Winter weather: Austin-Travis County leaders activate Emergency Operation Center

AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin-Travis County Emergency Operation Center (EOC) has been activated as of 7 a.m. Monday, in response to the forecasted winter weather.

That means representatives from several different parts of our local governments are in one place, working together to respond to any issues that may arise during the freezing weather.

Austin’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is coordinating the city’s response to the situation with other emergency service departments and non-government organizations, the city of Austin said. Critical updates will be posted online at austintexas.gov/alerts in 14 languages.

The city said the EOC will remain operational until further notice.

City and county leaders provided an update on winter weather preparations Monday at 10 a.m. Speakers included Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, Travis County Judge Andy Brown, Austin Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Interim Director Bill Wilson, Travis County Office of Emergency Management Chief Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator Blake Clampffer, as well as representatives from Austin Energy, Austin Water, the Homeless Strategy Office and Transportation and Public Works.

During the press conference, local leaders noted that CapMetro will suspend its services starting at 9 p.m. Monday.

Meanwhile, Williamson County is also opening an emergency operations center on Monday evening. Throughout the night, Williamson County crews will check pavement temperatures and possible icing. Officials with the county also say crews are on call to treat county roads and bridges with sand and deicing material.

Local leaders urged everyone to sign up for emergency alerts. You can do that by going to warncentraltexas.org. You can also visit ReadyCentralTexas.org to get information on preparing for, withstanding and recovering from a variety of emergency situations.

Winter precipitation, including snow and sleet, is expected to fall in Central Texas from Monday evening through Tuesday afternoon. Freezing temperatures are also forecast for each day this week through Friday.

Central Texans are asked to remember the four Ps in this weather: people, pets, plants and pipes. Open cabinets under sinks in your home to keep the pipes warm, bring potted plants indoors and cover your outside spigot.

Make sure to locate your water shutoff valve in case the pipes do freeze. Flood coverage does not cover burst pipes, and home and renters policies may require you to take “reasonable steps” to avoid pipes bursting or they won’t cover damage at all.