Nearly a week after a deadly winter storm tore through Texas, downing trees and downing power lines, around 20,000 residents of the state capital of Austin were still without power.
Temperatures were nearing the mid-70s Monday afternoon, but the forecast for wind and rain for later in the week could throw another dent in restoration efforts.
Austin Energy now says all residents won’t get their power back until February 12, frustrating city leaders who called a meeting Thursday to review the employment of Austin city manager Spencer Cronk.
“I added the emergency item to the agenda this morning because the handling of this situation and the lack of clear, timely and accurate communication has left our community in the dark. It is unacceptable. The City of Austin can and will do better.” “. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, who took office last month, said in a statement Monday.
WINTER STORM IN TEXAS: FREEZING RAIN AND ICY CONDITIONS DOWNWARD TREES AND POWER LINES
Cronk, who essentially serves as chief executive of city government and manages a staff of about 14,000, told reporters Monday that he is “laser-focused on restoring power to all of our customers and making sure we’re getting through this meteorological event successfully”.
“I serve at the discretion of this new mayor and council, and I will have that conversation with them on Thursday,” Cronk said at a news conference. “I’m here to make sure we’re directly responding to this weather event. So that’s been my only focus. I’m so grateful to our amazing city staff who have been doing the same.”
Cronk did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
A large oak tree lies in the backyard of a home after a winter storm in Austin, Texas, USA, on Friday, February 3, 2023. (Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
More than 150,000 Austinites lost power at the peak of the outages last week, while about 439,000 Texans lost power across the state.
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Councilmember Mackenzie Kelly requested an audit of Austin Energy’s response to the storm to investigate the adequacy of the city’s vegetation management plan, the utility’s operating practices and other matters.
“As elected representatives, it is our duty to take charge when difficult times happen in our community,” Kelly said on February 3. “During the February 2023 freeze, our community needed answers and didn’t get them. That’s why it’s important that we make an effort as a step forward to answer the call of so many Austinians.”
