Two people have died as a result of the cold front that brought subfreezing temperatures and as much as a half-inch of snow to parts of the city this week.
Capt. Christa Stedman with Austin-Travis County EMS said both people died from hypothermia.
EMS has responded to roughly 60 weather-related calls since Monday. About half were related to traffic crashes and the other half were for exposure to the cold.
Road conditions improved Tuesday, which cut down on collision-related calls, Stedman said. EMS responded to 22 collisions – none of them fatal.
She said the city and county staff did a good job overall helping shelter hundreds of people from the cold.
"I think that's a testament to ... how proactive they were in standing up the cold weather shelters and making sure that that information was getting out to the people who needed it," she said. "While it's tragic that we did lose two Austinites from hypothermia, I think on the flip side of that, it really goes to show that when we're able to provide all these resources, we really are saving lives."
All told, EMS responded to 35 calls for "cold-related illness," Stedman said. That includes frostbite and hypothermia, when the excessive stress from trying to keep the body warm causes it to lose heat and, eventually, shutdown altogether.
Austin has opened overnight shelters for people experiencing homelessness during this cold snap, serving as many as 550 people on Monday night alone. Churches and other nonprofits have also opened their doors to shelter people from the cold.
The shelters will be open again overnight Wednesday and Thursday. Warming centers at city libraries will be open Thursday and Friday.
