Natural Disaster & Severe Weather Resources
Resources for rental housing providers and industry members to stay informed, navigate the unexpected, and cope during and after a natural disaster or severe weather event.
Resources for rental housing providers and industry members to stay informed, navigate the unexpected, and cope during and after a natural disaster or severe weather event.
Disaster Preparedness Resources
Resources from the Texas Apartment Association
Preparing Your Apartment Community for Winter Weather includes valuable resources that can help members before, during, and after this type of emergency. This guide contains several sections including:
- Plan Ahead – General Emergency Checklist
- Gather Supplies – Supply Checklist
- Communicate – Resident & Media Relations Checklist
- Severe Winter Storms – Severe Winter Weather Checklist
- Stay Safe – After the Severe Winter Storm Checklist
We recommend you follow your company’s emergency procedures first and foremost. These tips are intended to supplement and reinforce your company’s emergency guidelines.
Resources from the National Apartment Association
Winter Storm - 2023
The City of Austin has been working round the clock to restore power and help our community recover from this week's widespread ice storm.
Austin Energy
Austin Energy crews worked throughout the night to restore power to affected customers. Since 5 p.m. Thursday, Austin Energy restored power to an additional 31,585 customers, for a total of 172,339 customers since the beginning of this historic weather event.
Now, close to 400 lineworkers from Austin Energy and neighboring utilities are working on getting customers back online. Austin Energy is grateful for the assistance of neighboring utilities, including New Braunfels Utilities, CenterPoint Energy, and Renegade.
As crews work to restore power, circuits can become overloaded because of lights, electronics, and thermostats left on before the outage. This is called cold load pickup, which may cause a second outage.
Customers currently without power can help us avoid cold load pickup by:
- Turning off their thermostats.
- Turning off or unplugging any fixtures or appliances.
- Only leaving one light to indicate when the power is back on.
Crews may also be knocking on residents' doors to access Austin Energy equipment, such as energy equipment in a backyard or a utility easement located on a resident's property. Austin Energy personnel will be clearly identifiable with badges and in Austin Energy vehicles. Please work with them on allowing access as needed.
Pedernales Electric Cooperative
PEC crews continue repairing poles and downed wires and removing tree limbs. Though the ice is melting, this event is still ongoing, and the damage across our service area is extensive. PEC is seeing an increased number of isolated outages that can take time to repair. Their crews are making progress, but due to the widespread damage, it is difficult to provide a system-wide restoration time. Outages could extend into the weekend.
There is extensive damage between Spicewood Springs and 360 and Anderson Mill east of 620. Multiple poles are down, and crews have found it difficult and dangerous to get around, but they will continue to work on restoring power.
Austin Water
This winter weather event has not impacted Austin Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants, and the Water Treatments Plants have continued to meet expected production rates. Water storage levels also remain healthy in the distribution system. Austin Water has continued to work closely with Austin Energy to restore power to pumps and lift stations throughout our service area.
Due to two isolated pump station power outages, Austin Water notified 14 customers in the Glenlake subdivision and 24 in the Mount Larson area of the isolated outages. Customers were asked to boil water as a precaution. Austin Water had crews on the ground to contact customers directly and deliver multiple cases of water. These were isolated events that did not extend to a city-wide boil notice.
Austin Recourse Recovery
ARR was able to complete the Tuesday routes as well as the Wednesday and Thursday routes that were east of Mopac. Approximately 100 streets were not collected due to limbs or low-hanging wires. These streets will receive service on Saturday or Sunday, assuming the roadway is cleared. Please continue to leave your carts out.
Scheduled bulk and brush routes: ARR will continue these for those who have received the postcards. They anticipate that the scheduled brush routes will take a little longer than usual, so that you might experience some delays.
Please note: ARR is not accepting on-call brush appointments – these areas will be a part of our storm debris pickup.
3-1-1 UPDATE: ARR customers do not call 3-1-1 for curbside storm debris removal; instead, use the
3-1-1 app request for storm debris removal is active. "Storm Debris Collection" is at the top under "Trending Requests."
Important Safety Information
The city reminds all Austinites that while the temperatures rise, some risks remain.
Staying warm at home if your power is out
Wear several layers of lightweight, warm clothing rather than one layer of heavy clothing.
- Wear hats, mittens, and blankets indoors.
- Close curtains and cover windows and doors with blankets.
- Try to stay together in one room, with the door closed, to keep in body heat.
Fire/Carbon Monoxide Safety
During winter weather, the threat posed by carbon monoxide can be greater due to warming up vehicles inside garages and using various heating elements.
