Austin is bracing for cold and ice this weekend: a winter storm warning has been issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) through Central Texas for the morning of Saturday, January 24, through the next morning. Here's how locals can find shelter and help others, especially unhoused neighbors.
The storm warning area includes Travis County and every county that borders it. Most of Texas is either under a winter storm warning or watch, the step before a warning is activated. Although the storm warning is only active for Saturday and Sunday, mostly due to freezing rain and sleet, NWS specifies that a cold front will arrive Friday evening.
How to find cold weather shelters (overnight)
The City of Austin Homeless Strategies and Operations (AHSO) activates cold weather shelters when the NWS forecast for its Camp Mabry location reaches 35 degrees Fahrenheit (about 1.7 degrees Celcius) or below. AHSO makes its determination during a short window: up to a day before opening and no later than 9 am the day that it opens. So far, the forecast at Camp Mabry still only predicts a low of 37 degrees for Friday night, so the determination has not yet been made to activate shelters.
Cold weather shelters require registration and offer an overnight stay. The city posts updates and instructions about arriving or registering on social media (Facebook, X/Twitter, and Instagram). For more information, call the Cold Weather Shelter Hotline at 512-972-5055.
How to find warming centers (temporary)
Warming centers are easier to find and get into, because they are temporary, spread across the city, and hosted in places like rec centers and libraries during their regular business hours. Open Now, a city-run resource map designed for unhoused residents, shows which warming shelters are open in real time.
Get alerts from the city
Most of the information an Austinite might need in an emergency is gathered at austintexas.gov/alerts. A link on the page directs users to Warn Central Texas, a program that registers users to receive emergency text alerts.
Find any kind of help
A helpful resource for many kinds of government and non-governmental assistance is findhelp.org. It is an interactive online directory that connects users to food pantries, CapMetro vouchers, low-cost healthcare, and more. Note that this directory is not specifically an emergency resource, so many programs will take time to set up.
For more non-emergency resources, visit 211texas.org or dial 211 to reach Texas Health and Human Services, or call 311 for Austin's 24-7 information center.
Donate or volunteer
Plenty of local organizations are working ahead to service Austin before the storm. Some are asking for help and supplies, and most accept monetary donations, which help support more flexible needs. The following organizations have specifically put out calls regarding winter needs.
Prep your home
No one will be much help to others if they're dealing with a house or apartment that's falling apart in the cold. The City's various utility and emergency departments have offered advice at austintexas.gov/winterweather. A short overview of points include:
- Dress in layers
- Do not use a generator, grill, camp-stove, or any gasoline, propane, or charcoal-burning device inside
- Bring pets inside
- Cover plants
- Cover exposed pipes and turn off outside faucets
- If letting a faucet drip, choose only one
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