Mayor Betsy Price declared a state of local disaster due to severe winter weather. The disaster declaration went into effect on Wednesday and will remain for up to seven days unless the City Council extends it.
Gov. Greg Abbott signed a disaster declaration for all Texas counties on Feb. 12, and Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley signed a disaster declaration on Feb. 16.
The latest City of Fort Worth service updates are listed below:
Boil water notice
A boil water notice remains in effect, covering the northern third of the city.
Because rolling power outages impacted the city’s ability to treat and move water to customers, water customers in the northern third of the city should boil their water prior to consumption (washing hands and face, brushing teeth, drinking, etc.).
Learn more and view a map of the affected area.
Fort Worth Water is not cutting off water to prevent main breaks; however, water may need to be turned off for a period of time to repair main breaks. It is possible for some customers to be without water for several hours while repairs are made.
The old cast iron water pipes don’t like the very low water temperature, and we are seeing an increase in main breaks this week.
It is a good idea to keep some water on hand in case a main break repair is required.
If someone suspects a water main is broken, report the location immediately by calling 817-392-4477 so it can be repaired as soon as possible.
Bottled water distribution
To assist residents who are without consumable water, four Fort Worth fire stations are open to distribute water in the impacted area:
- Station 9, 2575 Polaris Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76137.
- Station 31, 4209 Longstraw Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76137.
- Station 37, 4721 Ray White Road, Keller, TX 76248.
- Station 38, 13280 Park Vista Blvd., Fort Worth, TX 76248.
Residents can also pick up water at this school location:
- Trinity Springs Middle School (Keller ISD), 3350 Keller Hicks Road, Fort Worth, TX 76244.
The utility realizes many affected customers have no water to boil and others have no power to boil the water. Efforts are underway to secure additional water for distribution as quickly as possible. Additional locations will be added.
Distribution at all sites will take place from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17 or until supplies run out. Starting Thursday, Feb. 18, distribution begins at 8 a.m. and will continue as long as supplies last.
Electricity outages
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) continues to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. During the overnight hours, ERCOT was able to restore approximately 3,500 MW of load, which is roughly 700,000 households. However, some of that was lost when the Midwest went into a power emergency of their own, and ERCOT was no longer able to import approximately 600 MW.
On Wednesday, 149,034 Tarrant County residents were without power; power outages are expected to continue through Wednesday.
The Fort Worth Call Center (817-392-1234) is answering phone calls related to rolling electricity outages. Do not call 911 for electricity-related questions.
Road conditions
Roads are snow-covered and icy in spots. Caution is advised when traveling. Stay off the roads if at all possible.
Transportation & Public Works staff continues to conduct sanding operations. Motor graders are plowing bridges, followed by sand trucks to sand after the bridge is plowed.
Call 817-392-1234 to report unsafe road conditions. Or use the MyFW app.
Shelters and warming stations
Fort Worth has extended the hours for the shelter operating at the Fort Worth Convention Center. It is open through noon Thursday for residents who are without power.
Anyone needing the shelter will need to self-transport to the convention center and enter through the Houston Street entrance on the west side of the building. The location is 1201 Houston St., Fort Worth, TX 76102.
Information about the shelter:
- COVID -19 screening will take place before entering the building, and COVID-19 protocols will be in place throughout the shelter.
- Cots will be provided. People should bring their own blankets. The temperature in the shelter is about 60 degrees F.
- Light evening and morning meals will be provided.
- Restrooms are available, but there are no shower facilities.
- Pets will be accommodated in kennels inside the shelter, but may not roam free.
- Self-parking is available at no charge in city garages on Commerce and Houston streets; parking is also available at on-street metered spaces.
The city is also providing warming stations for anyone who needs to have a warm place to go. These warming stations are operating from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through noon Thursday:
Worth Heights Community Center, 3551 New York Ave., Fort Worth, TX 76110; 817-392-8722
Handley Meadowbrook Community Center, 6201 Beaty St., Fort Worth, TX 76112; 817-392-2830
Diamond Hill Community Center, 1701 N.E. 36th St., Fort Worth, TX 76106; 817-392-5485
North Tri-Ethnic Community Center,2950 Roosevelt Ave., Fort Worth, TX 76106; 817-392-5200
Summerglen Library,4205 Basswood Blvd., Fort Worth TX 76137; 817-392-5970
Southwest Community Center, 6300 Welch Ave. Fort Worth, TX 76133
These locations are warming stations only. No meals or cots will be provided; guests may bring in their own snacks. Arrangements have been made to allow residents using the warming stations to bring their pets. The pets will be placed in a temporary kennel while at the station. For safety reasons, pets can’t move freely around the facility.
