As North Texas is experiencing an arctic blast, it’s important for Fort Worth residents to remember the weather will have an effect on city services and events. Residents should also consider ways to help ensure their homes and loved ones are taken care of during this period of frigid temperatures.

What you need to know

The city of Fort Worth has taken numerous measures to deal with the arctic blast. According to a city news release, these steps include:
  • Suspending trash collection: Curbside collections have been suspended on Jan. 15 and 16. These routes will resume next week on Jan. 22-23. Households are allowed up to four additional bags next to carts at no additional charge. If road conditions allow it, residential services are anticipated to resume on Jan. 17.
  • Roads: When the forecast calls for ice, snow, sleet or freezing rain, sanding crews are placed on standby. The city can deploy as many as 30 trucks at a time, and each truck is dispatched with a list of locations prioritizing requested hospital entrances and bridges to sand. Neighborhood streets will not be sanded. The city has implemented a pretreatment program and will pretreat roads with a saltwater brine at limited locations.
  • Homeless shelters: Regular shelters, such as Presbyterian Night Shelter, Union Gospel Mission and Broadway Baptist Church, will be open to help homeless individuals. City staff are prepared to activate additional locations with overflow beds as needed. If individuals arrive at Presbyterian Night Shelter or Union Gospel Mission and beds are full, they will be relocated to available overflow beds at one of the available additional emergency shelter locations. The plan ensures demand will not exceed capacity. To receive text alerts about Fort Worth cold weather shelters, text FWCOLD to 877-241-3544.
Diving in deeper

The city also provided the following reminders in its news release about preparedness in extreme winter weather:
  • Pipes: Learning how to shut off the water at a residence is vital when temperatures get low. The city posted a video with tips on how to turn off both a private plumbing shutoff as well as the main water shutoff located at the water meter.
  • Carbon monoxide: Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that is poisonous to breathe. All gasoline-powered devices, such as gas-powered heaters, should only be used outdoors. Use caution when using other alternate heating sources, such as stoves or grills.
  • Pets: Fort Worth Animal Care & Control offers this cold-weather checklist to help keep furry family members safe during a cold snap.
Whether it's reporting a water line break or an animal in distress, or checking on city facility closures, the news release states residents can use the MyFW app to communicate with city officials during extreme winter weather or at any other time throughout the year.