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Several boats sink during pro-Trump parade on Austin's Lake Travis
05 September 2020
Several boats sank during a parade in support of President Donald Trump on Lake Travis in Austin on Saturday.
Several boats sank on Lake Travis Saturday while taking part in a parade in support of President Donald Trump, according to the Travis County Sheriff's Office.
TCSO responded to multiple calls involving boats in distress during the Trump parade on Lake Travis. Several boats did sink.— Travis County SO (@Travis County SO)1599335336.0
No fatalities or injuries have been reported, and the office does not suspect foul play, according to a report by the Associated Press.
MEDIA: #ATCEMS has not been involved in any of the boat sinking incidents on Lake Travis today. No injuries or medi… https://t.co/stizsiRRHi— ATCEMS (@ATCEMS)1599336023.0
The event was scheduled for midday on Saturday and included parachute jumpers, according to a Facebook event page. More than 8,600 people registered as interested.
INBOX: Trump Pence Boat Parade in the liberal city of Austin Texas! Boats for as far as the eye can see. Military v… https://t.co/tVSeME567Q— Abigail Marone (@Abigail Marone)1599332104.0
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Emojis Grilled Cheese Bar owner Hope Green.
After the devastating blow of the pandemic, Emojis Grilled Cheese Bar owner Hope Green saw a surge in sales last summer. The outpouring of community support for Black-owned businesses came in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and nationwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice. But for Emojis the support has been fleeting.
<p>"It's like a fad type of thing," she told Austonia. "Oh, it's cool this week to patronize a Black-owned business, but then people tend to revert back to their natural instincts."</p><p>When the pandemic began, Green—like many of her peers—had to reinvent her business model after 10 successful years. Pre-COVID, the Emojis food truck predominantly operated out of office parks and festivals, such as Austin City Limits and Blues on the Green. With offices mostly closed and large events canceled due to public health concerns, Green pivoted: first to taking the truck to area apartment complexes around lunchtime and then settling into a permanent spot on East 12th Street. But foot traffic was slow. "Then you add the overhead on top of this drastic cut in customers, it's just mind-boggling," she said, citing a nearly 90% drop in revenue. </p><p>Starting in late May, Austinites took to the streets by the thousands in response to the police killings of Floyd, in Minneapolis, and Mike Ramos locally. They also sought ought Black-owned businesses to support.</p><p>Jane Ko, an influencer who runs the Austin food and travel blog A Taste of Koko, published a widely shared list of Black-owned restaurants on June 1. Similar round-ups appeared in <a href="https://www.austinmonthly.com/black-owned-businesses-to-support-in-austin/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Austin Monthly</a>, <a href="https://austin.eater.com/2020/6/5/21281954/how-to-support-austin-black-owned-restaurants-trucks-food-businesses" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Eater</a> and other local outlets.</p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CA4PlVJnoN7/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CA4PlVJnoN7/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CA4PlVJnoN7/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by KOKO | Austin Food Blogger (@atasteofkoko)</a><br/></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div><p>Austin residents turned up in droves. But at Emojis this influx petered out fairly quickly.</p><p>Green was grateful for a similar show of support at Emojis Grilled Cheese. But it coincided with pandemic-related supply chain issues. "I just wanted to reach out to you all to say thank you so much for all of the support that we've received in the last couple of days," she said in a June 22 YouTube video. "And I just wanted to ask if our new customers, our new partnerships would consider making a future purchase, whether it's buying a gift card or booking an event on our calendar, just to kind of spread the love out a little bit more."</p><p> As an alternative, Green recommended Austinites support Black-owned businesses by visiting them regularly or buying gift cards to share with others—"as opposed to a thousand people coming all on one day because it's Black History Month or Black Lives Matters."</p><p>Such regular business is the holy grail for any business owner, especially given the added challenges of the pandemic. "If 10 steady customers came to my truck every day for six months, my business would not go under," Green said. "My business would be fine."