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Travis County’s Emergency Management officials are taking steps to prepare for the possible return of severe weather this winter. Measures include storing long-life food and water as well as procuring material to treat icy roads. But other ideas, such as equipping additional buildings with generators and improving the district’s emergency communications, will have to be financed.
After district officials admitted they were caught by the winter storms in February, commissioners tasked staff with identifying areas to improve planning for the next possible ice explosion.
More:The Deadly Freeze of Texas: An Inquiry by Austin American-Statesman
In a presentation to commissioners Thursday, Chuck Brotherton, chief of the county’s emergency services, said many ideas for improving planning require money that is currently unavailable.
“There is going to be a year of change,” said Brotherton. “I expect there will be some realignment of funding priorities when COVID wears off and we leave the disaster declaration, and we start by recognizing what we have on budget.”
Officials are in the process of securing enough water for 7,500 people for two to three days and have identified a warehouse for storage, Brotherton said. The water will be good for 10 years.
The county is also looking to increase its storage of long-life meals, but wants to move away from military-style ready-to-eat meals as they are of lower nutritional value.
Officials are also hoping to upgrade county buildings with backup power so they can serve as shelter.
“This will require identification of county facilities for emergency power,” Brotherton said. “Right now. It’s a handful; we need to expand that. We don’t have the budget dollars yet … but that’s something the institutions are working on.”
Commissioners said the district government also needs to better prepare for other natural disasters such as extreme heat, forest fires and floods.
Vehicle and road preparation
Officials are finalizing an ice and snow response plan to treat and sand bridges, curves and intersections as needed. The county is also working to identify any vehicles that could be used during a snow or ice emergency to see how many chains would be required.
Officials identified sources for sourcing sand and other road treatment materials after discovering sand was scarce during the February storms.
“We have 1,300 lane miles and that’s a lot of space to cover with the limited resources,” said Cynthia McDonald, district manager for traffic and natural resources. “But we’ll try to achieve as much as we can to see what we can do.”
Emergency messages
County officials will urge residents to prepare personal disaster preparedness plans and supplies, which can last 72 hours.
“Even after the disaster is here, it will be 72 hours before we have these things set up and ready to take in our residents,” said Brotherton.
Protection and warming stations
Travis County, the City of Austin, and the Austin School District identified three levels of emergency facilities. The first level will be a place for temporary gatherings with toilets and a limited supply of food and water. Level two will have a parking lot for food and water distribution and level three will be 24 hour accommodation.
The facilities would have to require different levels of upgrade to achieve emergency status, district officials said.
The county will also work with management coordinators in the surrounding communities and local school districts to provide continued disaster relief support.
communication
County officials recommended setting up a permanent six-person call center during the pandemic to spread information related to COVID-19. The team would be dedicated to providing emergency assistance.
Officials also said a public information contingency officer should be added to the communications team. But the commissioners would have to finance this position in the coming budget.
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https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/12/11/travis-county-emergency-services-prepares-next-winter-storm/6466557001/
