[00:00:18]
THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR BEING PRESENT TO JOIN US IN THIS RECOVERY EFFORT.
THERE'S A LOT GOING ON ACROSS THE CITY.
ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT ARE COLLABORATING.
I WANT TO THANK MY COUNTY JUDGE AND COMMISSIONER'S COURT FOR THEIR UNPRECEDENTED COOPERATION LOCALLY.
CERTAINLY, WE'RE CALLED TOGETHER TODAY BY THE TEXAS STATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CENTER, SHOWING THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
BUT OBVIOUSLY, WE'RE HERE TODAY TO THANK AND WELCOME AND INCLUDE FEMA TO HAVE THE ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL HERE.
DEANNA CRISWELL HAS YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN RECOVERY.
WE'VE BEEN TO SITES ACROSS HOUSTON.
WE WILL RETURN TO SITES AFTER WE COMPLETE THIS DISCUSSION.
SO LET ME THANK EVERYONE HERE.
I WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE PRESS AVAILABILITIES.
I'M AT THE EMERGENCY CENTER ON A REGULAR BASIS, MONITORING ALL THE CITY DEPARTMENTS, COLLABORATING WITH THE COUNTY, THE STATE, AND NOW WE HAVE A FULL PARTNER IN FEMA.
SO LET ME, UH, YIELD AT THIS TIME TO OUR COUNTY JUDGE, AND THANK YOU FOR WORKING SO WELL WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND, UM, I KNOW THAT THERE ARE OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS HERE.
UM, REPRESENTATIVE HUNT, THE CONGRESSMAN AND COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN AND COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, CASTILLO.
AND I DON'T THINK, AND OF COURSE, THE CONGRESSWOMAN SPEAKING LATER, BUT I COM I CO EXCUSE ME A FAVOR.
YEAH, I COMPLETELY SKIPPED OVER THE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION.
AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THIS HAPPENED.
UM, SO, SO ANYWAY, WE JUST CAME BACK FROM SINCLAIR IN ELEMENTARY, AND, UM, WE HAD, WE, I HAD MET ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL ON A BLUE SKY DAY, WHICH IS UNIQUE.
UH, SO ACTUALLY SHE CAME, UM, PROBABLY A YEAR OR TWO AGO TO SEE HOW WE'RE DOING.
WE WENT THIS TIME, UM, TO SEE THE DISASTER.
AND, AND SINCLAIR ELEMENTARY, MY GOODNESS, IT'S THE HARDEST HIT OF HISD 45.
TREES, DOWN TREES ON THE MOBILE SCHOOLS, A TREE DOWN THE GYM.
SOME MAY HAVE FEWER TREES DOWN, BUT THE SCHOOLS THAT LOST POWER, THEY ALL LOST ALL THE MILK, ALL THE FOOD, ALL THE PERISHABLES.
JUST LIKE SO MANY OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES AND OUR HOMES, WE'VE BEEN THROUGH OUR FAIR SHARE OF DISASTERS TOGETHER.
HARRIS COUNTY, GOING BACK ALL THE WAY TO THE ITC FIRE IN 2019.
UM, AND SO MANY MORE DISASTERS IN BETWEEN, INCLUDING THE PANDEMIC.
OVER THE YEARS, I'VE SEEN BOTH HOW RESILIENT AND HOW GENEROUS OUR PEOPLE ARE.
AND WE'VE HAD TO, SOMETIMES, UNFORTUNATELY, WITH THE SMALLER DISASTERS, BUT NO LESS TRAGIC.
WE NEED HELP FROM ALL OUR PARTNERS HERE TODAY TO RECOVER AS QUICKLY AND AS FULLY AS WE CAN.
AND I WANT THE COMMUNITY, THOSE WHO ARE WITHOUT POWER, THOSE WHO LOST, UM, PART OF THEIR HOUSE, THEIR FOOD, TO SEE THAT ALL OF THESE WE ARE, WE ARE NOT REPRESENTING OURSELVES.
WE'RE REPRESENTING OUR AGENCIES, UM, OUR LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT AND THE COMMITMENT THAT ALL OF US TOGETHER HAVE TOWARD THE PEOPLE OF HARRIS COUNTY RIGHT NOW.
I'M SO GRATEFUL THAT FEMA AND SBA ARE HERE TODAY.
I CAN'T IMAGINE AN ADMINISTRATOR, AN ADMINISTRATION, MORE ATTENTIVE, UM, TO HARRIS COUNTY.
AND I KNOW FRANCISCO SANCHEZ IS HERE SOMEWHERE REPRESENTING THE SBA.
UM, AND, AND OF COURSE, ADMINISTRATOR, UM, CHRISWELL THAT'S NOT UNIQUE TO THIS DISASTER.
THE ATTENTION OF THE ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATOR CHRIS WELL'S TEAM, UH, SET UP A MEETING WITH ME AND MY STAFF ON TWO DAYS NOTICE.
UH, WHEN I WAS IN DC TODAY, SHE MADE TIME FOR ME TO TALK TO HER ABOUT, UH, THE BUYOUT ISSUES WE'VE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE.
I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE FOLKS AFFECTED BY THE RECENT FLOODS.
THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF CALLED ME OVER THE WEEKEND TO CHECK AND SEE HOW WE'RE DOING.
THE WILLINGNESS TO LISTEN, UM, IS REALLY, IS REALLY HEARTENING.
