Tips to survive winter weather travel chaos
The Points Guy founder Brian Kelly shares ‘savvy’ tips for stranded travelers on how to survive the chaos caused by extreme winter weather.
Nearly one week after a deadly winter storm swept through Texas, toppling trees and bringing down power lines, about 20,000 residents of the state capital of Austin were still without power.
Temperatures were approaching the mid-70s on Monday afternoon, but wind and rain forecast for later in the week could throw another wrench in restoration efforts.
Austin Energy now says that all residents won't have their power back until Feb. 12, frustrating city leaders who called for a meeting on Thursday to evaluate Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk’s employment.
"I added the emergency item to the agenda this morning because the management of this situation and the lack of clear and timely and accurate communication has left our community in the dark. It is unacceptable. The City of Austin can and will do better," Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, who took office last month, said in a statement on Monday.
TEXAS WINTER STORM: FREEZING RAIN AND ICY CONDITIONS BRING DOWN TREES, POWER LINES
Cronk, who essentially serves as the chief executive of the city government and manages a staff of about 14,000 people, said Monday that he is "deeply proud of the City employees and community volunteers who have worked tirelessly since the storm hit."
"I respect and honor the Mayor and Council’s role to ask questions, gather information and consider decisions in the best interest of the City," Cronk told Fox News Digital in a statement.
"My focus and attention remain 100 percent on supporting City departments and marshalling resources to continue power restoration and debris cleanup, and to continue providing assistance and aid to residents and businesses who need it."
A large oak tree lies in the yard of a home following a winter storm in Austin, Texas, US, on Friday, Feb 3, 2023. (Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Upwards of 150,000 Austin residents were without power at the peak of the outages last week, while about 439,000 Texans lost power statewide.
BIG STORM SYSTEM TO DEVELOP IN CENTRAL US BEFORE MOVING EAST
Councilwoman Mackenzie Kelly called for an audit of Austin Energy's storm response to investigate the adequacy of the city's vegetation management plan, the utility's operational practices, and other issues.
"As elected representatives, it is our duty to take charge when challenging times in our community happen," Kelly said on Feb. 3. "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."
A fallen tree on top of a fence at a home following a winter storm in Austin, Texas, on Friday, Feb 3, 2023. (Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Austin Energy General Manager Jackie Sargent said Monday it will take approximately three more years to trim back vegetation in Austin.
"Several years ago, we actually went in and adjusted our vegetation management guidelines to give us better clearance," Sargent said. "We're working through the system. It's a big a system and we cannot get all those trees trimmed overnight."
