The Woodlands Township Update During Winter Storm

THE WOODLANDS, TX - Here is a Township update regarding the winter storm and its effect on residents of The Woodlands.

Water Supply in The Woodlands Is Safe; No Boil Notice Is In Effect
The Woodlands Water Agency released the following statement today from James M. Stinson, P.E., General Manager of The Woodlands Water Agency: “The water supply in The Woodlands remains safe and the distribution system of the Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs) serving our community is strong. Contrary to social media rumors and confusion about notices from other area government entities, there is no boil notice in The Woodlands.

“We know customers are facing plumbing challenges at home. Our crews continue to respond 24/7. If you have a water emergency, please call 855-H20-SAVE, option 4 and a staff member will respond. Thank you for your patience during this historic winter weather event.”

Temporary Emergency Contact for Woodlands Water
The Woodlands Water Agency voicemail system was disabled by the weather-related technical difficulties. If you have a water emergency, please call 936-446-6762 and staff will follow up as soon as possible. Please leave your name, address and phone number on the message. More information is available at www.woodlandswater.org.

Creekside Park Water Update
Municipal District Services, the MU386 water operator that serves the Village of Creekside Park, has alerted The Woodlands Township officials that they have no water issues and no need to boil water.

Creekside Park residents are served by Harris-Montgomery Counties Municipal Utility District No. 386

• http://www.hmcmud386.org/
• 24-hour service: 281-290-6503
• Billing & Customer Care: 281-290-6507

Issues of No Water to/in Home
(From Woodlands Water)
This is a firm indication that the pipes serving the home are frozen. The MUD piping and distribution system are intact. No widespread or neighborhood outages. If you can locate where the water service line enters your home, you may be able to determine a way to unfreeze or add more insulation. The home service line usually enters at the front of the house or near a laundry room.

Rob Fleming Recreation Center Open as Warming Center
Due to rolling power outages residents are experiencing, The Woodlands Township has opened Rob Fleming Recreation Center in the Village of Creekside Park located at 6464 Creekside Forest Drive, The Woodlands, Texas 77389.

The hours of operation are from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily until the winter storm passes. Due to COVID-19 protocols, capacity is limited to 75 people. At the Center, residents will be able to find a warm building and electricity to charge phones. The Rob Fleming Recreation Center has restrooms but no shower facilities. The facility will have hand sanitizers and soap in the restrooms. Bottles of water and light snacks will be available while supplies last.

Those planning to attend should practice social distancing, wear a face covering, refrain from gathering in large groups and continue following all guidelines established by the CDC. Please note all information is subject to change, pending local, state and federal Orders or Declarations.

For residents needing overnight accommodations, Church Project on Budde Road has set up a Warming Center and is located at 602 Pruitt Road. It is open 24/7 until no longer needed. Cots and blankets are available for those who need to rest or stay overnight provided by American Red Cross through Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management. Water and snacks provided by Montgomery County Food Bank. There are wellness checks, COVID screenings and PPE equipment available if needed.

Additional sites as of time of this notice:

Montgomery County

Over Under Church
600 S. Frazier St, Conroe, TX 77301

Madeley Ranch Elementary
3500 Madeley Ranch Rd, Montgomery, TX 77356

Salvation Army
304 Avenue E, Conroe, TX 77301

Wildwood Methodist Church
8911 FM 1488, Magnolia, TX 77354

Waste Collection
Garbage collection service is cancelled for Wednesday, February 17, 2021 in response to the hazardous road conditions resulting from the winter weather. Waste Management will start collection services on Thursday, February 18, 2021 for all residents that have Thursday service, and Friday residents will be serviced on Friday. The normal schedule will resume next week, with anticipated higher volumes on the first three days of the week. The overall goal is to finish each day, but some homes may be carried over and serviced the next morning.

Electricity
The Woodlands electrical needs are served by Entergy and CenterPoint.

Entergy Texas Update: Entergy Texas continues to make progress in restoration during this historic winter event
February 17, 2021, 9:45 a.m.
Currently, approximately 33,000 customers are without power across our service territory. ETI’s generation units remain stable and online, at this time. Entergy Texas, working with MISO, will continue to monitor the situation, as weather conditions will still pose challenges this morning and in the coming days. Wintry weather could cause additional outages.

For a brief period between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tuesday evening, Entergy Texas was required to conduct periodic power outages for its customers across the Eastern portion of its Texas service territory. The company took this action as directed by our reliability coordinator, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), as a last resort and in order to prevent a more extensive, prolonged power outage that could severely affect the reliability of the power grid.

Conservation efforts are still requested as extreme cold temperatures continue and are expected to last until the end of the week.

Restoration work is proceeding as safely as possible, but crews are facing challenges associated with freezing rain and dangerous driving conditions. In addition, the difficulty of adding customers back during cold weather tends to slow the restoration. Rather than simply energizing an entire power line all at once, we must bring customers back online one section at a time to avoid further damage to our system.

We continue to experience a delay in reflecting restoration status on the outage map, causing temporary discrepancies in information presented. We continue to work on providing more accurate updates. We appreciate your patience.

Key Messages:

• Entergy was directed by MISO to start outages in the Eastern portion of its territory for a brief period between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tuesday night.
• We continue to monitor the situation as weather conditions still pose challenges.
• Energy conservation is key. We are asking that all customers practice conservation of energy usage, which will help us in the restoration effort of our remaining customers.
• Restoration work continues, but there are challenges due to the extreme cold.
Learn more here.