I WANT TO THANK GOVERNOR ABBOTT AND HIS TEAMS, WHICH MOBILIZED QUICKLY IN ORDER TO NOT JUST HELP US RESPOND TO THE DISASTER, BUT ALSO DO EVERYTHING THEY COULD, EVERYTHING HE COULD, SO THAT WE WOULD GET THIS AID.
THIS WAS BY NO MEANS GUARANTEED.
FOLKS WILL REMEMBER AFTER THE FLOODS, I SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON'T KNOW IF WE'LL BE ABLE TO.
SO THIS IS REALLY A PARTNERSHIP, AND A BIG THANK YOU GOES TO THE STATE AND HIS, UH, TDM TEAM IS HERE.
I WANT TO THANK OF COURSE, UH, OUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, OUR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, OUR MAYOR, OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS, AND ALL THE FOLKS LOCALLY THAT CALLED FOR THE PRESIDENT TO APPROVE THAT REQUEST.
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WE'RE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE ONE MORE.UM, A A COUPLE THINGS HERE THAT I WANT TO ANNOUNCE.
FIRST, THE OPENING OF FUNDY COMMUNITY CENTER, WHERE WE ARE NOW AS A MOBILE REGISTRATION INTAKE CENTER WHERE PEOPLE CAN GET THE RESOURCES THEY NEED FOR RECOVERY.
SO, FEMA'S DISASTER SURVIVOR ASSISTANCE TEAMS WILL BE HERE TO ASSIST WITH APPLICATIONS AND PROVIDE INFORMATION TO REMEMBER IF YOU ARE AFFECTED.
IF YOU WERE AFFECTED, YOU NEED TO APPLY BOTH FOR FEMA ASSISTANCE AND FOR SBA ASSISTANCE.
UM, SO FEMA IS DIRECT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.
SBA ARE LOW INTEREST LOANS YOU CAN APPLY FOR BOTH BY CALLING 2 1 1 OR VISITING REDDY HARRIS DO ORG.
LET ME JUST, UH, MENTION ANOTHER, ANOTHER PIECE OF GOOD NEWS HERE IS, UH, THERE ARE FOLKS WHO ARE ASKING, HOW CAN I HELP? WHERE CAN I DONATE? YOU KNOW, I'M NOT GONNA GO HELP MUCK AND GUT, BUT I WANT TO BE ABLE TO DONATE.
AND OUR COMMUNITY'S ALWAYS SO GENEROUS.
SO, UM, ABOUT A YEAR OR SO AGO, A YEAR OR TWO, I GUESS IT WOULD'VE BEEN, UM, TWO, MAYOR TURNER AND I STARTED THE DISASTER ALLIANCE WITH THE VARIOUS NONPROFITS THAT NORMALLY COME TOGETHER IN TERMS OF, UH, FACING A DISASTER.
WE STARTED IT BECAUSE IN THE PAST, WE WOULD HAVE SO MANY CORPORATIONS, UM, SO MANY NONPROFITS AND THE INDIVIDUALS WHO SUPPORT THEM COMING TO US SAYING THEY WANTED TO HELP, BUT THEY DIDN'T KNOW HOW.
THERE WAS NO CENTRAL PLACE, AND WE JUST WOULD STAND IT UP AD HOC, UH, ONCE FOR HARVEY.
NOW, UH, WITH THE GREATER HOUSTON DISASTER ALLIANCE, WE DO HAVE ONE CENTRAL PLACE, THE SEVERE WEATHER AND DERECHO RELIEF FUND.
SO REMEMBER, THIS IS SORT OF AN ODD, ODD NAME DISASTER DERECHO.
AND SO THAT IS THE WIND EVENT THAT GOES FOR OVER 400 MILES.
OF COURSE, I OURS WENT FOR ABOUT A THOUSAND, UM, THE ONE THAT HIT US.
AND SO, UM, THE WEBSITE, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE AND SUPPORT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN NEED OF HELP, YOU CAN VISIT DERECHO FUND.ORG, DERECHO FUND.ORG.
AND, UM, IT'LL ALSO BE LINKED OUT AT RED HARRIS, UM, DOT NET ON THE POWER.
BRIEFLY, 85% OF PEOPLE WITH OUTAGES HAVE BEEN RESTORED AS THE LATEST UPDATE FROM CENTER PI CENTER POINT.
AS OF THIS MORNING, 142,000 PEOPLE IN THE REGION ARE WITHOUT POWER.
A LOT OF THOSE IN HARRIS COUNTY.
I MET SOME CREWS THAT CAME DOWN FROM MISSOURI TODAY.
UH, SOME OF THE MECHANICS, BUT OF COURSE, THEY WERE THERE SUPPORTING THE LINEMEN.
AND I JUST THANK THEM, UH, ON ALL OF OUR BEHALF FOR, FOR WORKING IN THIS HEAT, WORKING REALLY WELL, MAKING THEIR WAY HERE.
THAT WAS THE CAVALRY WE'D BEEN WAITING FOR.
SO, UM, IF YOU DON'T HAVE POWER BY END OF DAY TOMORROW, REMEMBER TO CALL AN ELECTRICIAN, BECAUSE THEN IT'S PROBABLY ON YOUR END.
IN THE MEANTIME, TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR WEATHERHEAD.
IN TERMS OF RESOURCES, UH, COOLING CENTERS CONTINUE ACROSS PRECINCTS, LIBRARIES.
