Thanks for sharing this again, Nelly. I'd love to share about the success
of our neighborhood volunteer water delivery effort, but I'm finding myself
at a bit of a loss as to how to make it relatable or meaningful in the
context of city government. I'd love any suggestions you may have.
Thank you,
Katy
On Wed, Jun 2, 2021, 12:15 PM Nelly P Ramirez <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Hello,
Passing along Ann Kitchen’s newsletter and reminding everyone of the
Winter Storm Listening Sessions that are currently taking place. Our
neighborhood was hit pretty hard and also has some success stories to tell
and I encourage anyone from either side of that equation to please send in
some feedback
- nelly
WINTER STORM URI FEEDBACK OPPORTUNITIES
The public can provide feedback, suggestions, and ideas on
*SpeakUp Austin*
<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.speakupaustin.org%2Fwinter-storm-uri-community-feedback&data=04%7C01%7CStephanie.Hall%40austintexas.gov%7Ce1a76e1665034bb53ea308d914ae158a%7C5c5e19f6a6ab4b45b1d0be4608a9a67f%7C0%7C0%7C637563560173179668%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=wOF9GTStxkwZEaXu5LaVESGt6unP9yFreFWd9UC73ek%3D&reserved=0>
. The website is translated into Spanish, Vietnamese, Traditional and
Simplified Chinese, Korean, Burmese, Urdu, and Arabic.
The Task Force is seeking public comment from impacted residents and
businesses. The upcoming meetings will be held on the following dates:
- May 14, 2021 (6-8PM) - *2 of 5 *
- May 28, 2021 (6-8PM) - *3 of 5 *
- June 11, 2021 (6-8PM) - *4 of 5 *
- June 23, 2021 (6-8:30PM) - *5 of 5 *
To speak remotely at the Winter Storm Review Task Force meetings, members
of the public must:
- Call or email the board liaison at (512) 974-6339 or
*WinterStormTaskForce@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx*
<WinterStormTaskForce@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> *no later than noon the day
prior*. The following information is required:
- Speaker name
- Item number(s) they wish to speak on
- Whether they are for/against/neutral
- Email address and telephone number (must be the same number that
will be used to call into the meeting)
- If interpretation for any languages are need other than Spanish
- Once a request to speak has been made to the board liaison, the
information to call on the day of the scheduled meeting will be provided
either by email or phone call.
- Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start
time in order to speak, late callers will not be accepted and will not be
able to speak.
- Speakers will be placed in a queue until their time to speak.
- Handouts or other information may be emailed to
*WinterStormTaskForce@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx*
<WinterStormTaskForce@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> by noon the day before the
scheduled meeting. This information will be provided to Board and
Commission members in advance of the meeting.
The meeting is scheduled to be broadcast live on ATXN here:
*http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live*
<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.austintexas.gov%2Fpage%2Fwatch-atxn-live&data=04%7C01%7CStephanie.Hall%40austintexas.gov%7Ce1a76e1665034bb53ea308d914ae158a%7C5c5e19f6a6ab4b45b1d0be4608a9a67f%7C0%7C0%7C637563560173179668%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=Bi0z5JYb%2FJdMW6lgm%2BWirTmDRVNuUCEApUqjfjFjnsA%3D&reserved=0>
.
For more information visit:
*https://www.austintexas.gov/content/winter-storm-review-task-force*
<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.austintexas.gov%2Fcontent%2Fwinter-storm-review-task-force&data=04%7C01%7CStephanie.Hall%40austintexas.gov%7Ce1a76e1665034bb53ea308d914ae158a%7C5c5e19f6a6ab4b45b1d0be4608a9a67f%7C0%7C0%7C637563560173189622%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=C6wvzvOsuIc1mF2dmdfDK1f5cMzYy0JONyc8VYxZTB0%3D&reserved=0>
.
