AUSTIN, Texas – At a media availability this afternoon, City of Austin leaders provided an update on recovery efforts from this past week’s crippling ice storm.

Some highlights include:
Outages: Approximately 600 employees of several utility companies are working around the clock to restore power. Power has been restored to more than 42,000 customers since the last news conference and 93% of the Austin Energy customers now have power.
Traffic Lights: 32 traffic signals are not working, and City crews have been placing temporary stop signs at these locations. As a reminder, motorists should use extra caution. If a traffic light is not working, treat it like an all-way stop and be extra alert for pedestrians.
School Zones: Some school zone signals may not be working tomorrow. Motorists should continue to reduce speeds in all school zones even if the lights are not flashing. 
Trees: Austin Resource Recovery is collecting storm debris. Please be patient as it will take time to collect everything. Trees may still have broken or damaged limbs that have not fallen. It is important to be aware of your surroundings. Avoid parking under damaged limbs and do not allow children or pets to play unattended under trees.
Upcoming Weather: The weather forecast is calling for possible thunderstorms and strong winds on Tuesday. This may cause more branches and trees to fall, which in turn could cause more damage or power outages.

"We want to thank the increasing number of crews from other utilities—some neighboring and some from farther away—who continue to arrive to assist in this massive effort," City Manager Spencer Cronk said. "This weekend, MP Technologies and Tempest Energy joined mutual aid crews from New Braunfels Utilities, CenterPoint Energy, Bird Electric, Renegade and CPS Energy San Antonio in restoration efforts. More than 600 workers from Austin Energy and other utilities are working around the clock to restore power to all of our customers."

He also expressed appreciation for the Texas Forest Service, whose staff are helping with tree damage and focusing on areas of the city with large tree canopies and many heritage trees.

"As you know, the sheer weight of the ice on our City’s trees led to falling branches and toppled entire trees – which is the main cause of the power outages we experienced," Cronk said. "It’s important to know that our trees are still vulnerable after the winter storm, and may have broken limbs high up in their branches that you can’t see. With strong winds in the forecast as early as Tuesday, additional tree limbs may fall, potentially creating further damage."

Jackie Sargent, Austin Energy General Manager, spoke about the challenges that remain in restoring electricity.

"Restoration efforts will continue in earnest around the clock until the entire network is back online," she said. "I want you to know that we have not forgotten you."

Today, while crews continued to restore power, Austin Energy crews also focused on assessing the damage and expect to release an approximate timeline of when the majority of the system will be repaired.

Elton Richards, Vice President of Austin Energy Operations, provided examples of the type of complex damage that has made it impossible to provide accurate estimates on the repair timelines. For instance, once crews get to a job site, they may discover that what originally appeared as a straightforward task, such as stabilizing a utility pole, is actually much more complex. In the example of the utility pole, the entire pole needed to be replaced, requiring additional crews and much more time.

"I want to thank the increasing number of utility crews—some close and some farther away—for helping us with these restoration efforts," City Manager Spencer Cronk said.

Austin Resource Recovery crews have caught up on curbside collections. Regular collections will resume on Monday, Feb. 6, 2023.

As residents are clearing out their fridges, remember to compost as much of that material as possible, placing spoiled food, food scraps and food-soiled paper in the green compost cart. Food waste that must be thrown away and does not fit into your trash cart with the lid closed must be bagged and placed next to the cart. Use the What Do I Do With tool if you are unsure how to dispose of a certain item.

Here's how you can help speed up the process and keep workers safe:

• Follow set-out guidelines as closely as you can. We realize there may be space limitations, but large storm debris is collected with a crane. The guidelines make it possible for us to collect the material with that equipment.
• Clear unnecessary items out of the roadways. Please remove things like basketball hoops and parked cars from the roadway when possible to allow our trucks to pass through and collect the debris at the curb.
• Slow down to get around. As always, we're asking Austin drivers to yield when approaching City vehicles and to be alert to potential field employees working on the street. Please drive slowly when going around these vehicles and always remember to, 'slow down to get around' to keep our workers safe.

Cronk said the City of Austin is exploring all avenues it can use to lessen the burden of this storm on the Austin community. Additionally, Sargent said Austin Energy is well-supplied to respond to the incident and does not see any shortages—such as utility poles and transformers—at this time.

###