UM, THE CITY AND COUNTY HAVE WORKED TOGETHER WITH THAT, AND IT'S ON READY HARRIS DO ORG.
OUR DEBRIS PICKUP, UH, THE FIRST ROUND FOR DEBRIS PICKUP FROM THE HOMES ITSELF THAT FOLKS HAVE TAKEN OUT, STARTED MONDAY.
THAT'LL PROBABLY CONTINUE FOR ABOUT A MONTH AS PEOPLE PUT OUT THEIR DEBRIS.
I'LL JUST CONCLUDE WITH, AGAIN, THANKING ALL THE PARTNERS HERE, EVERYBODY HERE, AND THE ENTITY THEY REPRESENT.
AND, UM, A BIG WELCOME ADMINISTRATOR, CHRISWELL AND, UM, AND DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR, UM, SANCHEZ FROM SBA.
UM, BECAUSE FOR YOU TO COME DURING THIS DISASTER AND SO QUICKLY, IT'S A SOURCE OF HOPE FOR HARRIS COUNTY.
SO, UM, I WILL LEAVE IT THERE.
AND WE WILL HAVE OUR NEXT SPEAKER, WHO IS CHIEF ASSISTANT CHIEF, UH, MILLER FROM TEEM.
I'M ASSISTANT CHIEF SEAN MILLER.
I'M WITH THE TEXAS DIVISION EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
GOVERNOR ABT DIRECTED THE TEXAS DIVISION EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TO READY STATE EMERGENCY RESOURCES IN RESPONSE TO THE, UH, IMPACTS FROM THE SEVERE WEATHER AND WILDFIRE DANGER THAT WE, UH, SAW COMING.
THOSE RESOURCES DEPLOYED, UH, IN SUPPORT OF LOCAL OFFICIALS AS STORMS BEGAN IMPACTING COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE STATE.
THE TEXAS DIVISION EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CONTINUES TO WORK WITH OUR LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL PARTNERS TO CONDUCT ADDITIONAL DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS AND ENSURE THAT ALL TEXAN, TEXAS AND ALL TEXAN COUNTIES, UH, MEET THE FEDERALLY SET THRESHOLD, UH, AND ARE ADDED, UH, TO THE FEDERAL DECLARATION.
UH, IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT MORE THAN 500 RESPONDERS, THE STATE RESPONDERS, UH, FROM MORE THAN TWO DOZEN STATE AGENCIES, ARE DEPLOYED ACROSS THE IMPACTED COMMUNITIES IN SUPPORT OF OUR LOCAL, UH, UH, LOCAL OFFICIALS AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES.
AT THE REQUEST OF LOCAL OFFICIALS, TEXAS DIVISION EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS CONTINUE TO SUPPORT OUR ADDITI FOR ADDITIONAL DISASTER SURVIVOR ASSISTANCE TEAMS, AND THOSE TEAMS WILL COME INTO THE IMPACTED AREAS AND HELP THOSE SURVIVORS.
UH, WITH THE REGISTRATION PROCESS, THE STATE OF TEXAS CONTINUES TO PROVIDE COMMODITIES SUCH AS ICE, WATER, MEALS READY TO EAT TO
[00:10:01]
THOSE WHO ARE IN NEED.I WANNA HIGHLIGHT A STORY THAT WAS MADE KNOWN, UH, AND WE SPOKE ABOUT, UH, YESTERDAY, AND THAT WAS AT THE SPRING BRANCH BOYS CLUB.
UH, WHEN WE FOUND OUT, UH, THAT THERE WAS A NEED IN THAT COMMUNITY, WITHIN LESS THAN 90 MINUTES, WE HAD RESOURCES ROLLING AND COMMODITIES BEING DISTRIBUTED TO THOSE WHO ARE IN NEED.
TEXANS IS STRONG, TEXANS ARE STRONG, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS IN TIMES OF NEED AS OUR COMMUNITIES RECOVER.
FIRST, I'D LIKE TO JUST START OUT BY THANKING THE CITY OF HOUSTON PARKS AND RECREATION FOR HOSTING US AT THIS REALLY BEAUTIFUL FACILITY, UM, AND HOSTING WHAT WILL BECOME ONE OF OUR DISASTER RECOVERY CENTERS.
I THINK, FIRST, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY ALSO ON BEHALF OF THE PRESIDENT AND THE ENTIRE ADMINISTRATION THAT WE OFFER OUR CONDOLENCES AND OUR HEARTS GO OUT TO THOSE THAT HAVE LOST FAMILY MEMBERS, UM, BE AS A RESULT OF THIS HORRIFIC, UM, DISASTER.
I KNOW THAT TEXANS ARE NO STRANGERS TO DISASTERS.
HOWEVER, WHEN ONE HITS LIKE THIS ONE HIT, IT REALLY BRINGS THE WHOLE COMMUNITY TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING TO HELP THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN IMPACTED.
I KNOW THAT WE ALL SAW STORIES OF THE FIRST RESPONDERS THAT WERE HELPING TO SAVE SO MANY LIVES DURING THE FLOODING EVENTS, OR DOING SEARCH AND RESCUE AFTER THE WIND EVENT, BUT ALSO AS I WAS GOING AROUND TODAY AND, AND WHAT I SEE WHEN I TRAVEL, UM, ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND WHICH GIVES ME SO MUCH HOPE AND INSPIRATION IS HOW THE COMMUNITIES COME OUT AND HOW OUR NEIGHBORS CONTINUE TO HELP NEIGHBORS.
