Williamson County residents brace for return of bitter cold, potential power outages

Mercedez Hernandez
·2 min read
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WEIR, Texas (KXAN) — With more cold weather on the way, residents in Williamson County said they’re bracing for potential power outages. People in Weir reported being without power for as long as 15 hours after the latest chilly weather rolled in.

Beverly McGlothlin has lived in Weir for 14 years, managing a manufactured home community during that time. She said the power in her home and others started coming and going Sunday night, with the power failing Monday into Tuesday.

“We were without power for 15 hours and it wasn’t coming back on at all. It came on for like 10 seconds and went off,” McGlothlin said.

McGlothlin said she invested in a generator for her home after last year’s freeze left her without power for three days. Having it has made her less worried, she said, about going into another weekend of cold and potential rain, but she is worried for her neighbors.

“I was really concerned about my elderly residents who live here, and the families with children that live here,” McGlothlin said.

Monday, a few cities in Williamson County opened emergency warming centers as temperatures fell below freezing. Williamson County Emergency Services shared on its Facebook page that Jarrell opened a center in its middle school, and Hutto opened a center in its city hall.

Bill Zito, senior director of Williamson County Emergency Services, said the county is monitoring weather conditions going into next week. With the potential for rain, he said the county is also looking out for flash flooding risks.

“We can see some potential flash flooding, mostly the I-35 corridor and east of that, the eastern side of the county. We don’t expect it to be too bad but we do have to be cognizant,” Zito said.

Zito encouraged residents to monitor social media and communication channels for any news about the upcoming winter weather. He said residents should also sign up for alerts at WarnCentralTexas.org which sends emergency alerts directly to cell phones.

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