The Belton Journal
Severe winter storms seem like a regular event in Central Texas with this latest edition of Texas cold. For the third year in a row, a multi-day arctic front shut down part of the City of Belton. Last week was bad but it could have been much worse. Trees weighted down with ice down power lines all over Bell County. Tree limbs and trees suffered severely in this most recent storm.
Unlike 2020 the roads, for the most part, were drivable. Without question it wasn’t just a cold front passing through. Some residents were without power for as long as 36 hours.
“The storm rolled in Tuesday morning. Crews from Public Works started working the roadways and bridges for 15 straight hours. They started at 4 a.m. They were putting out sand and ice melt mix with a spreader truck. They distributed at total of 13.5 tons of this material. As the day progressed the roads improved somewhat. There was definitely some freezing rain Tuesday and Wednesday,” said Paul Romer Public Information Officer for the City of Belton.
There around 30 trees down blocking roadways around town and 10 accidents reported during the storm. Waste Management didn’t run Tuesday or Wednesday. Trees loaded with ice bending over some roads made it hard for the trucks to get to the cans.
The Belton Police Department had officers in vehicles posted at different parts of the community during these two days.
Schools were closed during the storm in which freezing ice was on power lines and trees creating an icy imagery. There were multiple businesses and banks open during the story. Vehicles were driving around town during most of it. But it wasn’t spring weather and Texans, vehicles and ice isn’t a great mix.
It wasn’t the pleasant weather Belton had in January of 2023.
