The city of Austin provides emergency housing for those who do not yet have electricity
The current accommodation is designed for around 300 people, but the facility has a capacity of up to 1,000.
Austin, Texas –
The City of Austin Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) The ministry is offering emergency shelters for those who are still without electricity after the mass power outages across the city.
Those in need of housing and who cannot afford a hotel room are encouraged to call 311 to be placed on the shelter’s list. 311 staff will ask residents some questions about the shelters and will call you back with instructions after you’ve been placed on the system.
The current shelter is set up for around 300 people, but the facility has a capacity for up to 1,000. While crews work to restore power, residents have the option of either staying overnight in the shelters or finding a warm place to shower.
Juan Ortiz, director of administrative services at HSEM, said it was important to do what the department could do until residents got their power back.
“We specialize in crisis management, the management of the consequences of events. So let’s look at the impact an event has on the community. And we’re trying to find solutions or ways that we can best support our community as possible. While I cannot quickly restore power to people’s homes, I am considering what I can do to lessen the impact of the event,” Ortiz said.
As of Monday, at least 60 people called asking for more information about the shelters, in addition to 20 animals in need of a shelter.
“Some members of our community are still without power. And we feel that some of our own workers who are working are still without power,” explained Ortiz. “And so we recognize the need for us to do these additional things to ensure that we’re helping the community recover as best we can.”
According to Ortiz, when residents call 311, they let the operator know they need the emergency shelter. This will help make your call to a case manager stand out and you shouldn’t have to wait long to get help.
Operators take calls from 7am to 7pm and try to call everyone back on the same day.
These shelters differ from the cold-weather overnight shelters offered to the homeless and are separate from the day-warming centers city has available.
https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/emergency-shelters-without-power/269-65420c95-0029-4ac9-a106-f68e126394fb The city of Austin provides emergency housing for those who do not yet have electricity
