Pets in trouble, homes without heat or power, roads covered in ice and rides to Dallas’ temporary shelter drove most of the calls to the city’s 311 nonemergency line for help during the winter storm.
From Saturday through Wednesday, more than 2,700 requests poured into 311, either by phone or through the city’s mobile app, city online records show Thursday.
Animal welfare concerns topped the list, with 500 calls about pets lacking proper care in freezing temperatures. Dallas Animal Services received over 800 calls in total, including more than 100 reports of loose animals.
Several calls were repeat cases. Two homes in Oak Cliff drew about 20 calls apiece, both related to pet welfare concerns, city records show.
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“Calls related to animal welfare concerns typically increase during extreme weather,” said Nick Starling, a city spokesman.
Residents reported more than 300 code enforcement concerns, according to city records. This included issues like no heat, no electricity, hot water outages and raw sewage problems, Starling said.
Icy roads and traffic hazards were another major worry. With ice lingering on streets into midweek, the city received more than 230 requests for sanding on slick roads. Crews also responded to more than 100 reports of traffic lights that were flashing or malfunctioning. A little more than another 100 calls were received by residents reporting parking violations.
North Texas continued to grapple with the winter storm’s aftermath Thursday, as major school districts remained closed and black ice lingered on roads. Dallas City Hall reopened Wednesday, but with fewer than 10 snow plows, city crews focused on clearing major thoroughfares, bridges and emergency routes, leaving neighborhood streets to rely on thawing naturally under the sun.
Meanwhile, nearly 190 calls came in from people needing rides to the city’s inclement weather shelter at Fair Park. The temporary shelter in the Automobile Building has been housing around 1,000 people a night since opening on Friday.
Other storm-related issues included about 190 calls for sanitation roll cart maintenance or delivery. City garbage and recycling pickups were cancelled for Monday and Tuesday, but resumed on Wednesday. The city also fielded over 40 noise complaints and about 35 reports of water main breaks.
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