Recovering from Storms

For many of us, the recent ice storm was devastating, damaging homes, cars and landscaping.

While insurance often will pay for removal of a tree that’s blocking a driveway or resting on your house, it is unlikely to pay for trimming damaged trees.

The city will trim trees that are endangering power lines, so call 311 if you’re concerned about that. The city will remove fallen tree debris from the curb, so you’ll want to put that out by our regularly scheduled branch pickup date. The city may be behind on pickup, but they have committed to getting to all the debris if neatly stacked. The city does require that this debris not include any trash or treated wood, since they shred it and turn it into mulch.

Here are some useful links to storm recovery info:

• Yard waste removal: https://www.austintexas.gov/stormdebris
• Emergency permitting for home repairs: https://www.austintexas.gov/emergency-permits

The power outages left many people coping with refrigerators and freezers full of spoiled food. If you or anyone you know receives SNAP benefits, you can apply to for emergency funds to replace spoiled food. Call 211 or go here for more information: https://www.hhs.texas.gov/news/2023/02/hhsc-announces-federal-approval-replacement-snap-benefits-due-winter-storm