- Turning on the stove for heat is unsafe, as is indoor use of generators, gas or charcoal grills, and camp stoves
- keep exhausted pointed away from your homes, and generators must be at least 20 feet away from the structure
- Never run a vehicle inside an attached garage, even with open doors
- If utilizing a space heater, opt for a model with automatic shut-off switches and non-glowing elements. Keep the device uncovered and at least three feet away from flammable materials like curtains or blankets and the cord in a position that is neither a tripping hazard nor under carpets or rugs
- Ensure your fireplace, wood stove, or other combustion heater is up to code and the ventilation is adequate
- In the event of a power outage, opt for battery-powered flashlights rather than candles. If candles are your only available source of light, don't leave them unattended
- Prevention is key: protect yourself with a battery-operated carbon monoxide detector in your home
Cold Weather Shelters and Warming Centers
Overnight Cold Weather Shelters activations have been extended through Friday, February 3. Anyone needing shelter can contact One Texas Center at 505 Barton Springs Road for shelter registration between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. and call 512-305-4233 for more information.
Operational Austin Public Library and Austin Parks and Recreation facilities will be available as Warming Centers on Friday, though not all locations are open. Find the latest information on closures here:
What to do with down tree limbs
Call 3-1-1 to request a collection of down tree limbs due to the storm. Please have the limbs at the curb ready for collection at no charge to the customer. ARR crews will assess and collect them as soon as possible. Small branches and yard trimmings can be placed in the green compost cart, lawn, and leaf bags, or a reusable container and set out on the next scheduled collection day. You can learn more about storm debris collection options.
Austin Resource Recovery is temporarily waiving the 15 extra bag limit for extra compost collection due to the winter storm, meaning residents can place more than 15 extra bags out for collection. Residents will be notified when this is reverted back to the 15 extra bag limit.
Residents with physical limitations or financial needs requiring help cleaning up winter storm debris can request volunteer assistance through the Austin Disaster Relief Network. Complete this form: link.adrn.org/ws-cleanup-request.
Information Provided by:
Councilwoman Mackenzie Kelly
Austin City Council, District 6
Trusted Member Resources
If you are in need of a vendor for your company or property, consider contacting an AAA supplier member to help during this time. We've created some quick links for frequently requested categories. The entire online AAA Supplier Directory can be found here.
- Insurance
- Roof Contractors
- General Contractors
- Fire/Water Restoration
- Attorneys
- Mold Testing & Remediation
- Plumbing Contractors
- Flooring - Water Extraction
Fire Watch Staffing
If your property is in need of temporary personnel for fire watches, please reach out to our AAA members who provide temporary staffing:
City/County |
Water, Food Resources |
Utility Resources |
Repair, Restoration |
How to Help |
| City of Austin |
Planning Dept. Home Repair Program Dedicated line: 512-974-1500 |
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| Travis County | Follow Travis Co. on Twitter |
Services and resources in surrounding municipalities
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The following are relief agencies in Williamson County that provide a range or relief services and assistance. Residents living in Williamson County but within the city limits of Austin should contact the City of Austin for assistance at www.austintexas.gov
Round Rock Area Serving Center: Round Rock, Brushy Creek/Fern Bluff MUD, Hutto areas outside of Georgetown ISD, zip code 78717 in Williamson County, but not in the city limits of Austin- The Caring Place: Georgetown, Andice, Bartlett, Florence, Granger, Jarrell, Jonah, Schwertner, Walburg, Weir, Hutto areas within Georgetown ISD
- The Salvation Army: Cedar Park, Coupland, Leander, Liberty Hill, Taylor, Thrall, and all other areas of Williamson County not served by the other two agencies, zip codes 78729 and 78750 in Williamson County, but not in the city limits of Austin
- Hill Country Community Ministries: Cedar Park, Leander, and all other areas on the west side of Williamson County.
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FEMA Assistance
FEMA assistance available for severe winter storm
Residents can apply for assistance in the following ways:
- Uninsured: Apply online at http://DisasterAssistance.gov.
- Insured: File a claim with their insurance company and then apply to FEMA. FEMA cannot duplicate benefits if you received insurance from your provider first.
Resources for Businesses
Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration are available to businesses, homeowners and renters. Call the SBA at 1-800-659-2955 (TTY: 800-877-8339) or visit www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.
Wellness Checks
With severe weather such as this, it is important we check on our neighbors, especially those who are vulnerable. Social service providers are asking apartment communities to consider performing comprehensive welfare checks as soon as safe travel is possible. Priority for these checks should be given to efficiencies and 1-bedroom units, ensuring residents who are single-member households are seen.
Wellness Check Tips, How-Tos:
- If a medical emergency is discovered, please dial 911.
- For other situations that may not be best suited for 911, Austin Mutual Aid is a great resource to connect people in emergency situations with needed resources. Click here to sign-up for assistance with emergent requests. Please keep those requests to emergency only to help sustain resources for emergency situations.
