REGIONAL IMPACT
power, leaving no immediate atten- tion available for xes in Westlake. On Feb. 1, the district ordered an emergency conservation advisory before ordering a precautionary boil-water advisory the morning of Feb. 2, she said. “We actually issued ours preemp- tively before people really started having issues,” Orts said. She said the water district started losing pressure and water service to approximately 30% of its 10,000 cus- tomers throughout the day Feb. 2. before restoring water service Feb. 3. The water district took a sample Feb. 4 and was able to cancel the boil-water notice Feb. 5 as all sam- ples con rmed the water quality was good, she said. Orts also said the natural gas/pro- pane-powered generators needed to prevent this issue from happen- ing again are either on-site awaiting completion or are in the bidding process, and the water district is still trying to obtain them. “We have now preemptively staged a diesel-powered generator and a diesel-powered pump at one of the stations, which will avoid most emergency problems due to loss of power until the permanent improve- ments are in place,” she said. Declaring a disaster Following the extent of the dam- ages, cities in the Lake Travis-West- lake area began issuing declarations of local disasters. “It looks like a succession of tor- nadoes lashed the city, and then for good measure a Category 2 hurricane came in and topped it o ,” West Lake Hills Mayor Linda Anthony said. “I’ve never seen anything like it in the more than 30 years I’ve lived out here. [Winter Storm] Uri was just a lit- tle blip in comparison to the damage that this has brought.” Bee Cave issued a declaration Feb. 2, followed by Lakeway and West Lake Hills on Feb. 3. Travis County and the city of Austin issued their own declarations shortly after. Disaster declarations are a way for cities to indicate the problem is too much for them to handle alone, said Trey Fletcher, city manager for West Lake Hills. Declarations from smaller municipalities are folded into larger countywide declarations, increasing the total amount of damages reported statewide to obtain federal funding. “It’s the rst step in recognizing that the needs exceed the capacity of the jurisdiction to respond with
Two years after the deadly Winter Storm Uri, freezing temperature and rain in early February led to power outages, boil-water notices and other storm-related dangers.
RUNNING LOW
Power outages caused many water entities to lose power, rely on reserves and issue boil-water notices. Travis County Water Control and Improvement District No. 10
Winter Storm Uri Feb. 13-17, 2021
Winter Storm Mara Jan. 31-Feb. 3, 2023
Type of impact
Calls placed to 311
68,835*
105,977**
Austin Resource Recovery service orders requested
13,000+
4,900
Duration impacted: 5 days
WITHOUT WATER Here is a breakdown of what happens when a water pump station loses power. West Travis County Public Utility Agency Duration impacted: 4 days Duration impacted: 6 days Travis County Water Control and Improvement District No. 18 SOURCE: TRAVIS COUNTY WATER CONTROL AND IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT NO. 10 COMMUNITY IMPACT Testing usually complete within 24 hours Boil-water advisory lifted Water pump stations lose power; precautionary boil notices issued Backup generators for water pumps activated Emergency conservation notices issued; water reserves used until depleted Interruption in service until power is restored Power restored to water pump stations Boil-water advisory issued as service returns; water samples sent for testing
Trac crashes
286+
700+
Deaths
TBD
28
Days of class canceled for Eanes and Lake Travis ISDs Percentage of Austin Energy customers who lost power
4
8
>30%
40%
SOURCES: AUSTIN ENERGY, AUSTIN ISD, CITY OF AUSTIN COMMUNITY IMPACT
*JAN. 30 FEB. 14 2023 **ALL OF FEB. 2021
their own resources and [shows] this is beyond our means and we’re going to need some nancial assistance to recover properly,” Fletcher said. For instance, Lakeway will be able to apply for Federal Emergency Man- agement Agency relief and county funds if made available since the local disaster was declared, Mayor Tom Kilgore said at a City Council meeting Feb. 6. The city of Bee Cave will use its disaster declaration to streamline the cleanup process as the declara- tion will give Bee Cave City Manager Clint Garza the authority to contract out and hire various cleanup services without having to wait for council’s approval, Communications Director Jenny Ho said. A similar process occurred in West Lake Hills, which has assisted in the cleanup process, Anthony said. “I know that roads and property are a mess, but we are working on it. Please have patience and bear with
us,” Anthony said. “The landscape is not going to look the same. The damage is so extensive that there are going to be big-time changes to it once this is all said and done.” The disaster declaration period will also give residents a chance to le claims for any extensive damage caused by the storm. As of press time, all of the municipalities in the Lake Travis-Westlake area are anticipating that cleanup could be nished in a few weeks, according to o cials from Bee Cave, Lakeway and West Lake Hills. “Despite the devastation of our city, our community has rallied along with our neighboring communities; neighbors took care of neighbors, and they are still doing that today,” Kilgore said. Ben Thompson contributed to this report.
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
DEALING WITH DEBRIS
The storm knocked down branches and tree debris, resulting in extended cleanup attempts for cities and residents.
Scan the QR code for more information on tree debris disposal.
SOURCES: BEE CAVE, LAKEWAY, WEST LAKE HILLS, TRAVIS COUNTY COMMUNITY IMPACT
Cleanup began as the ice storm cleared, resulting in various brush pickup endeavors from cities and residents alike. (Grace Dickens/Community Impact)
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LAKE TRAVIS WESTLAKE EDITION • FEBRUARY 2023
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