DALLAS — The City of Dallas has been busy dealing with issues created by the winter storm the past two days while responding to hundreds of emergency calls.
In the past 24 hours, the Dallas Fire Department has responded to more than 750 accidents. There have also been 200 calls to animal services for 200 calls for animals left out in the cold, with 49 violations issued.
Public Works has been busy as well, with 45 trucks sent out to sand bridges, overpasses and major roads to make them less slippery.
The department said they didn't brine the roads to pre-treat them ahead of the weather, but that they plan to use brine in the future and hope to buy more plows for future events.
Neighborhood roads can't be treated, the department said, and will just have to melt.
“We’re not touching the residential roads because we don’t have that [much] equipment and manpower to address all the roads in the city," Dallas Public Works Director Ali Hatefi said.
Hatefi said the city is hoping the rain tomorrow will help improve conditions.
The city has also gotten hotels for 311 call takers and is bracing for a surge in calls over burst pipes as temperatures begin rising. There haven't been any calls yet.
Sanitation for the city said recycling and trash will be canceled until street conditions improve, which won't be until the ice melts.
To help the homeless, the city has also set up a library and a recreation center as overflow facilities. About 700 homeless people are being housed right now, and the city says there is a great need for volunteers at Oak Lawn and Warren churches.