Closures and Collaboration Amid Winter Weather
Like much of Central Texas this weekend, Marlin got a significant amount of sleet/icy rain that froze over roadways and made driving a dangerous risk to take for days on end. Fortunately, the power grid was able to support Texans through this storm despite massive failures in the most recent comparable weather event, known as Snovid or Snomageddon, in February 2021.
On Facebook, the City of Marlin provided frequent updates leading up to the forecasted winter weather, and throughout the freezing days that followed, even setting up an account at Ace Hardware on Friday so that Marlin residents could get faucet covers and pipe wrap free of charge before the weather hit.
Bottled water, bread, and toilet paper were in high demand at local stores H-E-B and Walmart, selling out and being restocked as it became avaialble.
The City of Marlin Fire Department shared that the J&K Warming and Cooling Center/Hazel and Joe Lewis Wellness Center at 1111 Park St. would be open and available 24 hours a day on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday for anyone in need. Mrs. Jefferson, who handles operations of the center, was happy to be able to help.
“We had a few people come utilize the center, and I was just planning to have it open through today, but there are a couple of elderly folks whose homes aren’t efficient enough to handle this winter weather, so we are going to stay open to- night, too,” Mrs. Jefferson said when I checked in on Monday. “God has been truly grateful to me, I’ve got a good support system, and some people donated items to help support this difficult time. I’m grateful to have been able to help service people who needed that help. It’s nothing but God and His work has to be done.”
(The center is typically open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and will continue to assist those in need during regular hours as extreme weather conditions persist.
The Falls County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) shared through the Sheriff’s Connect App on Sunday that most roads and bridges were passable if drivers used caution.
However on Sunday, all Falls County school districts (Marlin ISD, Chilton ISD, and Rosebud-Lott ISD) announced school closures for Monday, and Marlin ISD announced closure on Tuesday due as well to continued freezing conditions that hindered ice from fully melting off roadways.
Monday, the Marlin Police Department made a post warning that roadways across the area remain hazardous due to icy conditions, and encouraging motorists to reduce speed, increase following distances, and avoid sudden stops or turns. They urged drivers to delay travel until road conditions have improved further.
The City of Marlin and the Falls County Courthouse did not open Monday due to the continued severe weather. Falls County issued an alert that the “extreme cold warning” would remain in effect until Tuesday at 9 a.m.. City of Marlin warned that periodic water leaks could be expected over the next several days due to the prolonged subfreezing temperatures, and asked residents to call Marlin PD dispatch office at 254-8839255 to report a leak.