AND THOSE ARE THE STORIES THAT I HEARD TODAY ABOUT HOW ALL OF THE LOCAL LEADERS, THE LOCAL UNOFFICIAL LEADERS, THE RESIDENTS, CAME OUT TO CHECK ON THEIR VULNERABLE NEIGHBORS AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY WERE OKAY.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO DO, IS WE KNOW WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF SOME SIGNIFICANT HEAT.
AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO CONTINUE TO CHECK ON YOUR NEIGHBORS, CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE OKAY, THAT THEY HAVE THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED.
I WANNA GIVE YOU, UM, JUST A LITTLE BIT OF AN UPDATE OF SOME OF THE OPERATIONAL THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING HERE AT FEMA.
YOU KNOW, SO FAR, WITH THE PRESIDENT'S DISASTER DECLARATION THAT WAS GIVEN EARLIER, MORE THAN 48,000 INDIVIDUALS ACROSS THE COUNTIES THAT WERE DECLARED HAVE APPLIED FOR ASSISTANCE ALREADY.
AND WE HAVE ALREADY ISSUED OUT MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLARS TO PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY THESE STORMS. WE HAVE OVER 400 PEOPLE ON THE GROUND RIGHT NOW SUPPORTING OUR MOBILE REGISTRATION CENTERS.
UM, OUR DISASTER SURVIVOR ASSISTANCE TEAMS, WHICH ARE INDIVIDUALS THAT WILL GO DOOR TO DOOR WITH AN IPAD, EITHER HELP YOU REGISTER FOR ASSISTANCE OR CHECK ON YOUR CASE TO SEE IF THERE'S SOME DOCUMENTATION THAT'S MISSING.
WE ARE SENDING ADDITIONAL PEOPLE IN TO HELP SUPPORT THAT.
ALSO, MAKING SURE THAT WE BRING IN SPANISH SPEAKERS TO HELP SUPPORT THE COMMUNITIES THAT WERE MOST IMPACTED.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO BRING IN ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AS WE WORK WITH THE CITY AND THE COUNTY, AS WELL AS THE STATE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE NEEDS ARE.
AND WE ARE CONTINUING TO EXPEDITE THE ASSESSMENT SO WE CAN ADD ON ADDITIONAL SUPPORT AS NEEDED.
AGAIN, WE KNOW THAT THOUSANDS IN THE REGION ARE STILL WITHOUT POWER.
SO AGAIN, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONTINUE TO CHECK IN ON YOUR LOVED ONES, YOUR NEIGHBORS, YOUR VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS IN YOUR COMMUNITIES, AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE OKAY.
AND IF THERE'S AN AREA, IF THERE'S A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET ASSISTANCE YET, LET US KNOW.
WE'LL SEND THEM TO THEIR HOME.
WE'LL BRING OUR SERVICES TO THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN GET REGISTERED.
WE CAN HELP THEM WITH THE ASSISTANCE.
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE GET PEOPLE REGISTERED.
WE KNOW THAT EVERYBODY'S SITUATION IS UNIQUE AND SPECIFIC TO THEM.
LET US HELP YOU FIGURE OUT WHICH OF OUR PROGRAMS YOU MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR TO HELP YOU GET THE NECESSARY AID AS YOUR COMMUNITY, AS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY CONTINUE TO RECOVER.
AND SO THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE IN HARRIS, LIBERTY, MONTGOMERY, POLK, SAN JACINTO, TRINITY, AND WALKER COUNTIES ARE CURRENTLY ELIGIBLE FOR DISASTER ASSISTANCE.
THEY CAN GO TO DISASTER ASSISTANCE.GOV.
AGAIN, THAT'S DISASTER ASSISTANCE.GOV, OR THEY CAN CALL 1 806 2 1 3 3 6 2.
THEY CAN ALSO GO TO, AGAIN, ONE OF OUR MOBILE REGISTRATION CENTERS, OR A DISASTER RECOVERY CENTERS, OR TALK TO ANYBODY IN A FEMA SHIRT, AND THEY'LL GET YOU TO THE RIGHT PERSON TO HELP YOU GET REGISTERED.
WE'RE ALSO GONNA CONTINUE TO WORK WITH, UH, THE CITY AND THE COUNTY TO PROVIDE ANY OTHER EMERGENCY MEASURES AND PROTECTIVE MEASURES THAT ARE NEEDED.
AS YOU'RE STARTING TO DO DEBRIS REMOVAL, START TO FIX THE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE BEEN DAMAGED.
I SAW SEVERAL SCHOOLS AND HEARD THE STORIES OF HOW MANY SCHOOLS ARE, ARE GONNA BE CLOSED FOR PERHAPS THE REST OF THIS SCHOOL YEAR.
AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE EXPEDITING THE ASSISTANCE TO HELP THEM GET UP AND RUNNING, TO SUPPORT SUMMER SCHOOL, TO SUPPORT THE FEEDING OPERATIONS AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET READY FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR.
JUST WANT EVERYBODY TO KNOW THAT FEMA AND THE ENTIRE FEDERAL FAMILY STANDS READY TO SUPPORT THE
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CITY OF HOUSTON, HARRIS COUNTY, AND ALL OF THE OTHER COUNTIES THAT HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY BOTH THE FLOODS AS WELL AS THE WIND EVENT THAT HAPPENED A FEW DAYS AGO.WE ARE GONNA BE HERE WITH YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY AS YOU ARE ON YOUR ROAD TO RECOVERY.
