Chaos In Austin Amid Power Outages As Residents Seen Dumpster Diving At H-E-B Grocery Store

Many people were seen fighting for “free food” after the power went out on Thursday.

Travis County, Texas officials have warned the public to avoid eating food taken from dumpsters outside of the store. The food was unsafe and spoiled.

Fox 7 Austin reported that witnesses saw grocery store workers dumping meat and other perishable foods into the carts after they were struck by power outages.

Travis County Constable stands next to a grocery trolley full of spoiled food
After more than 250 people believed that food left in dumpsters could be discarded “freely”, Travis County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office deputies and the Austin Police Department cleared the area. (Travis County Precinct4 Constable.

Someone posted on social media that the store had “free food.” According to Travis County Precinct 4, Constable George Morales, 250 people arrived soon after and started fighting over the rotting trash.

“This is not free food!” Morales posted a warning on Facebook. “The food is unsafe to eat and has been spoiled.”

Morales stated that Precinct 4 deputies and the Austin Police Department responded when roads were blocked by misinformation from social media. The area was cleared by police.

After widespread power outages that lasted into Friday, officials in Austin had to apologize. This was after a devastating winter storm that left them scrambling for answers.

“The city let its residents down. Mayor Kirk Watson, a Democrat, said that the situation was unacceptable to the community and unacceptable to me. He took office in January. “And I’m sorry.”