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City of Austin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release Date:
Contact: Office of Homeland Security Emergency Management    
Winter Weather Operations

Resource Centers continue to support Austin-Travis County families impacted by the winter storm.

Multi-Agency Resource Centers

Multi-Agency Resource Centers (MARCs) continue to support Austin-Travis County families impacted by the winter storm. At the MARC held at the Montopolis Recreation Center on Wednesday, Feb. 8, over 15 community organizations came together to support 74 families and distribute 500 meals.

The offices of the Mayor and Council Members of Districts 3, 4, 5, and 9 are hosting a MARC today, Friday, Feb. 10, at the Austin Convention Center, and an additional MARC is planned for tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 11.
 
Date: Friday, February 10 
Times: 9:00 am – 7:00 pm 
Location: Austin Convention Center, 500 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78701 
This event is hosted by the Mayor and District 9 Council Offices.
 
Date: Saturday, February 11 
Times: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm 
Location: Austin Community College Riverside Campus, 1020 Grove Blvd, Austin, TX 78741
 
Additionally, the City encourages all residents in need to visit the “virtual” resource center, which can be accessed online 24/7. More information about the in-person and virtual MARCs can be found at AustinTexas.gov/Recovery.  

Clearance of Debris in Right-of-Ways

Approximately 180 Austin Public Works employees are continuing work to clear the right-of-way of downed trees and debris. Crews are using a grid system approach to methodically address debris that is located on streets and sidewalks across the city. To date, they've assessed approximately 97% of the grid system map and cleared debris from over 1,412 sites. The effort to clear the full city’s rights-of-way may take another week or more. Please use caution while traveling and slow down around work sites.

Clearance of Debris on Private Property

Austin Resource Recovery (ARR) has increased the help it is getting from contractors to speed up storm debris collection efforts. Currently, there are over 70 crews at work collecting large branches and tree limbs from ARR customers. Over 730 loads of storm debris have been collected, totaling more than 38,000 cubic yards. ARR customers can request a collection of large storm debris by calling 3-1-1 (or 512-974-2000) or submitting a storm debris collection request through the Austin 3-1-1 mobile app or at Austin311.org. Limbs should be at the curb ready for collection. Austin and Travis County residents can also drop off tree limbs and branches at no charge to Austin Water’s Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant. The plant is located at 2210 FM973, Austin, TX 78725 and drop offs can be made from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm daily. As of February 8, more than 1,700 loads of storm debris had been dropped off at the facility by residents, weighing in at 910 tons. More information on debris removal can be found at AustinTexas.gov/StormDebris.

Trash, Recycling, and Composting

Due to the large amount of material ARR is collecting, some composting collections may run behind. Customers should leave composting out while crews get caught up. Wherever space allows, set out carts in front of or beside storm debris piles so crews can see them; this makes collections faster and easier for ARR staff. Remember to also keep carts out of the street and off the sidewalks. Learn more at AustinRecycles.com.

Power Restoration and Limb Removal

Austin Energy crews continue to work around the clock focusing on storm restoration efforts with support from mutual aid crews. If an outage requires repairs to equipment belonging to a resident or property owner, the outage may not appear on the outage map. Residents should call City of Austin Utilities Customer Care at 512-494-9400 for updates related to restoration at their property. The outage map is now reflecting some non-storm related outages.

Utility crews continue to work on removing limbs around power lines. If cut limbs land on private property, property owners are responsible for discarding these limbs. Please bring all limbs to the curb for collection by Austin Resource Recovery. Anyone who is physically unable to move limbs should contact Austin 3-1-1 for support by dialing 3-1-1 from a phone, using the Austin 3-1-1 mobile app or at Austin311.org. Additional help may be available through the Austin Disaster Relief Network.

Yesterday, Austin City Council waived late-payment fees on City of Austin utility bills with due dates between Jan. 31 - Feb. 17, 2023, to assist customers who experienced outages, storm damage, or postal delays.

Code Compliance Resources      

The Austin Code Department remains dedicated to addressing unsafe conditions that put the health and welfare of our community at risk and to serving as an educational resource to impacted residents. Residents with code violation concerns are encouraged to submit those through Austin 3-1-1.

Parkland Assessments and Cleanup

Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) crews have nearly completed parkland assessments at Austin’s 330 public parks and other PARD-managed properties. Due to the severity of the storm, tree remediation will likely take months. PARD crews have begun cleanup and tree pruning, with hanging branches being their top priority. PARD is also working to add warning signs to priority sites encouraging visitors to use caution. When visiting a park, please be aware of your surroundings and be cautious around trees until remediation is complete.

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