Phew, what an end to January we had! Winter Storm Fern certainly made its presence known. Since February often brings wintery surprises and I am frequently asked questions about the Town’s response to inclement weather, I wanted to take a moment to share how the Town prepares for and operates during winter weather events.
The Town’s Emergency Management Division, housed within the Flower Mound Fire Department, monitors potential severe weather year-round and coordinates our response when storms are anticipated. For winter weather in particular, Town departments begin meeting virtually several days in advance, discussing preparations and response plans. These coordination calls include representatives from Fire, Police, Public Works, Facilities, IT, Parks, Library, Fleet, Communications and the Town Manager’s Office. Each department reports on its readiness, while Emergency Management provides the latest forecast and expected impacts. The Denton County Office of Emergency Management coordinates communication with the municipalities to provide updated information as well and to coordinate efforts to assist where needed.
Public Works plays a critical role in winter weather operations. Their preparations include pre-treating roads, staging equipment and ensuring crews are ready for around-the-clock operations. The Town of Flower Mound maintains three 5-cubic-yard sand/salt spreaders, one 1.5-cubic-yard spreader, two snowplows, two 1,900-gallon brine sprayers, approximately 400 tons of sand/salt material and 10,000 gallons of brine storage.
Ahead of January’s storm, Public Works began brining roadways early Thursday morning, anticipating winter weather late Friday night. Unfortunately, intermittent rain on Friday washed away much of the pretreatment. Once the storm arrived, crews moved into 24-hour operations – sanding, applying meltdown mix and plowing where possible. This storm was particularly challenging because it consisted largely of sleet, which is more difficult to clear than snow and quickly formed thick layers of ice on roadways.
During active storms, Public Works prioritizes major roadways, intersections and bridges, focusing on keeping those areas passable before shifting to secondary streets. The January storm was further complicated by prolonged cold temperatures. We remained below freezing for several days, with nightly refreezing that slowed progress and made conditions especially difficult.
As a storm or the impacts from a storm continue, staff hold daily virtual meetings. Crucial members of the team are also meeting in person at our Emergency Operations Center, so their departments can communicate with each other quickly and immediately handle any issues that arise. These in-person members usually contain representatives from Fire, Police, and Public Works, but often also include Communications, Facilities, IT and others.
On these daily calls, staff discuss the weather forecast, road conditions and any service impacts, like Town facility closures or alternate schedules, as well as things like utility outages or trash and recycling delays. During the January storm, our Communications team took that information discussed on the daily calls and sent out an afternoon report on our website and social media pages so that the public was aware of the latest. The Communications team also sent out an early morning report each day so that residents were updated on what occurred overnight and the conditions of the roads. Our Fire Stations and Police Department were openly available as warming stations for those in need.
Fortunately, we did not experience the power outages seen during the 2021 winter storm. As a result, staff determined there was no immediate need to open additional warming sites, though the option was discussed and available if conditions had changed.
As mayor, I am always proud of how our team works together, but I am truly in awe of how they rise to the challenge during events like this. Our staff was on top of it and the communication to residents and between staff was extraordinary. We are incredibly fortunate to have such dedicated Public Works professionals and first responders, and I’m always confident we are in good hands when severe weather strikes.
While we hope the worst of the winter season is behind us, we may not be entirely out of the woods yet. Please continue to follow the Town’s website and social media channels for updates. Visit www.flowermound.gov/stayconnected to find all our social pages and the channels we use to communicate information. Stay safe, stay warm and I’ll see you back on these pages in March, when we’ll hopefully start spotting some early signs of spring.
