City of Austin offers free supplies, tips to help prepare for winter

AUSTIN, Texas - This week's winter storm has left hundreds of thousands of Austin residents in the dark for days during dangerously cold temperatures. "We're staying in Kyle, and it's a little hard without electricity in our house," says Austin resident Joe Cruz. Hundreds of cars lined up Saturday morning...

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin Energy crews are still working to restore power to residents following the recent ice storm in Central Texas, says the city. Crews made "significant progress overnight," with power being restored to nearly 51,000 more people since 5 p.m. Friday. According to Austin Energy's outage map, as of 7:42 p.m. Feb. 4, 54,692 customers are still without power, thanks to 1,634 active outages.

AUSTIN, Texas - Power outages in Central Texas from this week's ice storm are affecting everyone, even Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver. Stuver took to Twitter Saturday evening to report that he has been without power for just over three days, but that according to Austin Energy's outage map, the first report was received Saturday.

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin ISD says seven of its 116 campuses remain without power Saturday afternoon. The district was closed much of this week due to the recent ice storm that gripped Central Texas. AISD says most of its schools and offices will operate normally Monday, Feb. 6. As of...

AUSTIN, Texas - Some residents in Austin, Texas who are still without power Saturday days after a winter storm struck say they are frustrated that no answers are being offered as to when their electricity will return. "There’s just no communication from (Austin Energy) about when we’re going to get...

AUSTIN, Texas - The winter storm impacted travel for many including one Austin resident who couldn’t get their passport in time to go on a trip they’ve been planning for years. Riveer Lyn was supposed to be heading to Japan tomorrow. "I got fascinated with anime when I...

LEANDER, Texas - A crash in Leander has caused more outages Saturday evening, says the city of Leander and Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC). The city says the crash happened at FM 2243 and Horizon Park Boulevard and took out a power pole as well as a few traffic signals. PEC...

AUSTIN, Texas - Utility crews from other cities could be seen Friday morning trying to reconnect Austin's broken electrical power grid. As that work continued, Austin mayor Kirk Watson provided a briefing that began with an apology. "I apologize that we've let the people down in Austin. Providing clear and...

Someone posted on social media claiming there was free food at H-E-B. Officials say more than 250 people showed up and fought over thrown out groceries.

AUSTIN, Texas - Officials with Austin Energy say crews are working to get power back on, but they're not sure when the work will be done. Many are still without power in the Austin area after a winter storm in Central Texas. As of 5:50 p.m. on February 3, 110,321 Austin Energy customers were without power. You can check for power outages in your area here.

JOHNSON CITY, Texas - One Central Texas utility is reminding drivers to be safe and aware when driving near crews and utility vehicles in the area. Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) says its crews have made "significant progress" in restoring power and are prioritizing the hardest-hit areas to get the most of its members back online.

AUSTIN, Texas - 34 baby squirrels are now in the care of the Austin Wildlife Rescue after the winter storm that froze Central Texas this week. The nonprofit says that many squirrels have already had babies this time of year and many squirrel nests fell when ice caused tree branches to fall.

AUSTIN, Texas - Thursday afternoon in South Austin, many residents were outside surveying damage and cleaning up tree limbs. "One of the questions that we've been hearing a lot is, ‘Will my insurance company pay to remove those trees?’" said Ben Gonzalez with the Texas Department of Insurance. "If it's just in your yard, most policies will not pay to remove those, but if it fell on your home or your car, or it's blocking access to your home, then some policies will pay to have those trees removed."

AUSTIN, Texas - Friday, February 3 marks day three of major power outages across the Austin area. Not having power is hard on everyone, but for those with medical equipment, it's another source of worry. Mercy Lara has been without power since Wednesday. Bundling up in layers has been her...

AUSTIN, Texas - CapMetro is suspending its Red Line rail service Saturday, Feb. 4 due to continued power outages in the Austin area. CapMetro says many signals remain without the power required to ensure safe crossings and use of the system. Staff is working with utilities to restore service as soon as possible.

AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Disaster Relief Network (ADRN) is partnering with Travis County and Austin to help residents who were affected by the winter storm. Following this week’s winter storm, many Austin area residents may have had to deal with fallen trees, branches, and other debris caused by the ice accumulation.

AUSTIN, Texas - After boarding a StarFlight helicopter, Travis County judge Andy Brown got a birdseye view of the winter storm damage. He says areas Northwest of Austin were hit the hardest. "Based on what we saw today and our discussions with our emergency response staff I intend to declare...

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin Resource Recovery is resuming its curbside collections as of Thursday, February 2, but not at full capacity. In a news conference this morning, officials said they are picking up where they left off on January 31, when trash, recycling, composting, bulk, and brush collections were suspended due to the icy conditions.

Mayor Watson and Travis County Judge Andy Brown met Friday afternoon to announce twin disaster Declaration. The action will help the city access state and federal recovery funds.

AUSTIN, Texas - Local utility crews are now cleaning up the mess that broke Austin's local power grid. With teams from other cities coming to help restore power, Jackie Sargent, the General Manager of Austin Energy, was confident and made this prediction. "At this point, because of the forecast of...