Dallas responding to twice as many crashes, fires, welfare checks
Dallas Fire-Rescue Chief Justin Ball said his department has responded to twice as many crashes, fires and welfare checks as normal since Winter Storm Fern arrived in North Texas.
During an online news conference Saturday evening, Ball said Dallas Fire-Rescue crews are also out looking for anybody who is unhoused and still out on the streets. Because of the dangerous freeze, crews are taking people they find on the streets to shelters to keep them safe and warm.
Friday night saw the shelters in Dallas fill up faster than ever, with more than 800 people checking in, according to Kevin Oden, the city’s director of emergency management and crisis response.
Shelters can take more people, so city officials urge anybody without heat or shelter to seek out a warming station or overnight shelter. If you have a neighbor or family member you worry may not have reliable heating, call 311 to request assistance for them.
By 4:30 p.m. Saturday, police and fire-rescue had responded to 57 crashes, Executive Assistant Police Chief Terrance Rhodes said.
Officers are also working security at shelters.
City officials also said to expect delays in trash pickup, though crews may be deployed to deal with things like fallen trees or branches.
City hall will be closed to the public through Monday and officials are asking for residents to be patient with city staff responding to calls about animals and non-emergency calls. Road conditions have made it necessary for those teams to drive slower than usual.
North Texas polling locations closed
Winter weather has prompted election leaders in Tarrant County to close nine polling locations where voters are casting ballots in a state senate runoff election.
The special runoff election for State Senate District 9 sees Fort Worth Democrat and labor organizer Taylor Rehemet facing off with Leigh Wambsganss, a Southlake Republican and executive of Patriot Mobile, a wireless phone provider known for its conservative political activism.
Most of the polls are expected to reopen Sunday, but some will remain closed Sunday.
The closure leaves 13 early voting locations open. The nine polling locations closed Saturday are:
- Bedford Public Library in Bedford, also closed Sunday
- Handley-Meadowbrook Community Center in Fort Worth, also closed Sunday
- Como Community Center in Fort Worth, also closed Sunday
- North Park YMCA in Fort Worth, reopening Sunday
- Tarrant County Plaza Building in Fort Worth, Reopening Sunday
- Summerglen Branch Library in Fort Worth, reopening Sunday
- White Settlement Public Library in White Settlement, reopening Sunday
- Saginaw Public Library in Saginaw, reopening Saturday
- Grapevine Public Library, also closed Sunday
These polling locations are open now but had a delayed start Saturday morning:
- Anna May Daulton Elementary School in Grand Prairie, opened 8:30 a.m. Saturday
- Keller Town Hall in Keller, opened at 8:30 a.m. Saturday
- Sheriff's Office North Patrol Division, opened 9 a.m. Saturday.
In the special elections for Frisco and Plano, Denton and Collin Counties closed all polling locations for Saturday.
Both counties' websites cite the health and safety of voters and election workers as the reason for the closures. There's no word yet on if they'll stay closed or potentially open late as the winter storm continues into Sunday.
Power outages affect thousands
Oncor says more than 14,000 Texans are without power after Winter Storm Fern pushed into the state overnight.
Just in Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant Counties, nearly 3,000 Oncor customers have had electricity interruptions.
Customers without power in Tarrant County, of which there are more than 700, have the longest predicted wait in North Texas with power not expected to be fully restored until around 9:30 p.m. Saturday.
In Dallas County, where 1,748 are without power, Oncor expects to have electricity restored around 2 p.m.
The same timeline applies for Collin County, where the company says 27 customers are without power.
Denton County currently has the fastest restoration time, according to Oncor. Its 436 customers are expected to have power back by 1:30 p.m.
A winter storm warning is in effect for North Texas until Sunday at noon, according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.
The service is urging North Texans to stay off the roads, prepare for power and travel impacts and have an emergency kit ready, if possible.
Snow, sleet and freezing rain are expected to continue into Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
Even after the winter storm ends, forecasters warn that life-threatening cold will stick around through at least Monday.
For Saturday, freezing rain and sleet are expected to assail the DFW Metroplex around noon and linger until 4 p.m.
More sleet is precited around midnight and 8 a.m. Sunday.
By the end of the storm, the National Weather Service forecasts the combined snow and sleet accumulations to be anywhere from 1 inch to 5 inches. Ice is predicted to reach up to a quarter inch of accumulation.
This will be updated throughout the weekend.
