Who to call if a fallen tree or limb is blocking the road in Austin

So, who do you call to clean it up? The City of Austin said 3-1-1. From there, Austin Public Works crews will respond.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you've been driving around Austin the last couple of days, you may have come across an icy roadblock: fallen trees and tree limbs.

It's a scene in many neighborhoods, causing drivers to swerve or come to a complete stop and turn around.

So, who do you call to clean it up? The City of Austin said 3-1-1. From there, Austin Public Works crews will respond.

"We prioritize those based first and foremost on emergency status, making sure that we're getting out there... to the obstructions that are going to cause the greatest potential harm," said Reiner Hershaw, who manages infrastructure operations for Public Works.

He said potential harm means a tree that may be tangled in electrical lines or is blocking the path for emergency services.

Hershaw said they've got more than 100 staff responding to debris calls Thursday — both in the field and other members in the city's emergency operations center.

He said so far, they've already gotten more than 800 calls for service.

"An extremely high number for us, compared to a typical winter weather event," Hershaw said.

He said that number could include overlapping requests but is probably higher in reality, with some folks not yet calling debris in their area.

As of Thursday around noon, he said crews have gotten to more than 120 of those requests, but they're still rolling in.

"We are continuing to receive calls on a day-by-day, minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour basis," Hershaw said.

He added it could take a week to get all roads cleared.