources for Food

ConnectATX
AISD - food and water distribution for children and caregiver
Central Texas Foodbank also has resources for finding food in the community. Please visit their website for more information.

Replacement SNAP Benefits

Recipients who lost food and/or their Lone Star card in the winter storms can apply for replacement food benefits for both regular Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) allotments and SNAP emergency allotments provided in response to COVID-19.

SNAP benefits recipients are encouraged to request replacement benefits through one of the following options: 

Dial 2-1-1 and select option 2. 
Download and complete Form H1855 (Affidavit for Nonreceipt or Destroyed Food Stamp Benefits),
Once completed, the form can be faxed to 1-877-447-2839, or 
Mailed to Texas Health and Human Services Commission, PO Box 149027, Austin, TX 78714-9027.

Recipients have until March 31 to request a benefit replacement.

For more information on disaster assistance, visit "Receiving Disaster Assistance" on the HHSC website.

Disaster Unemployment Assistance

Winter weather impacted your take-home pay? Apply now for Disaster Unemployment Assistance

The deadline is approaching for residents whose take-home pay was impacted by the February winter storm to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) through the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). Workers who lost their jobs and self-employed individuals who have been unable to work due to damage sustained from the winter storm may be eligible for DUA benefits.

The deadline to apply is March 26, 2021

DUA is an unemployment insurance benefit made available especially for victims of disaster and is available to individuals who:

Have applied for and used all regular unemployment benefits, including Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) and Extended Benefits (EB), from any state, or do not qualify for unemployment benefits
Worked or were self-employed or were scheduled to begin work or self-employment in the disaster area
Can no longer work or perform services because of physical damage or destruction to the place of employment as a direct result of the disaster
Establish that the work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their primary source of income
Cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury as a direct result of the disaster
Became the breadwinner or major support of a household because of the death of the head of household, or
Were unable to reach their job or self-employment location because they must travel through the affected area and are prevented from doing so by the disaster.

To learn more and apply, go to TWC’s website or call a TWC Tele-Center at 800-939-6631 (7 a.m. - 7 p.m.︱7 days a week).

Courtesy of Workforce Solutions

Water Distribution

Austin Water continues to work to identify and provide support to multi-family complexes without running water due to freeze damage to private plumbing systems. Austin Water is coordinating with community organizations and other city departments on a multi-pronged approach to ensure residents in these complexes have access to water. You can find locations of all types of stations and links to maps on this page.

Water Outages and Services

For urgent issues, such as a Wastewater Issue, No Water, Low Pressure, or if you need your water turned off to make a repair, please call the Austin Water Customer Service Center at 512-972-1000.

For lower priority requests, please use this form. Additional languages available: English, Espanol, Korean, Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese, Arabic

Use the Leak Response Map to find out if an issue has already been reported.

Additional information about Austin Water recovery efforts, public watering stations, and customer assistance can be found on the Austin Water website.

Emergency Repair Resources & Debris Clean Up

Emergency Repair Resources

The City launched Austin Emergency Repair Resources (austintexas.gov/atxrepairs) to help local residents and business owners find information about plumbers, electricians and other contractors; code compliance and service requests; the City’s emergency permitting process; homeowner’s funding assistance; and federal and local assistance programs. Austin’s business community partners have come together to provide emergency contractor resources. These lists are linked on the Austin Emergency Repairs Resources page and 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.

The Development Services Department has established a webpage for emergency permitting repairs information 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 at 512-974-1500 or live web chat, both are operational Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Crisis Clean Up

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

The “Crisis Clean Up” line will operate Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m. – 8 p.m., and Sunday, 1 p.m. – 6 p.m. Homeowners can register for assistance through the “Crisis Clean Up” number. You can also visit the “Crisis Clean Up” web page.

Storm Debris

The City of Austin is temporarily opening the Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant for storm debris drop-off through April 3, 2021.

City of Austin residents can take their storm debris, seven days a week, from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., for self-serve storm debris drop off at 2210 FM 973, Austin, TX 78725. Masks and social distancing are required. Staff will be available on-site to direct traffic and to verify all the storm debris is free of trash and contamination. Tree limbs, branches shrubs and leaves will be accepted. Treated or painted lumber, particleboard, construction materials and trash are prohibited.

More information at https://www.austintexas.gov/brushdropoff

Insurance Claims

If your home was damaged due to a broken water pipe, downed tree limbs, or other winter damage, contact your insurance company or agent to file a claim as soon as possible. These tips will help make the process go smoother:

Make a list of damaged property. Take pictures or video of the damage. Don't throw anything away until your insurance company tells you to.

Take steps to protect your home from further damage. Turn off the water and cover broken windows and holes in your roof if possible. Save all receipts. Your policy may cover these costs.

Try to be there when the insurance company comes to inspect the damage. If you can’t stay in your home, leave a note with information on where you can be reached.

Keep a list of everyone you talk to at your insurance company. Be ready to answer questions about the damage.

Ask about additional living expenses. If you can’t live in your home due to the damage, your insurance policy may pay for some of those expenses.

Download a printable flyer with this information (PDF).

Courtesy of the Texas Department of Insurance

COVID-19 Services

Austin Public Health (APH) has resumed appointments for COVID-19 vaccine clinics. To find the latest updates on testing and vaccine sites, go to the Austin Public Health COVID-19 webpage.

Trash, Composting, and Recycling Services

For the latest updates on when services will resume, please visit the Austin Resource Recovery website or download the Recycle ATX app to receive notifications about your curbside collection schedule.

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.

The City of Austin is temporarily opening the Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant for storm debris drop-off through April 3, 2021.

More information at https://www.austintexas.gov/brushdrop

Ways to Help

Please visit the Help Central Texas Respond and Recover page for more information about volunteer and donation opportunities. This page was developed in partnership with Austin Disaster Relief Network and Travis County and will continue to list opportunities developed by both groups as well as the City of Austin.

The site also lists a small number of donation opportunities for residents that has been updated as the response and recovery continue. We welcome receiving information about more donation opportunities from the residents, the Mayor and City Council. Recommendations for donation drives to include can be emailed to Kim Caldwell.

Austin Winter Storm Repair Fund

The Austin Winter Storm Repair Fund includes local and national donations of funds and professional services to make repairs to ongoing plumbing and structural damages caused by the effects of Winter Storm Uri.

Non-City Coordinated Resources

Some local businesses and community organizations are kindly offering resources to those in need. Please see below for links to some of these unofficial resources. Please note that these resources and events are independently run. The City does not have additional information beyond the links provided below and is not endorsing any one of these resources. Before traveling to one of these locations, residents are encouraged to contact the business or organization directly to confirm they still have resources available.

If you are overseeing an effort that is open and available to the public and would like to include it on this page, please submit the resource here.