Solid waste collections
There will be no solid waste collections on Thursday this week. Residential garbage and recycling collections are expected to resume on Friday, Feb. 19 for those whose collections are scheduled for Friday.
Garbage/recycling. To assist with extra bagged garbage, the Solid Waste Division is suspending the “close the lid of your cart” policy through Feb. 27. If you have an extra bag of garbage, place it in the cart even if the lid won’t close. If you have more, you have the option to place two additional bags of garbage beside or behind the cart.
Bulk waste. Collections for Bulk Week 3 are expected to begin on Friday, Feb. 19 and will probably continue into the following week. Collections for Bulk Week 4 will take place once Bulk Week 3 has been completed.
Yard waste. All yard waste collections will be temporarily suspended through Feb. 27 to redirect resources to collecting additional garbage and/or recycling.
Drop-off stations. The city’s four drop-off stations will reopen Friday, Feb.19. Due to intermittent power and remaining road conditions, be extremely careful if you decide to visit the sites.
Environmental Collection Center. The ECC will open as scheduled on Thursday, Feb. 18.
Mass transit
The extreme conditions continue to impact Trinity Metro’s operations.
On Thursday, Feb. 18, Trinity Metro TEXRail and Trinity Railway Express will resume service with modified schedules. All rail passengers may experience delays because of weather conditions. Bus and on-demand ZIPZONE services will not operate.
The customer care kiosk at Fort Worth Central Station will be open to assist passengers and customer care representatives will be available at 817-215-8600. If the main number does not connect, other options are available:
- General Trinity Metro service inquiries: 817-944-9145
- Trinity Metro ACCESS paratransit services: 817-983-8908
The ticket sales center on Cherry Street will be closed Thursday.
Libraries
All Fort Worth Public Library locations will be closed Thursday.
Community centers
All community centers will be closed on Thursday.
Municipal Court
The Fort Worth Municipal Court has canceled all scheduled virtual dockets and will be closed to the public at both service locations through Friday, Feb. 19. Rescheduling notices will be sent out at a later date. All due dates are extended for one week. All regular scheduled services and dockets are currently scheduled to resume Monday, Feb. 22.
Vaccination clinics
All Tarrant County Public Health COVID-19 vaccination sites remain closed. Those who have a second-dose appointment due will be notified and prioritized for vaccination once the clinics reopen. Patients will receive an appointment notification via phone/text/email. Please try to keep that appointment.
A drive-thru vaccination clinic at TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium parking lot has been pushed back to now open on Saturday, Feb. 20.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the second dose should be administered as close to the recommended interval as possible. However, if it is not feasible to adhere to the recommended interval and a delay in vaccination is unavoidable, the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines may be administered up to six weeks (42 days) after the first dose.
How to help
The Fort Worth Fire Department is accepting donations of bottled water at all 43 fire stations. If you can safely travel and take water to your local fire station, it would be appreciated.
The Tarrant County Homeless Coalition is seeking donations of emergency cold weather needs: pillows, blankets, over-the-counter cold and flu medicines, pillowcases, underwear (all sizes), coats, scarves, gloves, hats, heavy and warm socks, twin sheets for emergency mattresses, generators, heaters, sleeping bags, bottled water.Contact Tarrant County Homeless Coalition.
United Way of Tarrant County encourages people to call 2-1-1 or go online for information and resources.
Meals On Wheels Inc. of Tarrant County is asking people to check on their neighbors. Meals On Wheels has delivered emergency shelf-stable meals and is asking volunteers and staff to stay home at this time.
Safely check on your neighbors. Make sure they have food, water and blankets. If you are able to help them, please do so safely. The temperatures will continue to be frigid and the roadways will remain dangerous. Only travel if you absolutely need to travel at this time.
All City Council meetings scheduled for February 16 have been rescheduled for February 23. There will be no solid waste collections on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week. This includes garbage, recycling, yard and bulk services. For information on other city services that are impacted by the inclement weather, visit.