WE WILL HAVE STAFF SUPPORTING ALL OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY THIS EVENT.
AGAIN, IF ANYBODY HAS ANY, ANY IMMEDIATE NEEDS, PLEASE WORK THROUGH YOUR LOCAL OFFICIALS.
THEY CAN WORK THROUGH US IF IT'S ONE OF THE RESOURCES THAT FEMA IS HERE TO PROVIDE.
SO, AGAIN, I JUST THANK YOU AGAIN FOR HOSTING US IN THIS BEAUTIFUL FACILITY, AND, UH, JUST, UH, GRATEFUL FOR THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY, THE COUNTY, WITH ALL OF OUR FEDERAL PARTNERS THAT ARE HERE TODAY TO HELP THESE COMMUNITIES ON THEIR ROAD TO RECOVERY.
CHRIS, WHERE DID THAT GO? YES, SIR.
YOU RIGHT FROM THE SEQUENCE? YES, SIR.
SBA A, SBA A AND THEN THE CONGRESSWOMAN.
SBA FRANCISCO HOME, HOME GROWN.
FRANCISCO SAN IS A SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, UH, DOES EVER MENTION, AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED, ALSO A HOUSTONIAN.
SO NO MATTER WHERE I'M AT, UH, HOUSTON IS, IS ALWAYS HOME.
UH, SO, UH, WHILE I'M ALWAYS GLAD TO BE BACK AND GRATEFUL TO BE BACK, CERTAINLY NOT, UH, UNDER THESE SITUATIONS, UH, ARE HEARTACHES FOR THE FAMILY MEMBERS THAT LOST LOVED ONES.
UH, AND THIS DAMAGE THAT WE HAVE SEEN ACROSS THE COMMUNITY TODAY, UH, IS CERTAINLY, UH, EXTENSIVE.
UH, THE MAYOR AND I WERE ACTUALLY AT A MEETING TOGETHER LAST THURSDAY, UH, TALKING ABOUT HOW THIS COMMUNITY COULD BE BETTER, UH, PREPARED FOR THE STORMS TO COME.
AND IN THAT ROOM, OR LEADERS FROM THE COUNTY, SOME OF THE MOST TRUSTED, UH, EXPERIENCED DISASTER LEADERS FROM ACROSS THIS REGION.
AND THE COMMITMENT I MADE THEN IS THAT THE FEDERAL FAMILY WOULD BE SWIFT.
UH, AS THE ADMINISTRATOR CRISAL MENTIONED, THE PRESIDENT HAS SIGNED THE DA DISASTER DECLARATION, NOT ONLY FOR HOUSTON AND HARRIS COUNTY, BUT ALSO, UH, FOR THE, UH, SURROUNDING COUNTIES.
UH, AND WE'RE HERE ON BEHALF OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION.
WE'RE WORKING WITH STATE, LOCAL, NONPROFIT AND BUSINESS LEADERS TO HELP THIS COMMUNITY RECOVER.
YOU SEE THE COLLABORATION HERE.
UH, I'M PRIVILEGED TO BE JOINED BY, UH, UH, JOINED ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL FROM FEMA.
UH, GRATEFUL FOR HER WORK ACROSS THE COUNTRY OF DISASTERS, BUT ALSO AS A HOUSTONIAN, UH, THE HANDS-ON APPROACH SHE HAS TAKEN TO MAKE SURE, UH, THIS COMMUNITY HAS, UH, WHAT IT TAKES, UH, TO RECOVER, UH, AT ALL LEVELS.
UH, YOU WILL SEE, UH, A STRONG PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN FEMA, SBA AND THE FEDERAL FAMILY.
WHEN YOU GO TO RECOVERY CENTERS, RECOVERY CENTERS, WHEREVER THEY ARE.
UH, YOU WILL SEE FEMA AND SBA TEAMS WORKING SIDE BY SIDE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MAKE EVERY RESOURCE AVAILABLE.
SOME OF YOU MAY BE WONDERING WHAT SBA IS DOING HERE FOR DISASTER.
UH, WE ARE THE MOST, UH, WE ARE THE GREATEST SOURCE OF FEDERAL RELIEF THROUGH LOW INTEREST LONG-TERM LOANS, NOT ONLY FOR BUSINESSES, UH, BUT FOR INDIVIDUALS, UH, AS WELL.
AND LET ME TELL YOU WHAT I MEAN BY LOW INTEREST.
LONG-TERM LOANS, THAT'S UP TO $500,000 FOR HOMEOWNERS FOR PHYSICAL DAMAGE.
THAT'S UP TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND, UH, FOR HOMEOWNERS OR RENTERS FOR PERSONAL PROPERTY.
AND THAT MEANS CARS, UH, CLOTHES, FURNITURE, ANYTHING LIKE THAT, UP TO $2 MILLION FOR BUSINESSES TO HELP THEM RECOVER.
AND HERE'S THE THING, 2.6% FOR UP TO 30 YEARS IS THE INTEREST RATE FOR INDIVIDUALS AS LOW AS 4% FOR BUSINESSES.
AND THIS IS IMPORTANT, UH, BECAUSE OF THE PRESIDENT'S COMMITMENT TO MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN RECOVER QUICKLY, UH, AS A COMMUNITY.
