City of Abilene to open warming center in wake of frigid weather
The city of Abilene is turning Rose Park Senior Center into a warming center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday in anticipation of the coldest temperatures of the season.
The first day of winter is Wednesday.
Weather forecasts show Abilene and the Big Country taking a plunge into the teens and possibly even single-digit temperatures over the Christmas holiday weekend. Wild chill will make it much colder.
The city in a statement urged residents to take time to prepare for this possibility and make sure they are you are equipped to receive the latest weather alerts and information from its Office of Emergency Management and other utility providers.
Residents can sign up to receive CodeRED weather and other emergency alerts from the Office of Emergency Management.
Register under the "Online Services" tab at the city's website, www.abilenetx.gov.
Questions or concerns about natural gas services should be directed to Atmos Energy at www.atmosenergy.com, or 866-322-8667.
AEP Texas preparing
AEP Texas said in a news release Tuesday that was preparing for a possible severe winter event that begins Thursday in Abilene.
Local outages could occur with inclement weather is anticipated throughout some areas of the AEP Texas service territory.
All AEP Texas districts are on alert and crews are on standby and will be prepared to respond, if necessary, the company said.
Business partners will be available to supplement manpower needs and storerooms to make sure replacement equipment is available
Customers on life support or other medical equipment that relies on electricity need to have a backup plan in the event of an extended local outage.
"We will do everything possible to restore power as quickly and as safely as possible; however, we can’t guarantee how long restoration may take if weather becomes extreme in a particular area," the company said.
Precipitation is not so much the issue as gusty high winds from the north.
Residents should consider any downed line to be energized and dangerous.
Stay at least 10 feet away from the downed line and report the hazard by calling 866-223-8508.
Residents should practice energy efficiency measures, such as lowering the temperature on thermostats a few degrees or considering wearing a sweater.
Residents can sign up for Outage Alerts by visiting the Outage section on the aeptexas.com website, which also features a real-time map featuring the most current outage information.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: City of Abilene plans to open warming center in wake of frigid weather
