![]() The company issued a statement on its outage map on Friday saying that customers in the Round Rock, Taylor, Killeen and Temple areas had "received some of the heaviest ice accumulation causing significant damage to power lines and poles." Oncor did not reply to a request for comment. There was no timeline on when power would be fully restored. Oncor reported 14,429 people without power in Williamson County at about 4 p.m. ![]() more than 110,000 customers were still without power, but that is down from the 145,000 customers seen Thursday evening. That information will be communicated out as soon as possible.Īustin Energy officials on Friday afternoon also said power restoration efforts continued to move in the right direction. Residents are also encouraged to call 311 to report any downed trees that need removal.Īdditionally, with the federal resources, officials said community members will be able to connect with volunteers and nonprofits, who can help remove debris from private properties, but that is still being worked out. But with so many trees down in neighborhoods, parks and greenbelts, it could take some time to get them all removed, officals said.Īustin city staff said on Friday they were still looking at how they can collect the large branches and limbs from curbs, and would communicate that in the coming days. Most public roads have been cleared of debris, and traffic was flowing as usual. What we know: Austin weather on Friday: Sunshine, thawing temperatures to reach 50 Where are recovery efforts? Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell issued a disaster declaration on Tuesday to activate the recovery and rehabilitation steps outlined in that county's Emergency Management Plan. Hays County issued its own disaster declaration earlier Friday. “It's time for us to do this.”Īustin and Travis County will join neighbors Hays and Williamson Counties in declaring a disaster. “We know the level of disruption and work that needs to be done to overcome the disruption,” Watson said. It will also allow the county to use federal resources to aid people on private property with debris removal and other expenses needed to reconnect after power outages. The disaster declaration opens the door for Travis County and Austin to federal public assistance funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as well as additional state support for recovery efforts.īrown said the threshold for accessing funds for Travis County is $5.7 million, and if the county meets that threshold, FEMA will reimburse 75% of overall expenses, which includes cost of debris removal, protective measures, and any damage to public facilities. “(City and County) staff has risen to the occasion but we also need more help.” What does the declaration do? “We take seriously declaring a disaster,” Brown said. “I spoke with some experts in the county about the types of recovery efforts we need to undertake, particularly debris removal and the potential impacts of those efforts.”īased on what he saw Friday from the air, and what crews on the ground also assessed, Brown and Watson felt the declaration was necessary. "Our teams are tired but couldn’t be more dedicated to our community,” Brown said. More: Take a helicopter tour of Austin ice storm damage with us and Travis County Judge Andy Brown Eastern areas of the city and county were not as damaged, but several neighborhoods are still without power. ![]() Areas like West Lake Hills, Rollingwood and neighborhoods northwest of Austin - areas where trees fill neighborhood and greenbelts - have gotten the brunt of the damage. ![]() The swaths of damage indicated a long road of recovery ahead. Friday, more than 106,000 Austin Energy customers remained without electricity.įrom a bird's eye view, one could see toppled trees littering Austin and Travis County neighborhoods, blocking driveways and sidewalks, and weighing down on fences and rooftops. In the wake of ice storms this week that led to widespread power outages in the state capital, Travis County's top administrator, County Judge Andy Brown, and Austin Mayor Kirk Watson together issued a disaster declaration for the county and the city, opening up federal funding and resources for recovery efforts.ĭuring a helicopter surveillance flight Friday afternoon, the American-Statesman joined Brown, who said that from the air, he was able to get a more comprehensive view of the damage to determine that a disaster declaration was needed.Ĭentral Texas endured only a few days of freezing temperatures but waves of freezing rain and the resulting ice accumulation put massive weight on already stressed tree limbs, which snapped and disabled power lines. Watch Video: Austin ice storm damage: Helicopter tour shows downed trees
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |