This story will be updated continuously on Feb. 19.
Thousands of residents in Dallas-Fort Worth finally had their power restored after many went days experiencing ongoing outages during the winter storm. But now, people throughout the state are under a boil water notice. At least 10 North Texas cities have been affected so far.
In addition to the ongoing water concerns, several schools are closed due to weather damage and/or in an effort to conserve electricity. Fort Worth ISD said it will not have in-person or virtual learning Monday and Tuesday.
During these days, officials said they will assess possible weather-related damage to all campuses. Teachers will use the days to work remotely to prepare for instruction, according to a news release.
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Boil order
Many cities in North Texas are under notice to boil their water prior to consumption, including when washing their hands/face, brushing their teeth, and drinking water.
The cities impacted include:
- Anna
- Arlington
- Benbrook
- Boyd
- Denton
- Fannin County, includes: Ector, Leonard, Savoy, Windom
- West Fort Worth
- Greenville
- Haslet
- Keller
- Kennedale
- Lewisville
- Mustang Special Utility District
- North Richland Hills
- River Oaks
- Springtown
- University Park
Texans under the orders should boil their water for at least two minutes prior to drinking it, washing with it, or brushing their teeth, according to officials. Water should be boiled vigorously and then cooled before it is consumed.
Forecast
All of North Texas is under a Hard Freeze Warning through 9 a.m. Friday.
Temperatures have dropped into the teens and even single digits and that will result in additional damage to exposed pipes and potentially cause more water main breaks. Also, as power outages continue people without power have an increased chance of their indoor plumbing freezing.
We are headed in the right direction, but temps will still stay below freezing until Friday afternoon.
North Texas school closures
Major districts that have canceled class Friday
- Arlington ISD - also closed Monday and Tuesday
- Argyle ISD
- Cedar Hill ISD
- Dallas ISD
- Duncanville ISD
- Frisco ISD- will have virtual learning Monday and Tuesday
- Fort Worth ISD - also closed Monday and Tuesday
- Garland ISD
- Graford ISD
- Grand Prairie ISD
- Lewisville ISD
- Northwest ISD
- Plano ISD
- Richardson ISD
- SMU
- University of North Texas campuses (Dallas and Denton) will be closed through Saturday, Feb. 20.
Vaccine clinics
Many vaccine clinics across North Texas are closing or rescheduling due to the weather. Below are some that have announced closures.
- Fair Park vaccine operations will remain closed through Saturday, Feb. 20, but will reopen on Sunday, Feb. 21 from 1-6 p.m., the City of Dallas said Thursday. Those five hours will be for people who were due for their second dose of the vaccine before Friday, Feb. 12. The City asks you to arrive at the clinic between 1-3 p.m. if your last name starts with the letters A-M, and if your last name starts with N-Z, to arrive between 3:30-6 p.m. On Monday, Feb. 22, the site will administer second doses to those due on or before Sunday, Feb. 13.
- Parkland drive-thru vaccination and walk-up COVID-19 test centers: The Ellis Davis Field House and Dallas College Eastfield Campus (Mesquite) COVID-19 vaccine drive-through locations operated by Parkland closed through Friday.
- Anyone with COVID-19 vaccination appointments on Friday at the locations listed above should go to Parkland Memorial Hospital at 5200 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, 75235 at their designated appointment time instead.
- The COVID-19 testing sites operated by Parkland at Sam Tasby Middle School in Dallas, Irving Health Center, and West Dallas Multipurpose Center will be closed through Friday.
CVS vaccine clinics
CVS Pharmacy has closed or reduced hours in stores in states where locations are without power or due to severe weather conditions and local states of emergency. A large percentage of the affected locations are in Texas.
"We are closely monitoring the situation to learn when full electrical service is expected to be restored and will reopen stores when our employees can safely resume our service to local communities," the company said.
Anyone with a scheduled vaccination appointment in a store that was closed will be contacted with a new appointment time or instructions to reschedule when appointments are available.
"If a patient notifies a pharmacy that they cannot make their scheduled vaccination appointment, on a case-by-case basis our team will work with them directly to try to reschedule them," CVS said.
Texas COVID-19 updates
The Texas Department of State Health Services said the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths reported will likely be artificially low due to power outages across the state.
Health officials said they cannot update lab and testing data at this time.
Texas DPS
All North Texas DPS offices will be closed Thursday and Friday.
Road closures
Drivers can find information on road conditions throughout the state on DriveTexas.org or by calling 800-452-9292.