AUSTIN, Texas — You may have already seen it once or twice – ice falling from power lines or trees and smashing on the ground.
It's something that can hurt your property or you, and the Wisconsin-based Snow and Ice Management Association (SIMA) is warning Central Texans to be aware of your surroundings if you're walking around for the next several days.
"Something that Texas is going to probably realize – buildings get designed for ice, how it allows things to travel off of it. So in Texas, where you're not used to that, maybe these buildings aren't necessarily designed for that," said Wayne Michalak, the association's board chair and the president of The Greener Side, a snow and ice management company in Michigan.
He adds his advice is to avoid areas with falling ice, and to be aware of it for the next several days.
"Generally, you just want to avoid walking around those areas. If it's windy, there could be projectiles. Basically, if it's calm winds, it may fall straight down. So obviously purposely avoid that. The best advice would be to purposely avoid walking under those areas for a few days until that that ice is gone," he said.
SIMA has more information on falling ice on its website. For tips on rooftop snow removal, click here.
"So you just want to make sure that it's something that you can control for the most part, or you can kind of position yourself and set yourself up for success by avoiding those areas," said Michalak. "Because if you're walking in an area that doesn't have a power line and doesn't have a building above you that could have something come off, it's almost like people have to just kind of be defensive for the few days and think about things in ways that they normally wouldn't have."
Falling ice could also harm your property, so they advise Texans to move their cars to open spaces or into a garage.
"Yeah, this would be the time to park your cars in garages when you have one versus leaving them out in driveways and then, like was stated just watch out the weight on trees and tree limbs. It's like, if that looks dangerous, it's time to potentially move your car to a place – a clear and open space," said Martin Tirado, the CEO of SIMA.
The association also has tips on safe "winter walking" here.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: