
Mayor Betsy Price addressed Fort Worth residents via Facebook Live on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021.
As the city grapples with the effects of the recent winter storm — from extended power outages to a lack of water — Mayor Betsy Price and other representatives took to Facebook Live on Tuesday to provide an update on the City of Fort Worth's response to the weather conditions.
"This is truly a storm of the century," she said.
For those needing to get warm, additional warming stations have opened throughout the city, Price said. Current warming sites include the Worth Heights Community Center, Diamond Hill Community Center, Handley Meadow Community Center, North Tri-Ethnic Community Center, One Safe Place, Dickson-Jenkins Lofts & Plaza, The Hills Church, and The Rail Club Live.
The Fort Worth Convention Center is also currently serving as a 24/7 shelter, with cots and restrooms.
The Tarrant Area Food Bank is working to provide food to the warming centers, Price said. Warming centers and shelters will be practicing COVID-19 screening measures, and masks are required.
Should residents need assistance getting to a warming station or shelter, they should call the city's main call center number (817-392-1234). Trinity Metro is working with the city on arranging transportation, Price said.
Additionally, the Transportation and Public Works department is working to sand roadways, with 107 locations completed and 73 remaining. The Texas Forestry Service and State Guard will also be delivering meals, blankets, water, and fuel, as well as helping assisted living facilities.
Power outages
With regard to power outages, Price emphasized that city does not control the power grid, but "the things we can control, we are working very hard on."
Oncor representative Carrie Dunn said that around 1 a.m. Monday morning, Oncor saw a substantial loss of electricity supply, so ERCOT, which manages the electric grid, directed Oncor and other utilities across Texas to begin rotating outages to protect the grid.
As temperatures hit record lows, Oncor could not keep outages on a regular rotating basis — resulting in extended outages that, for some, have lasted longer than 24 hours.
Dunn said as soon as generation increases, Oncor will have more supply, and rotating outages will be on their regular schedule. However, residents should be prepared for outages to continue, Dunn said.
"It's focused on protecting the integrity of the grid," she said. "It's ultimately an issue of supply and demand and there not being enough generation or supply to meet the needs that we're seeing from our customers during these incredibly low temperatures."
Dunn also addressed why some residents have power while their nearby neighbors do not — one reason could be ice buildup or below-freezing temperatures overloading transformers and putting stress on equipment. Another reason could be that the house is along the same line as a hospital or critical care facility, where Oncor does not cut power.
Price said she has not had power at her house for the past 40 hours: "We have our pets with us and are bundling up."
Emergency response
Fire chief Jim Davis said a winter storm warning is in place through Thursday, with three to six inches of snow expected. He said the fire department has responded to 1,600 calls in the last 24 hours, in conjunction with MedStar and its 700 calls.
He warned against staying inside a running car in the garage to keep warm. "We really need to ask you to refrain from doing that," he said, adding that the department has received 66 calls about carbon monoxide poisoning in the past 24 hours. The department has also responded to multiple cases of hypothermia.
Police chief Neil Noakes gave an update on road conditions and urged the public to stay home, but if they need to go out, to drive slowly and maintain proper distance from other vehicles.
He also asked that residents do not call 911 for power issues but rather call Oncor.
The police department has also deployed its homeless outreach and crisis intervention teams to help the homeless get to shelter, Noakes said.
Boil water notice and lack of water
City water director Chris Harder addressed the boil water notice issued for North Fort Worth on Monday. According to Harder, three of the four water plants in operation suffered from power outages, and the water department is working to defrost valves and get water safely back to residents. He also said the department is aware that some residents are completely out of water.
Price urged Fort Worthians to check on their neighbors and find ways to help others as the city anticipates another winter storm on Wednesday.
"Now is not the time to blame people; now is the time for us to come together," Price said. "But I want to assure you that anger can be better served if we can help each other ... When this is done, we will demand answers, and we will find solutions should this happen again."