City of San Antonio Issues Winter Weather Advisory

February 13, 2021 - San Antonio

By Valeria Torrealba, Senior Reporter | San Antonio Sentinel

In anticipation of the severe weather conditions ahead of the winter storm, Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff issued a joint emergency declaration for the City of San Antonio. The declaration activates the City of San Antonio and Bexar County emergency management plans. The declaration also enables the city and county to seek state and federal reimbursements for services rendered in response to the unprecedented and severe weather conditions.

“Bexar County is being impacted by some record low temperatures and icy conditions.  County Emergency Operations are in full effect to safeguard our residents as much as possible. However, this weather is shaping up to hang around longer than originally anticipated.  We urge every resident to seek shelter from the cold, warm their homes safely, and to stay off the roads,” Wolff said.

The City of San Antonio continues to monitor expected winter weather and encourages residents to take proper precautions ahead of the expected major winter storm. The region is projected to see patchy, freezing drizzle and freezing rain through the weekend, along with a chance of sleet with a change to snow on Sunday night. These conditions could make travel difficult. 

“Play it safe and take the weather forecast seriously. Stay at home if you can and don’t make risky, unnecessary trips when ice is on the road,” Nirenberg said.

A major winter storm will move across the region Sunday afternoon through Monday morning. Snow and ice are expected. Travel will be difficult to near impossible in these conditions. Blowing snow in some areas could also reduce visibility and snow may obscure the ice underneath. Travel is highly discouraged Sunday night through Monday. Should there be need to travel, precautions should be taken — such as driving lower than the speed limit and staying alert on the road. 

“The San Antonio Police Department and Public Works are actively monitoring roadway conditions.  Please help keep emergency response crews safe by limiting your travel as this severe winter weather system travels through our region. Please call 311 to report service issues and 911 for all emergencies,” City Manager Erik Walsh said.

City services will continue as normally scheduled, unless noted below. Residents are encouraged to report any service issues to 311. The San Antonio Fire Department also provides winter weather safety information at this link. The public can sign up for SMS text message alerts by sending COSAGOV to 55000 or downloading the Ready South Texas app on their mobile device.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is expecting record energy use throughout the state throughout the weekend and early into next week. CPS Energy is requesting that customers take steps now and through the weekend to reduce energy use for both electric and natural gas service. Residents can help conserve energy by setting thermostats between 68-70 degrees, keeping doors and windows closed to prevent heat loss and wear warm, comfortable clothing.

Cold weather Safety Tips

• Check frequently on those without heat

• Keep heaters at least three feet from anything that can catch fire

• Never use your oven to heat your home

• Only use generators outside, at least 20 feet from windows and doors

• Bring outdoor pets inside or provide a warm shelter

• Protect plants by covering them or bringing them inside

• Protect outdoor pipes by covering and insulating

Public Works

• The Public Works Department is monitoring weather conditions, around the clock, and will dispatch crews as needed to spread a gravel, de-icing material on roadways and highway overpasses connected to City streets that are not maintained by TxDOT.

• Public Works will also have street sweeping crews on standby to remove accumulated de-icing material from roadways, once weather conditions have improved. Residents are urged to please contact 311 to report any concerns about fallen tree limbs or malfunctioning traffic signals.

Solid Waste

• The San Antonio Solid Waste Department will not operate the Bitters and Nelson Gardens Collection Centers on Sunday, February 14.

Department of Human Services

• Senior Centers: Curbside pickup and delivery of meals by the Department of Human Services is cancelled on Monday, February 15. Meal distribution will resume on Tuesday, February 16, at its regularly scheduled time.

• Shelter for people experiencing homelessness: The Department of Human Services, in coordination with providers, has continued to conduct on the ground outreach to those experiencing homeless to encourage people experiencing unsheltered homelessness to access available shelter options. Haven for Hope is open to anyone seeking shelter from the cold. 

  • All clients sleep indoors and are given blankets, food, snacks and cold weather clothing, including warm jackets.  Haven for Hope has expanded cold weather sleeping capacity for individuals to stay inside and warm the entire weekend. 

  • DHS and SAMMinistries teams have visited known homeless encampments this week to update people experiencing homelessness about the weather forecast and offer transportation to shelters and cold weather gear. The City of San Antonio also has hotel rooms on standby in the event that additional shelter space is needed.

• Emergency shelters: These locations will be practicing social distancing, requiring masks and limiting numbers.

  • CUB (Church Under the Bridge) 724 Chestnut, 78202 (near Nolan and HWY 281) - 5:30 p.m. Saturday through Monday night to hand out about 40 bed tickets. It’s first come first serve. Once they have a ticket, intake process will begin at 7pm. Dinner, breakfast and a movie will be provided.