UH, SBA ADMINISTRATOR AS A BAIL GUZMAN SIGNED A SWEEPING REFORM WHERE NOW, IF YOU TAKE AN SBA LOAN, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO MAKE A PAYMENT FOR 12 MONTHS AT ZERO INTEREST.
SO THAT DISASTER SURVIVORS CAN FOCUS ON WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT NOW, AND THAT IS ON THEIR OWN PERSONAL RECOVERY.
AND FOR THE BUSINESSES, 'CAUSE I'VE HEARD THIS FROM OUR CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND SOME BUSINESSES THAT I'VE SPOKEN TO IN THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS, IF YOU WERE NOT PHYSICALLY DAMAGED, BUT YOU ARE SEEING A LOSS OF REVENUE BECAUSE THE POWER'S OUT, BECAUSE CUSTOMERS CAN'T GET TO YOU, OR ANY NUMBER OF OF OTHER REASONS, YOU CAN APPLY FOR ECONOMIC INJURY DISASTER LENDING THAT WILL HELP YOU COVER, UH, THEIR GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES LIKE, UH, PAYROLL, RENT, UH, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
UH, AND BECAUSE THIS IS THE DISASTER PRONE REGION, UH, SOME SWEEPING CHANGES TO OUR MITIGATION LENDING THAT YOU'LL WANNA BE AWARE OF PREVIOUS TO THIS, UH, YOU COULD MITIGATE, UH, WITH SBAS MITIGATION PROGRAM, UH, FOR THE DISASTER TYPE THAT YOU JUST HAD.
UH, BUT BECAUSE, UH, LESSONS THAT WE'VE LEARNED HERE IN HOUSTON AND HARRIS COUNTY AND TEXAS, UH, THAT'S SUSCEPTIBLE TO ALL KINDS OF DISASTERS, NOW, YOU CAN MITIGATE FOR ANY TYPE OF DISASTER THAT THIS COMMUNITY MIGHT FACE IN THE FUTURE.
SO, HURRICANES, FLOODS, EVEN ICE STORMS, TORNADOES.
UH, SO WE URGE YOU, UH, TO LOOK AT THAT.
SO, UH, SBA, UH, HOW DO YOU GET THESE RESOURCES? UH, UH, THE, THE FE ADMINISTRATOR, UH, MENTIONED SOME OF THOSE.
SBA WILL BE AT EVERY DISASTER RECOVERY CENTER.
UH, YOU CAN GO TO A DISASTER ASSISTANCE.GOV, OR YOU CAN GO TO LENDING.SBA.GOV.
UH, IN ADDITION TO THOSE DISASTER RECOVERY CENTERS, SBA, WE'LL BE OPENING TWO, UH, AT LEAST, UH, BUSINESS RECOVERY CENTERS ARE THE MOST IMPACTED COMMUNITIES FOR THE CITY OF
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HOUSTON.UH, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED, UH, THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON DOWNTOWN.
WE'LL HAVE INFORMATION SOON ON WHEN THAT OPENS, UH, WITH THE COUNTY, SOMETHING, UH, ON THE WEST SIDE.
AND SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO ANNOUNCE THAT SHORTLY, UH, TO BE ABLE, AGAIN, TO BE IN THOSE COMMUNITIES, UH, THAT WERE HIT THE HARDEST.
WE HAVE AT LEAST, UH, A HUNDRED TEAM MEMBERS THAT ARE EITHER ON THE GROUND OR ARRIVING TODAY.
UH, AND WE WILL GROW THAT, UH, AS THE NEED ARISES.
AND SO, I'LL CLOSE OUR COMMITMENT AT THE START OF THIS WAS TO BE HERE SWIFTLY AS WE COULD BE.
UH, OUR COMMITMENT NOW FROM SBA IS TO BE HERE AS LONG AS IT TAKES.
THANK YOU, FRANCISCO AND THE SBA AND THE ADMINISTRATION.
I'M PLEASED TO RECOGNIZE ONE OF OUR LONG TERM EXPERIENCED CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS AND SHEILA JACKSON LEE, I YIELD TO YOU, CONGRESSWOMAN.
WHAT IS EVIDENCED, UH, THIS AFTERNOON IS THE SEAMLESS WORK AND COMMITMENT THAT HOUSTON AND HARRIS COUNTY AND THE STATE OF TEXAS EVIDENCES IN EVERY DISASTER THAT HITS THEM.
AND MAYOR, WE HAVE BEEN HIT BY DISASTERS THAT ARE INEXPLICABLE, UH, AND, UH, SURPRISINGLY CHALLENGING.
SO, FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA THANK THIS COMMUNITY FOR WEATHERING THE STORM AND BEING PART OF THE BATTLEFRONT.
I ALSO WANT TO JOIN IN WELCOMING OUR ADMINISTRATOR, AND EQUALLY INDICATING MY PAINFUL CONCERN FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LOST FAMILY MEMBERS.
AND IT IS PAINFUL TO GO TO THESE FAMILIES AND TO SEE WHAT THEY HAVE LOST IS PAINFUL.
AND SO I WANT TO EMPHASIZE WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING IN THESE PAINFUL MOMENTS.
UH, ONE, UM, I AM GRATEFUL OF THE RESPONSE THAT HAS BEEN GIVEN, BUT I WANT YOU TO BE SENSITIVE, UH, TO THE WORK THAT STILL HAS TO BE DONE.
