Deep freeze blasts county, no major outages reported
By Sandy Morris
& Melinda L. Lucas
Old Man Winter blew into Shackelford County with a vengeance Sunday morning with freezing drizzle, snow flurries, temperatures in the teens and low 20s, and a wind chill near zero.
Unfortunately, Sunday’s weather was only the beginning of the winter blast, as the remainder of the week has seen warnings in effect for wind chills falling into the negative 15 and 20 degree range and temperatures staying in the low teens and single digits, dipping down below zero several nights.
Snow continued Monday with accumulations of six to eight inches of snow. Some local residents reported that they measured close to nine inches in open areas, but the official reading at press time was about 6.5 inches.
Added to the one-inch New Year’s Day snowfall and four inches received Jan. 11, Albany’s snow total for 2021 so far is an unusual 11.5 inches.
A low of minus-7 degrees was recorded on Monday night, with the high for that day at 12 degrees.
No Local Outages So Far
As of press time, there had been no major electrical outages in Albany and Moran, although Lueders had been without power for an extended period.
Although many county residents’ water supplies are frozen, the city is managing to keep local water properly treated and available.
City manager Billy Holson said Tuesday that although levels were dropping in the water tower due to an apparent major leak that city crews had not yet found, he was hopeful that Albany residents would not experience the water problems that some area communities are facing.
“The West Central Municipal Water District is down to one working pump, and they have asked us to conserve as much as we can,” said Holson. “We have an emergency generator at our water plant, and even if we have to issue a ‘boil water notice,’ we should be able to provide water.”
City employees have already repaired several water line leaks, working in the frigid conditions, and Holson expects more breaks as temperatures warm up and the ground shifts.
Local Shelter
A local shelter was set up earlier this week at First Christian Church to provide a warm place to stay and food to eat for those without water or electricity.
FCC pastor Brad McBee said the shelter is open to anyone who needs food and shelter.
“The sheriff’s office brought cots, so we have places for people to sleep,” said McBee. “Right now, we have people from Lueders staying here, but we have room for more. Friendship Baptist has also offered to be a shelter if needed.”
Members of local churches are helping furnish food, bedding, blankets, pillows, and other items.
McBee added that county judge Bob Skelton is heading up the coordination of all emergency planning in the county.
County Accidents
Deteriorating weather conditions and hazardous driving conditions were reported over the area, but according to Shackelford County deputy Jason Price, there had been surprisingly few accidents on the slick roads as of Tuesday.
“There have been a lot of people stuck and sliding off the roads, but nothing major at this point,” Price said.
He encouraged county citizens to stay off streets and highways unless absolutely necessary.
Atmos Energy, among other area electric providers, released statements urging customers to reduce electric consumption by lowering thermostat and hot water heater temperatures, unplugging unused electrical appliances or devices, and turning off lights.