  • Life Restored Church: 400 Arbor Place (a couple blocks from Haven) will open Saturday, Sunday and possibly Monday night for 20 people. People can start lining up at 5pm to request a ticket for a bed and those intakes will begin at 6pm. They will also provide dinner, breakfast and a movie.

  • Haven for Hope is open to ANYONE seeking shelter from the cold that will be willing to shelter in place and follow CDC guidelines of social distancing and mask wearing. All clients sleep indoors and are given cold-weather clothing, including warm jackets. They will open for this emergency weather process at 3pm (Friday February 12, 2021). This is not an official campus enrollment, so no clean urine analysis or ID are required.

  • Salvation Army Dave Coy Men’s Shelter- 226 Nolan Street Nightly shelter enrollment begins at 3 p.m. daily through 8 p.m. meals provided too first come first serve. Individuals must be 18 years or older and provide a picture ID at the time of enrollment. New visitors will receive the first three nights for free and enrolled clients pay $12.50 per night.

  • Corazon Ministries at Travis Park Church: 230 E. Travis 10-12 people starting February 11 thru possibly Tuesday or Wednesday or when below freezing stops. Showers will be available. They will check people in at 4 p.m. taking the first twelve. Light breakfast each morning guests will leave the building and the space will be cleaned for the next evening. Their medical center is open on Sundays at 8 a.m. and Thursdays at 4 p.m. They will operate as normal.

  • Last Chance Ministries: 404 Brady Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78207. They can take approximately 75 men and women (no children). Doors will open at 8 p.m. Point of contact is Pastor Janie (210) 873-0660.

  • Roy Maas Youth-3103 West Ave. Alternatives Centro Seguro Drop-in Center for youth ages 24 and younger remains open 24/7

• Warm supply resources and HUBs:

  • Catholic Worker House is not opening for emergency shelter but will keep moving forward with their usual food distribution Monday through Friday. They are closed on the weekends. But they will serve lunch bags Friday morning along with breakfast and hot lunch Monday morning.

  • CAM: 110 McCullough - food distribution on Friday and Saturday morning beginning at 7:30am. During distribution they will be handing out hand warmers, jackets, and blankets, socks, hats, gloves. Showers will be closed Saturday and Monday. CAM will hang signs on property for folks to know where to go. CAM will resume morning meal service Tuesday morning. Contact (210) 223-4099 www.cam-sa.org.

  • San Fernando HUB: 319 W. Travis South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless (SARAH), in partnership with the City of San Antonio Department of Human Services, organized a collection drive for cold weather materials, including jackets, blankets, socks, and more. Items can be picked up at the San Fernando Homeless Resource Hub located at 319 W. Travis St. from Monday to Friday between 1 and 4 p.m. Meals are provided at this HUB as well.

  • Outreach workers and nonprofits serving the homeless have been in the field and will be disseminating information and supplies. CAM will have signs on their fences laminated all weekend to guide people where they can go for help.

Metro Health

• COVID-19 Vaccines: COVID-19 vaccine appointments at the Alamodome scheduled for Monday, February 15  have been rescheduled to Friday, February 19 at the same appointment times. People seeking a warm place to stay should call 211.  

• COVID-19 Testing: COVID-19 Testing Sites located at Cuellar and Ramirez Community Centers will be closed February 13th- 15th due to inclement weather. For the latest information visit the website.

Animal Care Services

• The best way to protect pets during a winter storm is to bring them inside. Pets (especially cats) are safer indoors. If you are unable to have pets inside, consider purchasing an insulated doghouse or build a protective enclosure that shields your pet from the elements and gives them a safe, warm place to rest.

• Although outdoor pets need proper shelter because it protects them from the elements, it’s also the law here in San Antonio and violators face zero tolerance during extreme weather events. Fines generally start at $300 per violation.

• Pets who stay outdoors without shelter may also seek warmth anywhere they can. To prevent a dog from escaping the yard, repair broken fencing and gates and fill in any holes along fence lines.

San Antonio International Airport

• If you are flying out of San Antonio International Airport (SAT), be sure to check SAT Twitter and Facebook social media accounts @SATairport for official updates regarding airport conditions.

• To confirm flight status, contact your airline directly or visit www.flysanantonio.com to check flight status. If travel is necessary, please use extreme caution and check road conditions in and around San Antonio International Airport.

Bexar County

• Bexar County Public Works has implemented 24 rotation of crews in three service centers.  Crews are monitoring 249 bridges for it in addition to roadways in unincorporated Bexar County.  They are also providing assistance and materials to all suburban cities as needed.

County road closures are posted in real-time and can be found at https://roadclosures.bexar.org/

Valeria Torrealba is an opinions columnist and public relations assistant at the University Star, a student publication of Texas State University. Email her at reporter@sasentinel.com