- Upon checking on residents and a mental health crisis is discovered, contact Integral Care's Psychiatric Emergency Services at (512) 472-4357. Please note: wait times may be lengthy, but the line is continually staffed.
- Properties with residents enrolled in community Permanent Supportive Housing and Rapid Rehousing may reach out to ECHO (Ending Community Homelessness Coalition) directly via email here.
Fire Watch Reminder from Austin Fire Department
With the severe weather, many fire protection systems throughout Austin have been impacted resulting in many multi-family communities without the life-safety systems that are normally in place. The Fire Marshal’s Office wanted to share some information and reminders to help guide property managers during this severe weather event.
In the event that a fire protection system is out of service, the Austin Fire Department requires property management to initiate a fire watch. The fire watch is to remain in place until the system is back up and operating properly the residents are protected. The responding fire crews, upon finding a malfunctioning fire protection system, or one that must be placed out-of-service, will endeavor to locate a responsible person(s) to relay to them the fire watch requirements. During this time of severe weather, there have been several instances where a responsible party is not on-scene and/or is unable to be contacted. Because of the increased demand for 911 services, fire crews have been directed to try their best to locate a property representative and if unsuccessful, then to relay information to residents - but this does not relieve the responsibility for management to provide a fire watch until repairs to the system are complete. The Austin Fire Department Fire Marshal’s Office will strive to follow back-up with the property management and/or the alarm technician to ensure repairs have been made and/or provide additional guidance.
Click here to download guidelines to assist with establishing a fire watch.
Resident Resources to Share
Click here to download Winter Storm Resources for Austin Area
CLICK HERE FOR OTHER RENTER RESOURCES
Forms, Lease, and Other REDBOOK Resources
Visit the TAA online REDBOOK for critical forms, articles, and other resources such as:
- Applicable TAA Lease Contract Provisions
- Post Disaster Form to Residents
- ...and other notices Due to Natural Disaster or Catastrophe
REDBOOK Article: Rental Housing Owner's Rights and Legal Responsibilities After a Fire, Natural Disaster, or Other Catastrophe
Refer to the REDBOOK article "Rental Housing Owners' Rights and Legal Responsibilities After a Fire, Natural Disaster, or Other Catastrophe" which outlines some important laws relating to the rights and duties of owners and residents in the wake of a natural disaster such as a hurricane, tornado, flood, fire or other types of catastrophes.
A catastrophe of any type calls for a quick and compassionate response. The more flexibility which can be utilized by landlord and tenant alike will lead to more positive results. Communication is key. Sample notices you may send to your residents after a catastrophe can be found in the REDBOOK are: (emergency post-disaster notice), (termination after disaster), and (affordable housing termination after disaster). As you use these, your understanding of the rights and legal obligations of the respective parties, both before and after a catastrophe, will increase and enable you to reach more effective solutions to the unique problems which the catastrophic events will present you with.
IRS Tax Relief: Presidentially Declared Disaster Areas
You may be eligible for a deductible loss on your return as a result of President Biden's Disaster Area Declaration for nearly all of Texas. If you have experienced a property loss you are strongly encouraged to consult with your CPA or the IRS resources page or call the IRS toll-free number for general tax questions at 1-800-829-1040.
Affected taxpayers in a Presidential Disaster Area have the option of claiming disaster-related casualty losses on their federal income tax return for either this year or last year. Claiming the loss on an original or amended return for last year will get the taxpayer an earlier refund, but waiting to claim the loss on this year’s return could result in a greater tax saving, depending on other income factors.
Victims of this month's winter storms in Texas will have until June 15, 2021, to file various individual and business tax returns and make tax payments, the Internal Revenue Service announced on Monday, February 22.
Publication 584-B, Business Casualty, Disaster and Theft Loss Workbook
Debris Clean-Up and Removal: 1-800-329-8052
Residents in Bastrop, Hays, Travis, & Williamson Counties can call the "Crisis Clean Up" line to request assistance cleaning up their home and/or storm debris.
Line hours: Mon.-Sat. 9am-8pm + Sun. 1pm-6pm
Register for assistance through this number until Tuesday, March 2.
Disaster Preparedness Resources
Resources from the Texas Apartment Association
Preparing Your Apartment Community for Winter Weather includes valuable resources that can help members before, during, and after this type of emergency. This guide contains several sections including:
- Plan Ahead – General Emergency Checklist
- Gather Supplies – Supply Checklist
- Communicate – Resident & Media Relations Checklist
- Severe Winter Storms – Severe Winter Weather Checklist
- Stay Safe – After the Severe Winter Storm Checklist
We recommend you follow your company’s emergency procedures first and foremost. These tips are intended to supplement and reinforce your company’s emergency guidelines.