* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [Press Conference: "Cold Weather Preparations"] [00:00:18] GOOD EVENING. I, UH, WANT TO TALK TO HOUSTONIANS AGAIN ABOUT PREVENTIVE MEASURES AS IT RELATES TO OUR WEATHER CONDITIONS. I TRY TO BE VERY DISCIPLINED ABOUT WHEN I GO TO THE PUBLIC ABOUT CONCERNS. THE GOOD NEWS IS IF WE USE COMMON SENSE AND MAKE PREPARATIONS, THIS SHOULD NOT BE A LIFE-THREATENING ARCTIC BLAST. THERE'S GONNA BE VERY LITTLE OR NO MOISTURE AFTER TONIGHT. SO WHEN IT STARTS FREEZING TOMORROW NIGHT AND INTO WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY, THE MAIN CONCERN ARE GONNA BE OUR VULNERABLE CITIZENS. SO I'M ASKING HOUSTONIANS TO MAKE PREPARATIONS TO LOOK OUT FOR OUR SENIORS. CERTAINLY OUR MOST VULNERABLE IN RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES MAKE CERTAIN THAT HEATERS IN WARMING INSTRUMENTS ARE WORKING AND THEN ALSO USE COMMON SENSE AT HOME WITH YOUR PLANTS AND YOUR PIPES AND YOUR PETS. CERTAINLY YOUR PETS DO NOT BE TYING PETS UP IN THIS WEATHER IN THESE CONDITIONS. SO IF WE HANG TOGETHER, UH, LOOK OUT FOR OUR MOST VULNERABLE. NOW LET ME SPEAK TO WHAT HOUSTON'S DOING FOR OUR HOMELESS AND THOSE THAT NEED A WARMING CENTER. WE'RE OPENING ALL 12 MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS. IF YOU NEED A RIDE, WE FURNISH YOUR RIDE. WORKING IN COLLABORATION WITH METRO, THE BAILIN CENTER IN SOUTHWEST HOUSTON IS BEING OPENED BY COMMISSIONER BRE ONAS. AGAIN. COLLABORATION IS WORKING DURING THIS CHALLENGING WEATHER EPISODE. SO 12 WARMING CENTERS, ALL THE MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS ARE OPEN. HERE'S SOMETHING THAT IS GONNA BE SPECIAL DURING THIS ARCTIC BLAST. WHEN WE GO TO THE WARMING CENTERS AT THE FONDE RECREATIONAL CENTER IN WEST GRAY, WE WILL HAVE MENTAL HEALTH CASEWORKERS HAVING VISITED THESE WARMING CENTERS IN RECENT TIMES. CERTAINLY DURING THE SNOW STORM, I NOTICED THE ANXIETY AND THE EMOTIONAL CHALLENGE. FOR SO MANY OF OUR HOMELESS, WE WILL HAVE CASEWORKERS WORKING WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND THE MENTAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO SEE THAT EVERYONE IS COMFORTABLE AS POSSIBLE IN GETTING ANY ASSISTANCE THEY NEED, CERTAINLY NETWORKING WITH THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS IN NORTHEAST HOUSTON MULTI-SERVICE CENTER, IT WILL BE DESIGNATED PRIMARILY FOR FAMILIES. WE WANT FAMILIES TO STAY TOGETHER, BRING IN THEIR YOUNG PEOPLE IN OUT OF THIS WEATHER. AND I WOULD ASK APARTMENT OWNERS, RESIDENTIAL OPERATORS. I HEARD FROM A FAMILY YESTERDAY THAT THEIR HEATER IN SPRING BRANCH HAD NOT WORKED IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS. A MOTHER OF SIX SMALL CHILDREN HAS NO OPERATING APARTMENT HEATER. WE STILL DO NEED TO DO MORE IN THIS CITY WORKING WITH COUNCIL TO HAVE BETTER ENFORCEMENT OF THOSE THAT RUN FACILITIES THAT ARE NOT AS HABITABLE AS THEY SHOULD BE. SO BE SMART. LOOK AFTER YOUR FAMILY, YOUR PETS, YOUR PLANTS. WE DO NOT BELIEVE IT WILL BE A SEVERE FREEZING EPISODE. MAYBE THE CHILL FACTOR AS LOW AS 21, BUT MAYBE FREEZING TEMPERATURES OF AROUND 31 DEGREES. BUT I'M NOT ABOUT TO TRY TO PREDICT THE WEATHER CONDITIONS. ALL I'M DOING IS ASKING YOU HOUSTONIANS, LISTEN TO THE AUTHORITIES. WE'RE LISTENING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND THEY'RE SAYING THIS SHOULD BE A DRY FRONT. IT WILL RAIN TONIGHT, END TOMORROW, BUT TOMORROW WHEN YOU WAKE UP IT'LL BE VERY CHILLY. AND THEN DROP INTO CHILL FACTORS IN THE 20 TOMORROW NIGHT, THURSDAY, WE WILL REVIEW CONDITIONS AND HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT WHETHER WE KEEP OUR CENTERS OPEN THURSDAY NIGHT, WE WILL MAKE CERTAIN THAT EVERYONE HAS A WARM AND SAFE PLACE TO COME IN OUT OF THE STREETS. SOME WE KNOW WE'LL REFUSE AND WE'LL BE WORKING WITH