Entergy Information
www.entergy.com

CenterPoint Energy Information
www.centerpointenergy.com
The Woodlands Township officials met with CenterPoint Energy officials yesterday, February 16, 2021, to further help facilitate getting power restored in Creekside Park and Sterling Ridge.

For the outage map, please visit:
https://www.centerpointenergy.com/en-us/residential/services/electric-utility/outage-cebter%3Esa=ho

If you are without power, please report your outage at:
https://www.centerpointenergy.com/pages/contact-us.html

For Updates on Current Power Outages:
• Centerpoint Outage Map
• Entergy Texas Outage Map
• Mid-South Outage Map
• Houston Coop Outage Map
• Sam Houston Coop Outage Map
• Texas Outage Map

Additional Township Information:
• Township offices and facilities will be closed Wednesday. All public meetings with The Woodlands Township have been cancelled or postponed. A decision will be made on Wednesday as to whether to close on Thursday.
• All Recreational Facilities including Riva Row Boat House, Lakes Edge Boat House, and Texas TreeVentures are closed.
• Convenience voting for The Woodlands Villages and Residential Design Review Committees is cancelled while the Township building is closed. Due to the unprecedented weather event that has closed the Township offices for the first half of this week, the entire February voting period is being moved back one week. Early voting and Election Day Voting will not be held during the week of February 17 through February 20, 2021.
• The Woodlands Express and The Waterway Trolley operations are suspended Wednesday. Please follow Twitter for updates @TownshipTransit.
• Curative COVID-19 testing is closed until further notice to ensure safety. Patients are being notified, and appointment windows are disabled for the time being. Notice will be given when a reopening date is scheduled.
• Conroe school district will be closed the rest of the week. Tomball remote Professional Development and remote learning for students is cancelled for Wednesday. John Cooper School will be cancelled on Wednesday and Thursday for campus and remote students.

COVID-19 Vaccine Update for Montgomery County
Status Update from the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management

• The Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management would like to provide the public with updates to COVID-19 Vaccine events in Montgomery County.
• There will be NO vaccine events through the remainder of this week due to the weather and need for emergency resources around the county.
• The 2nd dose vaccine event originally scheduled for Tuesday, February 16th and then rescheduled for Friday, February 19th will now take place on Tuesday, February 23rd (9:00am to 4:00pm).
• There will be an additional 2nd dose vaccine event held on Thursday, February 25th (10:00am to 4:00pm).
• Both events will be held at the Lone Star Executive Airport (9400 Airport Road, Conroe, TX 77303).
• Please note that ONLY specific individuals will receive their 2nd dose at each event and there will be NO FIRST DOSES on these dates.
• Individuals eligible for dose 2 on Tuesday, February 23rd – dose 1 recipients from January 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23. We ask last names starting between A-L arrive between 9:00am and 12:30pm and last names starting between M-Z come between 12:30pm and 4:00pm.
• Individuals eligible for dose 2 on Thursday, February 25th – dose 1 recipients from January 26, 27. We ask last names starting between A-L arrive between 10:00am and 1:00pm and last names starting between M-Z come between 1:00pm and 4:00pm.
• Emails have been distributed to all addresses on file with the appropriate 2nd dose event details.
• It is very important that you bring photo ID and the original vaccine card issued at dose 1. If we cannot verify that you received your first dose from Lone Star Family Health Center on the dates noted above, you will not receive dose 2.
• We understand that these events extend the timing of second doses beyond the recommended 28 day period. However, per CDC, second doses can be administered up to 42 days after the first dose in unavoidable circumstances.
• We are considering SEPARATE first dose events for next week, but those dates are not yet finalized at this time.

Home Safety Information
Winter storms are dangerous. They can bring cold temperatures, power failures, loss of communication services, and icy roads. This can make being outside dangerous, so you should limit your time outside. Although staying indoors as much as possible can help reduce the risk of car crashes and falls on the ice, you may also face hazards inside your home. Please read more here: https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/duringstorm/indoorsafety.html

Roadways
Public safety officials highly recommend staying off roadways if both temperatures remain below freezing (32 degrees Fahrenheit) and precipitation occur at the same time. All Montgomery County road closures can be found via MCTX LIVE. Monitor roadways through Houston Transtar and Montgomery County Northstar. For statewide traveling, check out www.drivetexas.org Also plan to limit outdoor exposure as wind chills are expected to be unusually cold. Roads and bridges may ice over.

Interfaith of The Woodlands
Interfaith Central Office is closed due to inclement weather. If you have an immediate request for assistance, please email fs@woodlandsinterfaith.org. Stay tuned to social media for up-to-date details on office hours for the remainder of the week.

Please check The Woodlands Township homepage at www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov for updates to the calendar and news flashes, or follow the Township on Facebook and Twitter.

• View Additional Messages from Partner Agencies, including safety tips and advice.

Additional Resources
Judge Mark Keough, Montgomery County Judge
Click here for the most recent online updates.

The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce

• Plumbing Companies
• Member Directory

United Way of Greater Houston
Need help? Dial 211. A free helpline operated by United Way of Greater Houston 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in many languages. Click here for more information.

For current weather conditions and advisories, follow your favorite weather station or app, or visit www.weather.gov.