By Joel Langton
The 830 Times
As a nasty winter storm barrels through Texas, Val Verde County and City of Del Rio officials are working closely together to keep citizens safe.
Val Verde County Judge Lewis G. Owens called a special meeting Friday morning at 9 a.m. to ensure the court was in lock step with all officials, even those they disagreed with on things like international bridges occasionally.
“I can tell you, we don’t go down the road whistling and singing Cum-ba-ya together every day. However, I will tell you that whenever I need something, I call them. Whenever they need something, they call me and the bottomline is, we’re here for the citizens and we are going to do everything we can to keep all of our citizens safe,” Owens said.
Al Arreola, Sr, the City of Del Rio Mayor, found himself in an unusual position — in complete agreement with the county judge.
“He is so right, it all comes down to taking care of our citizens,” Arreola said, several hours later.
At the end of the Thursday meeting, that focused on the winter storm and ensuring that all officials were working together, and even some Del Rio city staff members attending, the county agreed they’d do everything possible to support the city’s efforts.
“This court, and these commissioners, want to help our citizens,” Owens told the audience earlier in the meeting. “Because of all the rules and guidelines out there, we just have to partner with the city and give them whatever support we can,” Owens said.
The mayor thought it was great! “I think it’s awesome and we are all on the same page. All the commissioners and judge are giving us plenty of support and they’ve already said they are going to support us,” Arreola said. “It is a good partnership overall.”
Much of the court’s discussion centered around if it made sense for the county to open a warming center while the city had one already planned to open. The court agreed that it made more sense to reinforce the city’s efforts.
The judge added that counties in the region weren’t on the governor’s recently issued Disaster Declaration List (Complete list of counties at bottom of story).
He added that the commissioners will focus on ensuring the elderly, single parents and veterans were taken care of.
The first step the city has taken is designating a warming center at the Chihuahua Center at 1401 Las Vacas Center.
The city posted the following about the warming center in a press release: “The facility will open Saturday, Jan. 24 at 6:00 PM and is scheduled to close Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 12:00 PM (noon). The center will operate 24 hours a day during this period. Operations will be evaluated daily based on weather conditions and facility usage. If conditions improve or there is no longer a demonstrated need, the warming center may close earlier than the scheduled Tuesday noon time. Any changes will be communicated through City social media channels and local media outlets. The City will also assess whether resources can be redirected to support other efforts. Access to the facility is limited to individuals utilizing the warming center.”
The city has laid down some rules and guidelines for the center on a flyer they posted.
— Games are welcome
— Gambling and anything involving money exchanges is not welcome
— Photos and other recordings are not allowed
— Cots and blankets will be provided
— Any additional essentials, clothing to medicines
People will be required to sign in upon entering and leaving the facility.
Arreola added that the Chihuahua Center is smaller than facilities used in the past, size doesn’t always matter.
“The building has everything we need,” he said. “And if we have to open somewhere else, we are prepared to do whatever is needed to take care of our citizens.
While Val Verde County is on the outer edge of the storm, during the 90-minute meeting, county officials weren’t super concerned, they were working to ensure the county wasn’t blindsided.
However, Commissioner Kerr Wardlaw, Commissioner, Precinct 1, had advice for the community. “I want to encourage the people of Val Verde County to keep a close eye on the weather. Watch and monitor on your phones,” Wardlaw said. “Portions of Val Verde County will be getting freezing weather on the northern end, and it won’t take much for that weather to move down here. Monitor the weather, take care of yourself.”
Another impact to the local community is Monday will be a late start for the San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District. MOre information here. School district cancels weekend activities, delays opening Monday – 830Times
More information about the storm coming in can be found here. NEWS – Val Verde braces for winter storm – 830Times
The judge and commissioners’ cell phone numbers are being offered to community members as well if people need help.
Owens — 830-734-0575
Commissioner Precinct 1 — 830-309-6460
Commissioner Precinct 2 — 830-734-5608
Commissioner Precinct 3 — 830-309-6369
Commissioner Precinct 4 — 830-765-6168
Veterans Services Officer — 830-703-0943
The list of counties in Governor Gregg Abbott’s disaster declaration were: Andrews, Archer, Armstrong, Bailey, Bandera, Baylor, Bexar, Blanco, Brewster, Briscoe, Brooks, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Calhoun, Callahan, Castro, Childress, Clay, Cochran, Coke, Coleman, Collingsworth, Colorado, Comanche, Concho, Cottle, Crane, Crockett, Crosby, Culberson, Dallam, Dawson, Deaf Smith, Denton, Dickens, Donley, Eastland, Ector, Edwards, El Paso, Ellis, Erath, Falls, Fannin, Fayette, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Franklin, Frio, Gaines, Garza, Gillespie, Glasscock, Goliad, Gonzales, Gray, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hale, Hall, Hamilton, Hansford, Hardeman, Hartley, Haskell, Hays, Hemphill, Hidalgo, Hockley, Howard, Hudspeth, Hunt, Hutchinson, Irion, Jack, Jackson, Jeff Davis, Jones, Karnes, Kendall, Kent, Kerr, Kimble, King, Knox, Lamb, Lampasas, La Salle, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Limestone, Lipscomb, Live Oak, Llano, Loving, Lubbock, Lynn, McCulloch, McMullen, Madison, Martin, Mason, Matagorda, Maverick, Menard, Midland, Milam, Mills, Mitchell, Moore, Motley, Nolan, Ochiltree, Oldham, Palo Pinto, Parker, Parmer, Pecos, Potter, Randall, Reagan, Real, Red River, Reeves, Refugio, Roberts, Robertson, Runnels, San Patricio, San Saba, Schleicher, Scurry, Shackelford, Sherman, Somervell, Stephens, Sterling, Stonewall, Sutton, Swisher, Taylor, Terry, Throckmorton, Titus, Tom Green, Upton, Uvalde, Uvalde, Victoria, Ward, Wheeler, Wichita, Wilbarger, Willacy, Wilson, Winkler, Yoakum, Young, Zapata, and Zavala.
