Dallas city officials are preparing for a winter storm this weekend that's expected to send temperatures plunging below freezing beginning Friday with the potential for ice and sleet. Temperatures will stay below freezing until Tuesday.
Kevin Oden, director of emergency management and crisis response, said at a Wednesday press conference that the city was in a "pre-incident posture," and the Emergency Operations Center would activate Saturday morning. That center will coordinate across city departments to address any issues related to the weather.
"Our main focus is protecting life, maintaining our critical services and responding quickly to any impacts that occur," Oden said.
Will the roads be safe?
No. City officials urged residents to avoid driving unless absolutely necessary.
"If you can, stay home, because there will be a lot of car accidents." said Chief of Dallas Fire-Rescue Justin Ball.
"The roads will be really icy," Ball said. "And in our experience, there's a lot of wrecks on the highways — even if they're driving slow."
Gus Khankarli, director of the city's transportation department, said his team would be pre-treating bridges, overpasses, inclines and intersections at major throughfares with sand. Roads along public transit routes and around medical facilities will also be treated, but residential roads will not be sanded unless requested by emergency services.
Ball said if you are in a car accident on an icy road, stay in your vehicle, call 911 and wait for emergency services to get there.
Where can people without homes or heat go for shelter?
The city will open an inclement weather shelter at The Grand in Fair Park at 4 p.m. on Friday and it'll remain open while there are freezing conditions. The shelter can fit between 800 and 900 people, but a backup building has also been identified if that capacity is reached.
"We have transportation resources available if there are persons anywhere in the city that are experiencing unsheltered homelessness and would like to be at the shelter," Oden said. "We can get to them, we can provide them transportation and make sure that they are safely cared for during this event."
People can call 311 to request a ride to the shelter. Oden said a crisis intervention team will also be conducting welfare checks and outreach to people experiencing homelessness.
Lingering impact of Winter Storm Uri
City Manager Kimberly Tolbert said the city has learned a lot since Winter Storm Uri, the 2021 winter storm that killed 264 people and knocked out power for millions of Texans.
Tolbert said the city improved its coordination and communication during emergencies and that a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant allowed Dallas to equip recreational centers with emergency generators to act as shelters if needed.
"If we need to then open up those spaces for even community people where their electricity might go out — they might need to just go and charge their cell phone — they will be able to go to a rec center to do that," Tolbert said.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which oversees the state’s power grid, said this week its ready for the cold weather. The council put out a weather watch on Wednesday due to "forecasted below-freezing temperatures with the possibility of frozen precipitation across the ERCOT region, higher electrical demand, and the potential for lower reserves."
Dylan Duke is KERA's Breaking News Reporter. Got a tip? Email Dylan Duke at dduke@kera.org.
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