Begin forwarded message:
*From: *"Ann Kitchen, District 5" <district5@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Subject: **Weekend Storms and Power Outages*
*Date: *June 2, 2021 at 11:44:18 AM CDT
*To: *nelly.ramirez@xxxxxx
*Reply-To: *district5@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Council Member Ann Kitchen
District 5, Austin, Texas
June 2, 2021
View as Webpage
<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001IRh0bJg8G80_OsI3cM83hMIGLra71RCIGjodISJFYx9LJe7iI37rD29hGC2zdAP0rJ1ZtUBXklGTTnAl92IVYe3wbOHtrlKsBKqIcN1pZVS6EUaUV4wh16CFrtCcFZnbDrNRhmuVFDwPwyCJ9Na66Q==&c=l6stYrYFvq3ttF0d7hM5upV5Ia0Y5S4H2XCyWxw-BMb0d6q44Kwvog==&ch=qHrxAUGTtCpGDrUdx5I9jrGIyNQfFTtoNYU1mBp8o836vf6iCUXuCA==>
[image: Facebook]
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Twitter]
<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001IRh0bJg8G80_OsI3cM83hMIGLra71RCIGjodISJFYx9LJe7iI37rD29hGC2zdAP0u7IUcz7udwz06ElrhyHHJKXh12QcNAXHoCRL7ACTMuBYCgJtUXtBx94lOmoP49TtCk4wghSXl_MJNL1ZvZS3b5BQMi9ux_3AJc39hH8QMNlvopzKct_FvVs3mB7oPgopERKsVkbGIfSniXmKQCJzkxX1l_ajGqVGL5u3oQswpYT15pR8-VibbzjyyUNCpF4IwrVnIabYzl9T1SQ1bERW4gzoN-MC1ssF&c=l6stYrYFvq3ttF0d7hM5upV5Ia0Y5S4H2XCyWxw-BMb0d6q44Kwvog==&ch=qHrxAUGTtCpGDrUdx5I9jrGIyNQfFTtoNYU1mBp8o836vf6iCUXuCA==>
Weekend Storms and Power Outages
Dear Neighbors,
Friday nights thunderstorms produced wide-spread high-winds which caused
power outages throughout the city. The winds downed trees and limbs which
subsequently, along with lightning strikes, downed power lines to
residences affecting about 30,000 customers.
In 2019, Austin Energy (AE) increased line clearances to prune trees
farther back from power lines. AE continues the work to prune overhanging
trees from power lines year-round. In January, the City Council approved
the hiring of additional crews and added another pruning contract company,
nearly doubling our capacity. You can see AE's latestVegetation
Management Update presentation
<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001IRh0bJg8G80_OsI3cM83hMIGLra71RCIGjodISJFYx9LJe7iI37rD29hGC2zdAP0j18R5nMqanDrduhVjVG5qrEOBsAVqG8f0b51xHxYRSV-fvSnVg9nE1h2s3NttFgALPq50asRZlPOktpfW_GgUoTruOpt1UcPhffWP5tfRLLObcE4PcuburezQrfPDudg&c=l6stYrYFvq3ttF0d7hM5upV5Ia0Y5S4H2XCyWxw-BMb0d6q44Kwvog==&ch=qHrxAUGTtCpGDrUdx5I9jrGIyNQfFTtoNYU1mBp8o836vf6iCUXuCA==>
from May 17 or watch the full meeting here
<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001IRh0bJg8G80_OsI3cM83hMIGLra71RCIGjodISJFYx9LJe7iI37rD29hGC2zdAP0pyYnfHcHzcDi9VXQaPq44h6y9pyePoAKnnFWN5fJExC3qiTkjiLeOdxRkJs74CtHUUWjV0sRQOFuD3La1_NcEf9j-CurFIGKrj0mQr1yseEwf4QH25ShlQ==&c=l6stYrYFvq3ttF0d7hM5upV5Ia0Y5S4H2XCyWxw-BMb0d6q44Kwvog==&ch=qHrxAUGTtCpGDrUdx5I9jrGIyNQfFTtoNYU1mBp8o836vf6iCUXuCA==>
. Unfortunately, storm events will always have a negative impact on power
lines.
I understand how frustrating it can be to go without power for extended
periods of time, especially when several of you have already recently had
to deal with outages. I have reached out to Austin Energy to determine
challenges and potential solutions that may exist for circuits in specific
neighborhoods (such as Southwood, Zilker, and Barton Hills) and will be
sharing that information as I learn more. Please let us know if your feel
your neighborhood is experiencing frequent outages.
Please also do what you can to identify tree and vegetation issues in your
neighborhoods. Austin Energy focuses their efforts on the public right of
way. At our Council meeting yesterday I asked Austin Energy to help by
providing information about how customers can obtain assistance with tree
trimming services, as well as how to report issues customers identify in
their neighborhoods.
This past weekend, service repair crews worked continuously to restore
services, and preparation or planning could not have prevented much of the
havoc that this past weekend's storm caused. I want to thank the tireless
efforts of our work crews who spent their weekend making repairs. Our line
workers are heroes and that’s never more obvious than during a storm.
During a major storm, it’s not uncommon to have several hundred repair
locations spread throughout the city, so there are no specific locations
to target response efforts to maximize effect and work crews must drive
to each repair location. Several of the longer-lasting outages were the
results of tree limbs downing power lines from the poles to residences
which means that each outage has to be addressed independently. This is
dangerous work under ideal circumstances, and even more so in the dark and
in the rain. The safety of work crews and customers is our highest
priority. You can learn more about how the crews restore power here:
https://austinenergy.com/ae/outages/during-an-outage/how-we-restore-power
<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001IRh0bJg8G80_OsI3cM83hMIGLra71RCIGjodISJFYx9LJe7iI37rD29hGC2zdAP0w9KzMZTbkAHGSLyuywvojMnUV3yQaegmvWBnJtvi4vQex28iH-wHbmxEu3ZzesYK27yIATnfhhLb2GnbeyFpj7Gk1785NCPRvrCOjvyftdKwDTQ4gtqjVg_FuA2DHp8yJwnh7j87jTJK9WVIJr8dJMcu8psjgy0v&c=l6stYrYFvq3ttF0d7hM5upV5Ia0Y5S4H2XCyWxw-BMb0d6q44Kwvog==&ch=qHrxAUGTtCpGDrUdx5I9jrGIyNQfFTtoNYU1mBp8o836vf6iCUXuCA==>
.