</p><p>Emojis wasn't the only business to see such a show of support.</p><p>"Thanks to your overwhelming support, we are sold out of many key menu items!" A Taste of Ethiopia, which has locations in Pflugerville and on South Congress Avenue, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CBJH2dTlX71/?utm_source=ig_embed" target="_blank">posted on Instagram</a> June 7. That same day, Bird Bird Biscuit on Manor Road closed so that its staff could rest. "It's been so much support that we are actually going to have to take a little break and regroup," co-founder and Chef Brian Batch <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CBHPfyxFoiD/" target="_blank">said in a video</a> posted to the social media site.<br/></p><p>Burgerlicious, a local food truck that rotates between Arbor Food Park on East 12th Street and Southern Heights Brewing at Techni Center, saw a similar influx. "We had orders pouring in, and we were able to get enough product," owner Vernetta Weston <a href="https://austonia.com/austin-black-owned-restaurants/login-instagram-1" target="_self">told Austonia at the time</a>. "We filled the truck up to the rafters."</p><p>Tavel Bristol-Joseph, chef-partner at the farm-to-table restaurant Emmer & Rye, Fareground's Henbit and TLV, and open-hearth Hestia and Spanish-inspired Kalimotxo downtown, continues to see an increase in new customers.</p><p>"As much as it was a lot of support coming to our business, it was also more importantly a lot of African American diners that came out to support their own," he said. "To me that was exciting."</p><p>Bristol-Joseph's also mentioned the benefits of gift card purchases and to-go orders in addition to dine-in customers and <a href="https://emmer-and-rye.myshopify.com/" target="_blank">retail purchases</a>. "I think that support has continued," he said of the summertime surge. "As long as you come into our doors, because of the service and the quality of the service that we offer, you will come back."</p>
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On Barton Springs and S. Lamar, workers dug deep to fix the issue in the road this week. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
As Austin's "icepocalypse" melts into the rearview mirror, though day-to-day life has mostly resumed, the city has a long, arduous recovery process ahead. It seems as though no area was immune to the damage inflicted by the historic winter storm.
<p>Apartment complexes struggled, pipes broke, churches flooded and people were displaced from their homes, jobs and families for nearly a week.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="3024" data-rm-shortcode-id="9129b27ea2300aaf0f3eff54378bbe61" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY5OTg4MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNTgwNDk2Mn0.XgOxMAsV3qpIp3hXQTYLNJJdhgiUb8qsVS-JgXGeVAM/img.jpg?width=980" data-width="4032" id="c1f94" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption..." spellcheck="false">Though much of downtown was less affected during the storm, Gables West Avenue sustained major damage to the clubhouse. </small></p>
<p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="3456" data-rm-shortcode-id="c834df47030cd642a5816a1625253d04" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY5NzM5Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MzY3NTk1Mn0.uoZv25AG6kcTg4Gq6k2b-7uPO_z4BRaKvHrYRO42NUM/img.jpg?width=980" data-width="5184" id="4d391" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption..." spellcheck="false">Zilker Elementary School was surrounded by a perimeter of fallen branches and leaves due to the storm on Thursday. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(Laura Figi/Austonia)</small></p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="3000" data-rm-shortcode-id="a905797f33696bca62eacd149cc338fb" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY5NzQyOS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNzcyNDk4MH0.asGZ9d8nYLN9T199xmxxA18DDBz8sHF7djOhpYEf_b4/img.png?width=980" data-width="2000" id="c4209" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Early into the storm, Gables West Avenue had at least two pipes break.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(Laura Figi/Austonia)</small></p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="3024" data-rm-shortcode-id="cb5f6605a1cc99f7493e7df632103a2b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY5NzQzMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MDg3OTY3MH0.F6U6XVogSHHPhQ-ej0OlrfuwhtPiZEbeVod3ECzFhmI/img.jpg?width=980" data-width="4032" id="0db38" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Plants are in a dire state—most regional plants are not meant to be exposed to such extreme weather.