I HAVE THE ABILITY TO BE IN THE DOWNTOWN, AND I HAVE A DOWNTOWN CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE.
PLEASE BE CAUTIONED AT THE DANGERS OF FALLING GLASS THAT STILL EXIST, UH, AND TO BE ABLE TO WEATHER THAT STORM OF FALLING GLASS, UH, AND TO ENSURE THAT YOU ARE SAFE AS YOU MOVE IN.
EGRESS AND, UH, UH, INGRESS FALLING GLASS IS SOMETHING THAT I CONTINUE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT AND WISHED, UH, THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE A RESPONSE TO.
UH, IN ADDITION, UH, WE ARE DEALING WITH, I INDICATE THE LOSS OF LIFE.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ATTENTIVE TO THE LOSS OF LIFE, UH, THAT WE'VE ALREADY, UH, HAD.
UH, THEN I WANNA BE SURE THAT WE ARE, UH, FACING, UH, THE QUESTION OF IMMEDIACY.
AND I SEE MY COLLEAGUE REPRESENTING SENATOR CORN IN HERE, UH, JAY GUERRERO, AND THEY WANT YOU TO COME ON UP.
BUT IN ANY EVENT, UM, WE'VE GOT GREAT NEWS FOR YOU.
UH, THESE ARE ON THE INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE.
UH, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE IN A PROTRACTED LONG LINE WAITING ON INDIVIDUAL FUNDING.
YOU CAN NOW GET YOUR INDIVIDUAL FUNDING ON YOUR OWN.
IF YOU NEED FOOD, WATER, UM, RENTAL ASSISTANCE, ANY KIND OF INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE THAT DOES NOT NEED TO GO THROUGH, UH, THE, UH, PROTRACTED, UH, LONG PROCESS WE'VE HAD BEFORE IN PAPERWORK, YOU CAN DO IT.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE, IN THE CONGRESS I WORKED ON EXTENSIVELY, AND WE IN THE CONGRESS WORKED ON AS WELL, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO, TO HAVE THAT RIGHT AT YOUR FINGERTIPS.
UH, AND THAT MEANS THE CITY WILL ALSO HAVE THOSE RESOURCES THAT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO PICK UP AND BE READY.
THE FACT THAT WE HAVE THE, UH, RECOVERY CENTERS AND THAT THEY WILL BE, UH, EASIER ACCESSED, IF YOU WILL, UH, WHETHER THEY BE LARGE ONES OR SMALL ONES.
LET ME TELL YOU HOW ACCOMMODATING THESE DISCOVERY, THESE, UH, UH, RECOVERY CENTERS ARE, IF YOU WILL, WE'RE DISCOVERING THEM, BUT THEY ARE VERY, VERY IMPORTANT, UH, TO HAVE THEM IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND AT OUR FINGERTIPS.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT, PLEASE, UH, BECAUSE THAT MEANS THAT, UM, YOUR CIVIC CLUBS, PLEASE LET THEM KNOW ABOUT THAT.
UH, YOUR, UM, VARIOUS, UH, LOCAL COMMUNITIES CAN BE RIGHT THERE ON THE SPOT.
YOU CAN SIT IN YOUR CIVIC CLUB MEETING AND HAND OUT THE NUMBERS.
THAT WOULD MAKE IT VERY RESPONSIVE, UH, FOR YOU.
WE WANT THIS RECOVERY, MAYBE NOT TO BE AS SMOOTH AS IT POSSIBLY CAN BE.
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WE WANT THAT TOO, BUT WE WANT IT TO BE ACCESSIBLE, AND WE WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO, UH, ATTAIN INFORMATION AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.SO, I AM VERY GRATEFUL THAT WE ARE AT THIS POINT.
UM, WE WERE NOT, AT THIS POINT, EVEN IN THE LAST DISASTER, WE'VE MADE SOME SIZABLE CHANGES.
AND THE SBA HAS DONE A GREAT JOB IN REMODELING ITSELF, UH, TO BE ACCESSIBLE, UH, TO, UM, MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE DAMAGED AND WHO WILL CONTINUE TO BE DAMAGED.
THANK YOU TO OUR COUNTY JUDGE, UH, BOTH FOR THEIR LEADERSHIP.
UM, AND, UH, THANK YOU TO OUR STATE LEGISLATORS, OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, THAT ARE HERE.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, WHOSE DISTRICT WE'RE IN.
LET'S ALL PULL TOGETHER AND LET'S MOVE THIS ONE PARTICULAR, UH, DISASTER OUT OF OUR EYESIGHT, UH, FOREVER, UH, IF YOU WILL.
THAT'S A DISASTER THAT WE CLEARLY, UH, WANT TO SEE MOVED, UH, AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
SO HERE WE ARE IN A DISASTER THAT WE WOULDN'T EXPECT, UM, A TURN OF EVENTS THAT WE WOULDN'T EXPECT, BUT WE ARE READY FOR IT.
WE ARE READY FOR THE SPLINTERS OF GLASS, AND, UH, WE ARE READY TO, TO FACE ANY OBSTACLES THAT MAY BE IN PLACE.
AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, MAYOR FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP.
THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING YOUR LEADERSHIP.
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND LEADERSHIP.
UH, YOU, IT, IT'S A GOOD THING.
WE INTERESTED IN YOUR PERSPECTIVE AND THE LEADERSHIP THAT YOU PROVIDE.
