As a bitter arctic blast will push through the Rio Grande Valley late Thursday, Brownsville city officials will open a warming center at 8 a.m. for those in need of a warm place to stay.
The warming center is located at the Downtown Parks and Recreation Center at 1338 East 8th Street. The warming center will be opened through 12 a.m. Saturday.
The warming center, unlike a shelter, will be a place where people go and recharge their cellphones and warm up during the frigid temperatures, said Chief Jarret Sheldon, of the Brownsville Fire Department. Should the warming center start to get overcrowded, city officials will open another building, the fire chief said.
Pets are permitted if they are either crated or leashed.
If people need to a warm place to sleep, Sheldon said there is plenty of room at the Ozanam Center and authorities will help find transportation to Ozanam Center.
Should there be a power outage at the downtown recreation center, the warming center will be relocated to the Brownsville Sports Park Dome at 1000 Sports Park Blvd.
Sheldon said the department’s community paramedics will be driving around the city to inform the homeless and others about the warming center being set up and where shelter for them will be available.
The fire chief said residents should check their heaters and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they are working properly. They should also be mindful to care for people, plants, and pets to make sure they are in warm places.
According to the National Weather Service in Brownsville/Rio Grande Valley, strong winds will accompany the cold front and there’s a chance there could be some power outages, especially along and east of IH-69E.
Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez said city officials have been in repeated contact with Brownsville Public Utilities Board regarding how BPUB is preparing for the arctic blast of cold air.
“They have made preparations to have the Silas Ray generation plant available in case we need additional capacity, additional generation for electricity in case there is an issue with our grid like we saw last year with the freeze, that is something that is going to be available. There will be some capacity there,” Mendez said.
What the city experienced in February 2021, when many BPUB customers were without power for hours, is something Mendez hopes not to see again adding that the power failure was caused by ERCOT and it was something that was out of the city’s control.
“That to me was a big failure on the part of the state in ensuring we had enough capacity and I hope that they have learned from that and have some sort of plan in place to avoid that from happening again. That’s out of the city of Brownsville’s control unfortunately, we do remain at the mercy of the state,” Mendez said. “Everything that is in our control, I feel like we are very much prepared.”
Because the NWS reports there’s a possibility that icing and sleet could occur on the state highways in and around Brownsville, Interim City Manager Helen Ramirez said the city has been in contact with the Texas Department of Transportation should barricades need to be placed on the highways within the city limits.
“If there is ice on our expressways or underneath our bridges, we will be ready with barricades in case they call and state that it is too dangerous to drive in those areas,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez said the city also has the 546-HELP Line that residents can use should they need assistance or to find out if there is some type of power outage in their area.
The city also has employees that are on call should their assistance be needed during the weather situation, Ramirez said.
“If we need to call in emergency operations, our executive team is prepared for that scenario,” Ramirez said. “We would definitely want to keep the communication flowing as much as possible understanding that can be social media or through our phone lines.”
City officials urge residents to take the following actions should they be loss of power:
>> Have extra water and food such as dried fruit, nuts and other foods that do not require cooking;
>> Have extra baby supplies such as diapers and formula;
>> Have first aid supplies;
>> Have a battery operated NOAA weather radio and portable radio to receive emergency information if possible;
>> Make sure you have a fireplace, wood stove or space heater that is properly ventilated to prevent a fire;
>> Refuel heating carriers before they are empty;
>> Review generator safety;
>> Make sure your carbon monoxide detector is working properly;
>> Make sure you have a fire extinguisher;
>> Make sure you have a flashlight and extra batteries;
>> Make sure you have extra pet food and warm shelter for pets;
To help conserve the heat and energy residents are encouraged to the following:
>> Turn down thermostats to 68 degrees;
>> Close shades and blinds to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows;
>> Turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances;
>> Avoid using large appliances such as ovens and washing machines;
>> Wear warm, comfortable clothing;
>> Stay home during extreme weather conditions;
>> Observe road condition warnings at all times.