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(Laura Figi/Austonia)</small></p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="3456" data-rm-shortcode-id="0baf8d42367926e7953e326569ea64ab" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY5NzQzMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3NDkxOTM2Nn0.8JycL6XrybtQgUyiYYy-VuDflUglNXRN3S3pkRq-FgY/img.jpg?width=980" data-width="5184" id="a0779" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption..." spellcheck="false">Although the Retreat apartment complex on South Lamar has had its essentials restored, leasing manager Emma Riggins said every building in the complex had some sort of pipe freeze or burst.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(Laura Figi/Austonia)</small></p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="3456" data-rm-shortcode-id="f9679daa5b61f5b123d4797a20c223e8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY5NzQ0My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTY2NDQ5N30.UmmHIahM_9WPEI-9mPD2TTOJk-6zf-aFcLA95qgBA0A/img.jpg?width=980" data-width="5184" id="0c907" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">An entire building at the Retreat was blocked off due to damage.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(Laura Figi/Austonia)</small></p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="3456" data-rm-shortcode-id="81793bdac700ffa8e51031184bbdbe82" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY5NzQ0OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMDY4NDAzMX0.KjAjp-twOz5NPWl6HzaXH9thaMFie7ilVfhG8P-tnlo/img.jpg?width=980" data-width="5184" id="4baf8" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Joe, a landscaper working on the property, said all areas of Austin got hit hard by tree damage. He estimates it will take about a month to clean up the whole city.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(Laura Figi/Austonia)</small></p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="3456" data-rm-shortcode-id="ef553ab876c7c292d215291966017153" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY5NzQ1NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzQ1NzMwMH0.a67Moc4oPtQnDPYssdIRMPb3B-IcnUvZzVMGI9leaVM/img.jpg?width=980" data-width="5184" id="56ae9" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption..." spellcheck="false">Pearl Lantana Leasing Agent Lisa Messenger said, "it's been the storm of the century" for the complex, which has brought in repair companies from out of state to fix the complex.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(Laura Figi/Austonia)</small></p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="3456" data-rm-shortcode-id="854f85c64e4c37068f143a689686ea38" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY5NzQ3NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MDYyNTcxMn0.Ts_vGXBmpTmOBzWl4W74Q2codmi1ShNJcfbP8jqDsE0/img.jpg?width=980" data-width="5184" id="7010d" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption..." spellcheck="false">The complex is still having issues fixing pipes and getting hot water to some residents, but 444 out of 500 apartments are back in working order as of Friday.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(Laura Figi/Austonia)</small></p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="3024" data-rm-shortcode-id="3cfe38ecf2b9f60e8083e209729fda48" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY5NzQ3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTQwNDk3N30.fEjrHLTYmQBNKlTfmNMoLdrY0tIovEthyCy3bnNrlLk/img.jpg?width=980" data-width="4032" id="9af7e" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption..." spellcheck="false">Marble Falls Church of Christ estimates that after the building flooded, the repair costs will be above $600,000. (Photo courtesy of Greg Neill)</small></p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="3024" data-rm-shortcode-id="c3f0d0bb23196246df32a0e1a6b4d179" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY5NzQ4My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3NDIxNDY2Nn0.vcxbw4KurNZQPZhzGkFBrkmtpiOkl2fklB1zcyymLT8/img.jpg?width=980" data-width="4032" id="884dd" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption..." spellcheck="false">Preaching minister Greg Neill said he was amazed at how the community came together to help the church take care of damage. (Photo courtesy of Greg Neill)</small></p><p>The road to recovery is long but thankfully, the worst is over.</p>
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Pearl Lantana Apartments is one of many apartment complexes around town without running water due to plumbing issues. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
The last night Stephanie Landgraf, 25, spent in her apartment, off of Rundberg Lane, was on Valentine's Day. First, her power went off, only to return shortly after the complex lost water. Since then, she's been staying with friends. "There's no end in sight," she told Austonia. "At this point, I'm just angry."
