Mayor Johnson: Here’s what to know for Winter Storm Landon’s arrival in Dallas

The city manager’s team and Oncor have expressed confidence in their storm preparations.

The following was adapted from my email newsletter. To sign up, visit MayorofDallas.org.

Winter Storm Landon — another big February freeze — is expected to arrive in Dallas on Wednesday evening.

You might be thinking, Here we go again.

Landon is not supposed to be as bad as Winter Storm Uri in February 2021, but after all that, it’s reasonable for you to wonder and worry. Last year’s winter storm was awful, damaging, demoralizing, and yes, deadly. The state power grid failed everyone, and local government agencies, partner organizations, and ordinary people had to quickly pick up the icy cold pieces.

Thankfully, the people of Dallas proved their resilience in the aftermath of Uri. The Mayor’s Disaster Relief Fund secured major donations and quickly distributed dozens of large grants to nonprofits that were aiding the response and recovery efforts in Dallas neighborhoods. Residents volunteered to help each other in their communities. City Hall sent out mobile warming centers and coordinated distributions of water and other supplies. Dallas Water Utilities avoided the kinds of potable water problems seen in other cities. Advocacy for a federal disaster declaration paid off quickly.

Much of what happens is still out of the control of the city government, which doesn’t have any authority over energy providers or the power grid. But I have spoken with the city manager and the emergency operations team, and they expressed confidence in their preparations to mitigate and minimize the effects of the storm. And generally, everyone is preparing to jump in and help wherever they can.

Based on the forecasts, it looks like Thursday and Friday will be the worst of it, but there’s a chance that temperatures will climb above freezing for a bit on Friday.

Here are some things to know so you can stay safe heading into the end of the week:

Are the roads being treated?

Yes. About 40 Public Works trucks (dubbed the “Ice Force”) will go to work sanding and salting the roads and bridges. The city’s Transportation Department will also be working to put up temporary traffic signals and stop signs in places where traffic signals are knocked out.

But that doesn’t mean it’s safe for you to hop in your car and get out there. Your best bet is to totally stay off the roads if you are able to stay home and wait for the ice to melt. Remember, even a fender bender can put others, including responding Dallas Fire-Rescue personnel, at risk.

If you absolutely must be out on the roads for some reason, here are some safety tips:

Will there be power outages?

Potentially, yes. State leaders have said that while energy demand will increase, they don’t expect what happened last year to happen again.

But even if there are no widespread power outages across parts of the city and the state this time, localized power outages could still pose challenges.

Again, one thing you should keep in mind: the City of Dallas isn’t in the energy production business (that’s privately run), and the city government doesn’t control the power lines (in Dallas, those are owned by Oncor). So if your power is out, the city can only play a supporting role at best.

I spoke this week with Oncor CEO Allen Nye. He is concerned about downed tree limbs and ice buildup affecting their power lines. Oncor has planned ahead by deploying additional crews on standby and has stocked up on replacement equipment in the event of damage. Hopefully, if the power is out, it won’t be out for very long. Oncor has also made fixes to its call center if you need to reach someone.

Here is Oncor’s website to report power outages.

Where are the warming stations?

The city will make its libraries and recreation centers available as warming centers and charging stations for your devices during business hours.

Click here to find a warming station near you. Take note that the locations have varied operating hours.

Mobile warming stations (charter buses) could also be deployed again, so stay tuned for updates on that.

What about at night?

After business hours, if necessary, the city will open up the auditorium at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center (also known as Memorial Auditorium) to help provide a safe, warm space for people in need.

You can sign up for DallasAlert to receive updates by clicking here.

You can also watch for updates on the City of Dallas and Office of Emergency Management Twitter accounts: @CityofDallas and @DallasOEM. You can follow me on Twitter, too, by clicking here.

What about people experiencing homelessness?

The city on Wednesday will open a temporary inclement weather shelter at the Automobile Building at Fair Park. Thanks to the folks at Fair Park First/Spectra for helping make this happen.

The shelter will be open around the clock, and COVID-19 testing will be available on site.

Are the schools closed?

Dallas ISD and Richardson ISD are closed on Thursday and Friday. Other districts have only canceled Thursday so far. Some colleges, such as Dallas College and the University of North Texas, are also canceling classes. And more announcements could be coming soon.

For an up-to-the-moment list, check out NBC5’s compilation here.

What else should you do?

Keep your faucets dripping, cover up your outdoor spigots, charge your devices, bundle up when you go outside, and do what you can to help your neighbors in need.

Also, keep yourself safe. Don’t take any unnecessary risks that put you or anyone else in harm’s way.

That’s all for today. More updates on major policy initiatives to come, but your safety is always the top priority.