Local section · San Antonio, Texas · 42 min read

San Antonio, Texas

Everything in the guide that applies only to San Antonio and Bexar County is gathered here: local numbers and alerts, area hazards, evacuation routes, Texas plants and rules, and the local notes for each chapter.

The essentials · if you only have a minute

Have a written family plan: two meeting places, a contact outside Texas, and a paper list of phone numbers.
Have three ways to get alerts: cell phone alerts (WEA), a NOAA weather radio (162.550 MHz in San Antonio), and the county alert registry.
In San Antonio the number one risk is moving water. Never cross a flooded road: turn around.
Obey county burn bans: they are common in Texas, and the fine can be up to $500.
Boil water notice (SAWS): boil at a rolling boil for 2 minutes, or use bottled water, for drinking, cooking, making ice, and brushing your teeth.
You smell gas (rotten eggs): don't touch switches or phones inside. Get out, leave the door open, and call 911 and CPS Energy (210-353-4357) from a safe distance.
Get alerts: sign up for AlertSA/REAN, turn on Wireless Emergency Alerts on your phone, and use BexarFlood.org.
In the Hill Country, the number one danger is water: rivers can rise more than 20 feet (6 m) in less than an hour.
Receiving comes first: a battery or hand-crank AM/FM/NOAA radio tells you what is happening and what to do. In San Antonio: NOAA WXK67, 162.550 MHz; WOAI 1200 AM.
Gas: shut it off only if you smell gas or are ordered to and it is safe. Never turn it back on yourself: CPS Energy does that.
In San Antonio the biggest risk is heat without air conditioning. Have a cooling plan that doesn't depend on the grid, and leave in time if you can't keep the most vulnerable people and the dogs safe.
Have 3 destinations and 2 routes to each one, written on paper. Check DriveTexas.org before you leave.

In this chapter

1San Antonio Numbers and alerts1 min read 2San Antonio Hazards2 min read 3Quick sheet: natural disasters in San Antonio1 min read 4Routes out of north San Antonio2 min read 5Evacuation zones in Texas: why San Antonio receives evacuees1 min read 6Your plan: first-floor apartment in San Antonio8 min read0/4 7Burn bans in Texas1 min read0/5 8Common edible plants in Texas2 min read 9Dangerous plants in the San Antonio area1 min read 10San Antonio Contact card2 min read 11Local notes for each chapter17 min read 12Local words and acronyms1 min read 13War: the plan for San Antonio3 min read