Travis County, Austin leaders issue disaster declaration after winter ice storms

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.

During 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.

Central 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. As of 6:30 p.m. Friday, more than 106,000 Austin Energy customers remained without electricity.

From 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. The swaths of damage indicated a long road of recovery ahead. 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. Eastern areas of the city and county were not as damaged, but several neighborhoods are still without power.

More:Take a helicopter tour of Austin ice storm damage with us and Travis County Judge Andy Brown

"Our teams are tired but couldn’t be more dedicated to our community,” 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.”

Based on what he saw Friday from the air, and what crews on the ground also assessed, Brown and Watson felt the declaration was necessary.

“We take seriously declaring a disaster,” Brown said. “(City and County) staff has risen to the occasion but we also need more help.”

What does the declaration do?

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.

Brown 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.

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.

“We know the level of disruption and work that needs to be done to overcome the disruption,” Watson said. “It's time for us to do this.”

Austin and Travis County will join neighbors Hays and Williamson Counties in declaring a disaster.

Hays County issued its own disaster declaration earlier Friday. 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.

What we know:Austin weather on Friday: Sunshine, thawing temperatures to reach 50

Where are recovery efforts?

Most public roads have been cleared of debris, and traffic was flowing as usual. But with so many trees down in neighborhoods, parks and greenbelts, it could take some time to get them all removed, officals said.

Austin 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. Residents are also encouraged to call 311 to report any downed trees that need removal.

Additionally, 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. That information will be communicated out as soon as possible.

Austin Energy officials on Friday afternoon also said power restoration efforts continued to move in the right direction. As of 6 p.m. more than 110,000 customers were still without power, but that is down from the 145,000 customers seen Thursday evening.

Oncor reported 14,429 people without power in Williamson County at about 4 p.m. Friday. There was no timeline on when power would be fully restored. Oncor did not reply to a request for comment.

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."

"Resources have been working in many areas (often not visible from the road) to remove vegetation and debris. Additional resources are in your vicinity today assisting with restoration efforts as it may require multiple crews to remove vegetation, repair poles and replace wires."

What other help will be available for residents?

Once funding has opened up, residents will have opportunities to apply for funds to aid in recovery efforts.

In the immediate, Brown said the Central Texas Food Bank will host two food distributions this weekend to help families.

With thousands of families still without power, many have said they lost hundreds of dollars in perishable foods in refrigerators, and many others have not had the ability to cook on electric powered stoves.

Frozen trees, icy roads, power outages: See the damage across Austin during winter storm

How can Austin be more prepared in the future?

City and County officials have said this week that they have learned lessons from the February 2021 freeze, but agreed there is a need to be proactive and not reactive.

Austin City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly with three other members on Friday called for a comprehensive audit of Austin Energy's response to the storm and the utility's plan for managing tree limbs around power lines.

"As elected representatives, it is our duty to take charge when challenging times in our community happen," Kelly said. "During the February 2023 freeze, our community needed answers and didn't receive them. This is why it's important that we make an effort as a step forward to answer the call of so many Austinites."

Watson said an after-action report will still be conducted that will assess the city’s response to the storm and recovery. The report will also include community feedback, he said. It is unclear when that will be completed.

“You can count on a situation where the city is working very diligently to come up with a plan so the next time something like this happens, we are in a better position to provide communication, and prevent it in some instances,” Watson said.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Travis County, Austin issue disaster declaration after ice storms