Houston officials say warming centers sheltered 1,300 people; call for more mental‑health resources

Mayor (unnamed) convened a press conference Friday to summarize the city’s response to an arctic blast, saying warming centers sheltered about 1,300 people across 10 locations and no one was turned away during the peak of the storm.

“I hope this is the last or almost last press conference dealing with the arctic blast,” Mayor (unnamed) said, and later reported, “We've had 1300 individuals visit and stay with us in a warming center. 10 locations across the city. No 1 was turned around.” The mayor added that city services were returning to normal and the airport was operating with “full services.”

The mayor framed the response as a teamwork achievement and emphasized public safety results: “I'm most thankful that we've had no fatalities due to traffic accident. We've had no fatalities due to carbon monoxide,” he said. Police and fire chiefs repeated those figures during the briefing.

Chief Munoz, Police Chief, told reporters: “No fatalities on the road. No fatalities with carbon monoxide.” Chief Diaz, Fire Chief, described outreach efforts and shelter transport work: “They touch 400 souls over this winter event. 73 people were actually transported,” Diaz said, referring to the city’s hot‑team outreach and emergency transport to warming centers.

Officials said some shelters reached high occupancy. Mayor (unnamed) said one site, Fondy, “hit its maximum numbers yesterday” but stressed that staff continued to admit people. City leaders said warming centers would remain open that night and that officials were “measuring the need for tomorrow night,” likely leaving two shelters or warming centers open through Thursday with the possibility of extension.

Transportation and utilities updates followed. Randy (unnamed), a water department official, said crews were monitoring pipes and responding to localized leaks but that system pressures were “good throughout the city.” Tom, a Metro official, said transit service was being restored: “We did begin bringing service back after shutting down yesterday completely,” and reported that core services were running earlier than the schedule target.

Officials acknowledged at least one other death discovered during the event: Mayor (unnamed) said the city “did lose 1 gentleman that we're trying to determine the loss of life on the streets,” and that preliminary indications were the death was related to preexisting health conditions. That finding was presented as preliminary and under review.

City leaders also highlighted outreach challenges beyond sheltering. Mayor (unnamed) and Diaz emphasized mental‑health needs among unsheltered residents, saying some people refused offers of shelter because of safety fears or other reasons. “Mental health has to be something,” Mayor (unnamed) said, urging appeals to state and federal partners and indicating the city would seek budget adjustments to expand services.

Officials credited interagency and nonprofit partners for the response, naming TxDOT for roadway support, the Red Cross for operating a shelter site (Baylin), and cooperation with county outreach teams. The mayor also noted police and fire departments’ unusual levels of staff availability and said he planned to recognize specific responders for their service.

The briefing closed with a cautionary note: officials warned of lingering ice on roads and bridges and urged Houstonians to remain careful as operations scale back. Staff repeatedly described the city as moving toward demobilization but not yet fully demobilized.