THEM. WORKING WITH, UH, CHIEF SATTERWHITE IN HOMELAND SECURITY HPD FIRE HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO URGE I'LL BE OUT URGING HOMELESS, PLEASE GO TO A SHELTER SOMEDAY WE WILL ADDRESS THE CONCERNS OF THOSE THAT JUST FLAT REFUSE 'CAUSE THE MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION IS SUCH THAT THEY REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S IN THEIR BEST INTEREST. I'M GONNA ASK THE FIRE CHIEF TO ADDRESS SAFETY CONCERNS AS IT RELATES TO [00:05:01] SPACE HEATERS AND CARBON MONOXIDE AND OTHER PRECAUTIONS YOU SHOULD TAKE. CHIEF OZ. THANK YOU MAYOR. THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT AS ALWAYS. DURING THE WINTER TIMES, WE DO HAVE ISSUES WITH THE GENERATORS, UH, THAT PEOPLE WILL USE, RIGHT? THAT OCCASIONALLY LEADS TO CARBON DIOXIDE POISONING THE LAST FREEZE. WE'RE VERY, VERY VOCAL ON THE SAFETY OF THOSE, UH, GENERATORS AND THE HARM THEY COULD CAUSE, WHICH ON, ON OCCASION DEATH. SO WE'RE WARNING THE PUBLIC AND ADVISING THE PUBLIC TO PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU'RE PUTTING YOUR GENERATORS. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR SURROUNDINGS WITH HEATERS. AS ANYTHING ELSE WITH GENERATORS, WE, WE RECOMMEND 20 FEET FROM THE HOUSE AND AS FAR AS HEATERS ARE CONCERNED, MAKE SURE YOU KEEP THAT THREE FOOT AREA BETWEEN ANY FLAMMABLES AND THE HEATERS. SO PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THAT CARBON MONOXIDE. PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THAT TOO. UNDERSTAND THE CARBON MONOXIDE. IF YOU GO TO OUR HFD PUBLIC, UH, INFORMATION PAGE, WE HAVE ALL THOSE SAFETY FEATURES FOR YOU. BUT ONCE AGAIN, PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR SURROUNDINGS AND PLEASE, UH, STAY SAFE AND WARM. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THE STORM IS GETTING HERE AS WE TALK. IT'S MY GOAL THAT THIS WOULD BE THE LAST NEWS CONFERENCE WE HAVE THIS YEAR, CERTAINLY THIS WINTER, DEALING WITH THE WEATHER. WITH THAT, WE HAVE OUR PARTNERS OF METRO, UH, THE EMERGENCY CENTER WILL HAVE ALL HANDS ON DECK. WE'LL HAVE PEOPLE 24 7 TILL WE GET THROUGH THIS ARCTIC BLAST, BUT WE'RE WELL POSITIONED AS A CITY GOVERNMENT TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THE PUBLIC. ANY QUESTIONS? MAYOR, YOU MENTIONED THE CASE WORKERS AT WESTERN AREA. HOW MANY ARE GONNA BE AT EACH LOCATION? I UNDERSTAND THERE'S GONNA BE LIKE TWO AT EACH CENTER AND OBVIOUSLY ABBY, IT'LL BE DETERMINED PARTLY BY THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT SHOW UP. UH, DURING THE SNOW I WAS AT FONDE AND I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE ANXIETY OF SOME OF OUR CITIZENS AND THERE WERE NO CASEWORKERS THERE. AND, UH, IT ALARMED ME WORKING WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT IN THE MENTAL HEALTH SECTION. WE'RE GONNA HAVE WHATEVER'S NECESSARY, BUT I DO KNOW THE OPEN IS AT TWO. IT OPENS TOMORROW NIGHT AT EIGHT O'CLOCK, BY THE WAY. ALL OF THEM? YES SIR. ALL OF THEM OPENED AT, YEAH, ALL 12 OPENED AT EIGHT. JUST, JUST TO CLARIFY, YOU SAID THERE WOULD BE TWO AT EACH OF THE 12? NO, ONLY, ONLY AT FOND AND WEST GRAY, WHICH WERE OUR TWO BUSIEST LOCATIONS DURING THE SNOWSTORM. TOPPED OUT AT AROUND 200 TOTAL OF 1200 PEOPLE SHOWED UP DURING THE SNOW STORM. SO WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO WORK, UH, THE HOMELESS COMMUNITY TO ENCOURAGE THEM. METRO WILL GIVE THEM A LIFT. THERE IS NO REASON FOR ANYONE IN HOUSTON, TEXAS TO BE EXPOSED TO THIS WEATHER ON THE STREETS. IF THEY WANT SHELTER, WE'RE PROVIDING IT. IF NOT, ANYTHING ELSE ON MY TEAM? BRIAN, YOU GOT EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL. THE EMERGENCY CENTER IS AT FULL STAFFING. UH, LET'S GO TO WORK. THANK Y'ALL. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.