Message from Mayor Joe Chow - February 18, 2021
Dear Addison:
This week has been one for the record books, with extreme cold temperatures breaking records set more than 50 years ago. Addison residents and businesses have experienced sustained power outages and water line breaks that have damaged homes and businesses. Frankly, this has been a miserable experience that we have all had to endure together.
In response to the extreme weather, the Town activated our winter weather response plan to ensure emergency and essential services were available in a timely manner.
Our police officers, fire fighters, and public works crews have been available 24 hours a day since the extreme weather event began to serve the community. These first responders have responded to an incredible number of calls to assist with burst pipes, medical and fire calls, and to perform welfare checks. When Public Works crews have not been sanding streets and intersections or responding to calls for service, they have been patrolling neighborhoods looking for signs of water leaks. I have heard from many residents who received a knock on the door from one of these vigilant employees notifying them of water breaks and offering assistance.
Running a 24-hour response to this extreme weather event has not been easy but I am proud of the work our Town staff has done to serve our residents and businesses. They have left their own families in a time of need to take care of our families.
In addition to our outstanding first responders, I would also like to recognize the efforts of our Parks and Recreation team who opened the Addison Athletic Club as a warming station on Monday night. Together with support from many of the other Town departments, Addison staff members continue to offer around-the-clock respite for those who are without power and/or water. Our plan is to keep the warming center open through at least Friday and then reevaluate its need.
Regarding power outages in Town and across the state, we are all frustrated, maybe even angry, with what we’ve experienced. Some residents have been without power for more than 80 hours; most of us experienced rotating outages; and some never lost power. At the appropriate time, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and Oncor will have to explain what happened and what they will do to ensure they are better prepared for these types of events in the future. The City Council and I are already planning to have conversations with senior leaders at Oncor to discuss the matter. In the meantime, Town staff have been working non-stop to have Oncor restore power to those residents who are still without power. Even though Addison ultimately has no control over these electrical outages, the Town will continue lobbying hard for Oncor to do everything at their disposal to restore power to all residents and businesses as soon as possible.
Finally, while many other cities have issued water conservation or boil water notices, Addison has ample water supply and there is currently no imminent danger of loss of service. Not only did our team do a great job managing the water back-up systems to protect our water supply, but the proactive efforts of our field crews allowed us to shut down many leaks in near real time.
If you need assistance from the city, please don’t hesitate to call the non-emergency dispatch number at 972-450-7156. We will continue to post updates on the Town’s website at www.addisontexas.net as well as Facebook, Twitter and Nextdoor. Our dedicated team stands ready to help you rebuild and recover from the events of the last week.
As proud as I am of the work of Addison’s employees this week, I am equally as proud to see how our community is coming together to help each other out. Neighbors are opening their homes to those without power, providing transportation to our seniors, and helping neighbors navigate water line locations. Please continue to check on your friends and your neighbors because the best path forward is the one we take together.
We are stronger together.
Joe Chow
Mayor of Addison
