Icy Conditions Paralyze North Texas

Arctic freeze leaves many stranded 

The roads are covered in thick ice in almost every corner of Denton, snow continues to fall and temperatures continue to hover below freezing, in most cases remaining in the low teens. Despite all of this, the excitement over the upcoming Super Bowl XLV has not wavered and everything will continue as planned. The players have arrived confident and unfazed by the weather, residing from Pittsburgh and Wisconsin where frigid weather conditions are common. The only difference being that North Texas, although prepared for the arctic weather conditions, is not nearly as well equipped as the northern cities causing there to be a significant amount of traffic accidents and closures around the city, to include DFW Airport. 

In spite of the mountains of snow, helpless people stuck on the side of the road and icy temperatures the fans continue to pour in for the big game and infamous Super Bowl parties. Although venue changes have occurred and continue to occur, the parties will continue as planned bringing in a significant amount of revenue and exposure to the DFW area. The university has now been closed for almost a week leaving students and faculty with somewhat of a mini spring break and time to relax. The university will prospectively open on Monday, February 6 and classes should continue as scheduled but with all of the unexpected weather it’s no telling when classes will be back in session. The ice hasn’t budged and the snow from last night has barely halted. 

Through all of this bad weather and in the midst of one of the biggest events in North Texas history is a brilliant opportunity for public relations of all types to either shine or get out of town. This would be the perfect opportunity for public relations consultants within the area to address many problems that have risen out of the recent winter storm. The electric companies have numerous rolling blackouts they could address, many of them occurring at my friend and I’s apartments throughout the night and the last couple of days. The consultants in charge of transportation in certain cities can get out there and explain why some of the roads are so treacherous, including many Denton roads. The public relations consultants for the N.F.L. have a lot to address concerning the current weather conditions and upcoming plans that may or may not change. And of course, the public relations consultants for many universities and companies will be busy at work explaining the closings and (prospective) openings of such entities. 

With that being said, times like these are when communications are absolutely vital to reassure the public and provide them with information concerning your company and what’s going on in the environment around them. I would say the university is doing a wonderful job keeping me up to date with what’s going on at the school and what will be going on in the future. Hopefully I will see you all Monday!

-Alisha Mychele