Austin Energy also has lots of useful information on their Power Outages
webpage
<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001IRh0bJg8G80_OsI3cM83hMIGLra71RCIGjodISJFYx9LJe7iI37rD2-TdxTbnQkvvYto40_QT849WNPV47kKKwTEuHV91uO3WYd5OepZcbRoOEzmJthz_wVJgHHWJOnTnuUhpvhvZ60bKgD6TmPlw-MxETbDtSV9&c=l6stYrYFvq3ttF0d7hM5upV5Ia0Y5S4H2XCyWxw-BMb0d6q44Kwvog==&ch=qHrxAUGTtCpGDrUdx5I9jrGIyNQfFTtoNYU1mBp8o836vf6iCUXuCA==>,
including how to prepare for an outage, how to report an outage, and how to
get alerts and stay safe during an outage.
I know that at least one of our D5 neighborhoods experienced a delay in
updating the service outages map, which caused concern and confusion on
whether reports had been received and responded to. Austin Energy
acknowledged the delay due to use of an outside vendor and we have asked
for details on addressing this problem.
I'll also add that there were 2 Winter Storm Related bills that passed in
the 87th Legislature. One was an Omnibus Storm Response bill (SB 3
<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001IRh0bJg8G80_OsI3cM83hMIGLra71RCIGjodISJFYx9LJe7iI37rD29hGC2zdAP0X2fWry3hQ55pwbM-t6Hk-winYST1rQxkasBthYu4CoLBYssxcdMpxEjjK6jE6thsaSE8w2-ZdQIjlMOK61iwJLd6nZxsltgXSA5t6-qfYIQ2eCAolehzGw==&c=l6stYrYFvq3ttF0d7hM5upV5Ia0Y5S4H2XCyWxw-BMb0d6q44Kwvog==&ch=qHrxAUGTtCpGDrUdx5I9jrGIyNQfFTtoNYU1mBp8o836vf6iCUXuCA==>)
that included a statewide power outage alert system as well as other
standards of emergency operations. A second bill (SB 2
<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001IRh0bJg8G80_OsI3cM83hMIGLra71RCIGjodISJFYx9LJe7iI37rD29hGC2zdAP0a9ZfKskr4qW3HX4VqSXXa7f3uZOQ4qf83mlspvutOymvldNwZ9Dp0IKBX3wZ6IBWzQZ-qy5Ruh9Nhydv6233lbbGkXiNaurB3QDFMPgw1I8=&c=l6stYrYFvq3ttF0d7hM5upV5Ia0Y5S4H2XCyWxw-BMb0d6q44Kwvog==&ch=qHrxAUGTtCpGDrUdx5I9jrGIyNQfFTtoNYU1mBp8o836vf6iCUXuCA==>)
makes changes to the composition of the Energy Reliability Council of Texas
(ERCOT) board and the Public Utility Commission.
We heard from several of you during the recent storm and we appreciated
your communication and patience. We will continue to be a resource for you
all and are here to assist with any questions or issues you have. You can
call our office at 512-978-2105 or email us at District5@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
Best Regards,
Ann Kitchen
City Council, District 5
CONTACT US
512-978-2105
City Council Member Ann Kitchen - District5@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Constituent Liaison - Dora.Anguiano@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Policy Advisor - Jason.Lopez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sr Policy Advisor - Ken.Craig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Chief of Staff - Donna.Tiemann@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Visit our Website
<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001IRh0bJg8G80_OsI3cM83hMIGLra71RCIGjodISJFYx9LJe7iI37rDwhs5fSC-hHUWo10-DepMhvI0BS__3_ZPThCWNYRZiennowBLOsZD3Z2EgRB-wNV_jJfl7wXut3V9IRSsuT3zC3vVloLDXYwRt5L0cBMsFORwLe7MzsrOGcQVkRUkYSI3g==&c=l6stYrYFvq3ttF0d7hM5upV5Ia0Y5S4H2XCyWxw-BMb0d6q44Kwvog==&ch=qHrxAUGTtCpGDrUdx5I9jrGIyNQfFTtoNYU1mBp8o836vf6iCUXuCA==>
STAY CONNECTED
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City of Austin, District 5 | 301 West 2nd Street, Austin, TX 78701
Unsubscribe nelly.ramirez@xxxxxx
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