City of Austin and Travis County officials held a joint press briefing today urging residents to prepare now for winter weather and outlining how local agencies will respond if freezing conditions cause outages or threaten public safety.

Mayor Watson said the city and county are working to make utilities and roads as resilient as possible and warned, “There will be outages this winter. It is inevitable.” He encouraged residents to sign up for local emergency alerts at WarnCentralTexas.org and to download the Ready Central Texas mobile app for updates, checklists and incident information.

Why this matters: Officials stressed that even in seasons forecasted as warmer or drier, isolated high-impact winter storms can occur and quickly cause power outages, medical risks and fire hazards. The briefing combined operational updates from emergency management, EMS and the fire department with concrete steps residents can take to stay safe.

Travis County Judge Andy Brown said residents should focus on “people, pets, plants and pipes” and noted the county is coordinating with 21 cities and road crews across Travis County in case of severe freezes. Judge Brown urged households to prepare emergency plans and supplies while agencies finalize response plans.

Jim Redick, director of Austin Emergency Management, described a unified city plan and asked residents to both follow official alerts and report local conditions to help the emergency operations center. “We’re all in the same storm, but we’re not all in the same boat,” Redick said, stressing that preparedness needs differ across households.

Health and medical guidance: Rob Lukritz, chief of Austin-Travis County EMS, advised residents who rely on medical devices to keep backup power and to maintain at least seven days of medication and extra oxygen supplies. Lukritz said EMS and the homeless strategy office conduct outreach in advance of cold events and that the department is prepared to operate 24/7 during incidents.

Fire safety and household preparedness: Assistant Chief Jeff Kennedy of the Austin Fire Department urged routine checks of heating systems and alarms, safe use of space heaters and outdoor use of portable generators. “Space heaters need space and attention,” Kennedy said, advising that heaters be kept at least 3 feet from anything that can burn and turned off when unattended. He also cited a free smoke alarm installation program (512-974-0299).

Shelters and outreach: Chris Anderson, deputy director of Austin Homelessness Strategies and Operations, said the city opened an embarkation center last night and placed 143 individuals into cold-weather shelter; two families were housed in hotels. Anderson described daily activation messaging that begins each morning and targeted text notifications that provide embarkation details, bus routes and enrollment times for those experiencing homelessness.

Forecast and hazards: Jason Runyon, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service Austin-San Antonio office, said seasonal outlooks are trending warmer and drier, but cautioned that “we can always get high impact winter storms even when we have a seasonal forecast like that.” Officials also warned that drier conditions can increase wildfire risk and that unsafe heating practices during cold snaps can trigger fires or carbon monoxide incidents.

What officials want residents to do next: sign up for Warn Central Texas alerts, follow local emergency social media and trusted meteorologists, prepare a household plan and a seven-day supply of medications if needed, check smoke and CO alarms, and avoid bringing grills or generators indoors. Officials reiterated that 911 should be called for emergencies and 311 for non-emergency city services.

The briefing ended with officials reminding residents that warming centers and cold-weather shelters will be activated when thresholds are met and encouraging neighbors to check on vulnerable residents during winter events.