<p>Although Austin Water announced it had restored service system-wide on Tuesday and reporting on the crisis has faded, some residents remain impacted due to burst and broken pipes that still need repairing. Landgraf's apartment complex provided an update earlier this week, attributing the outage to a shortage of specific plumbing parts and saying that service would be restored within 24 hours. That was three days ago. </p><p>Landgraf spent Friday, her day off, trying to get a hold of Austin Water. If her service isn't restored by Sunday, she'll get a hotel room—an expense that isn't covered by her renters' insurance. Still, she counts herself lucky to have an alternative place to stay. If she was still in her apartment, she would need to find a way to get water up to her unit. "My area of town is not okay," she said, adding that her neighbors were already spread thin by the pandemic. "We're still struggling." </p><p><strong>Ongoing repairs</strong> </p><p>After nearly a week of widespread outages and a boil water notice, Austin Water announced it had restored service and lifted its notice citywide on Tuesday. But hundreds of apartment complexes and other properties still lack water because of unresolved pipe breaks. Although these complexes may be able to restore water service, they cannot do so without risking flooding or other damage. </p><p>"I would anticipate right now there's at least two to four hundred apartment complexes, condos, areas served by interior piping systems … that are out of water in one form or another," Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros told City Council Thursday. "That's changing rapidly, but that's a very large number. And that doesn't count single-family homes or others that are struggling with those kinds of things." </p><p>The utility, along with the city of Austin, is working to deliver water to impacted residents, conduct wellness checks and facilitate repairs on private properties now that the public system is stable. But some residents are still without a basic necessity.</p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I haven't had running water in my apartment in over a week. This is an absolute disaster, <a href="https://twitter.com/AustinWater?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AustinWater</a> . Pick up your phone. I have some things to say. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SnowStorm2021?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SnowStorm2021</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TexasPowerOutage?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TexasPowerOutage</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TexasBlackout?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TexasBlackout</a> <a href="https://t.co/W8ZU0n573N">pic.twitter.com/W8ZU0n573N</a><br/>— masky gal (@SistasgonResist) <a href="https://twitter.com/SistasgonResist/status/1365359522836013056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div><p>"In many, many instances, families including children are living in unsanitary conditions with water shut off," Miguel Barbosa said during the public portion of Thursday's council meeting. "People need toilets. Families need showers. This is risky, and quite frankly it is life-threatening."<br/></p><p>Property owners and management companies, on the other hand, are competing for repair services and other amenities. </p><p>Pinnacle, which manages the Arboretum Oaks property in Great Hills, sent an update to residents on Wednesday saying that 10 additional plumbers are expected to arrive this weekend to help with ongoing plumbing repairs. The property has been without water for days now. The company was also in the process of securing portable showers and toilets from vendors that are pulling inventory from other states due to high demand. Until they arrive, residents can schedule a time to use a shower in one of five vacant units at the Argosy at Crestview, a sister property 15 minutes away by car. </p><p><strong>What residents can do</strong> </p><p>Residents without water should call 311 to report the outage. This will help with coordinating water deliveries and other support services, Juan Ortiz, the city's director of homeland security and emergency management, said Thursday.</p><p>Water distribution sites operated by the city and Travis County are being consolidated due to declining demand. One such site, at the Onion Creek Soccer Complex at 5600 E. William Cannon Drive, is open on Friday. The latest information on such sites can be found <a href="http://austintexas.gov/weatherinfo#winterwaterdistro" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Austin Water has not forgotten those who are still dealing with pipe damage and waiting for their water service to be restored. "We're going to stay on this and help these apartment complexes and others get water back to their systems," Meszaros said. But, he added, it will likely be "many days" before their crisis is over.</p>
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