SINCE WE ARE GOOD FRIENDS, UH, FORGIVE ME, UH, I DIDN'T, UH, DO MY TAG TEAM AND UH, HE IS MY TAG TEAM.
SO WHAT YOU'RE SEEING ON DISPLAY TODAY IS THE HOUSTON, TEXAS THAT I KNOW AND LOVE THAT SETS THIS CITY APART FROM ANY MAJOR CITY IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT PARTISANSHIP, THIS IS NOT ABOUT WHAT POLITICAL PARTY YOU ARE AFFILIATED WITH.
THIS IS ABOUT OPERATING IN THE BEST INTEREST OF MY FELLOW HOUSTONIANS.
RONALD REAGAN ONCE SAID, THE WORST WORDS THAT YOU CAN HEAR ARE, I'M FROM THE GOVERNMENT AND I'M HERE TO HELP, EXCEPT FOR IN THE CASE OF HOUSTON, TEXAS.
IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING BEHIND ME, THESE ARE DEMOCRATS, THESE ARE REPUBLICANS.
THANK, THANK YOU FEMA FOR BEING HERE.
I ALSO WANNA THANK THE REPRESENTATIVES FROM, UH, LIZZIE FLETCHER'S OFFICE AS WELL, CONGRESSMAN FLETCHER, AND ALSO CONGRESSWOMAN GARCIA, WHO'S ALSO HERE WORKING TOGETHER.
THIS IS OUR MAYOR WORKING TOGETHER.
AND SIR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND YOU EMBODY THE HOUSTON ETHOS THAT WE ALL NEED RIGHT NOW.
I WANNA THANK JUDGE HIDALGO FOR HER WORK AS WELL.
AND I WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT THIS IS A VERY RARE SITE THAT YOU WILL ONLY FIND HERE IN HOUSTON, TEXAS.
I ALSO WANNA THANK CENTER PORT, CENTER POINT ENERGY FOR THEIR SWIFT WORK TO GETTING POWER BACK TO THOSE THAT NEED IT THE MOST.
CONGRESSWOMAN LEE, YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT FOR THOSE THAT HAVE LOST LIVES AND FOR THOSE THAT HAVE LOST FAMILY MEMBERS, WE ARE PRAYING FOR YOU AND WE ARE WITH YOU.
I ALWAYS TELL EVERYONE, I WAS BORN AND RAISED HERE IN HOUSTON.
I HAVE THREE YOUNG CHILDREN, THEY WERE ALL BORN HERE IN HOUSTON MM-HMM
IT'S INCUMBENT UPON EVERYONE TO LEAVE THIS CITY BETTER THAN WE FOUND IT.
WHILE I UNDERSTAND THESE ARE DIFFICULT TIMES, THIS AIN'T OUR FIRST RODEO.
WE'RE THE BIGGEST RODEO IN THE WORLD.
AND TOGETHER WE WILL FIX OUR CITY AND GET IT BACK TO MOVING JUST LIKE IT WAS BEFORE, EVEN IF NOT BETTER.
AGAIN, I WANNA THANK ALL THE LEADERS BEHIND ME THAT HAVE CHOSEN TO TAKE TIME OUT OF THEIR DAY.
I WANT TO THANK FEMA REPRESENTATIVES FOR COMING DOWN HERE FROM DC TO HAVE BOOTS ON THE GROUND IN A VERY LITERAL SENSE, I'M A MILITARY GUY BY TRADE.
THE FIRST THING YOU DO IN LEADER WITH LEADERSHIP IS YOU SHOW UP.
SO THE FACT THAT THEY ARE HERE MEANS THAT THEY'RE CHOOSING TO LEAD FROM THE FRONT TO HELP OUR CITY.
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
AND AGAIN, FOR THOSE THAT STILL DON'T HAVE POWER, WE'RE GONNA NEED YOU TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE PATIENCE.
BUT PLEASE KNOW WE ARE WORKING FEVERISHLY TO GET US BACK TO WHAT WE KNOW AS OUR STATUS QUO.
AND AGAIN, HANG IN THERE AND STAY HOUSTON STRONG.
I RESERVED, UH, THE TIME FOR OUR FEMA DIRECTOR AND OUR
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COLLABORATION WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS.I'LL BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS TO HOUSTONIANS.
LOOK OUT FOR YOUR FAMILY, YOUR NEIGHBORS, YOUR PETS, TO DISPEL A COUPLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA RUMORS.
UH, THE EXCLUSION ZONE DOWNTOWN.
WE HAVE SIX BLOCKS THAT ARE STILL DANGEROUS FROM FLYING GLASS.
AND WE HAVE OVER 200 TRAFFIC LIGHTS THAT ARE STILL OUT ACROSS THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
SO USE YOUR COMMON SENSE LIMIT YOUR TRANSPORTATION, YOUR MOBILITY TO ESSENTIAL SERVICES SUCH AS MEDICAL AND SCHOOLS AND EVERYWHERE YOU ESSENTIALLY NEED TO GO.
BUT ANY ENTERTAINMENT AND OTHER TRANSPORTATION, I WOULD ASK YOU TO LIMIT THAT.
I'D BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
BUT, UH, ONCE AGAIN, OUR PURPOSE HERE TODAY WAS TO THANK FEMA, THE ADMINISTRATION FOR PARTNERING WITH US.
WE HAVE EVERY LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT REPRESENTED.
AND CONGRESSMAN HUNT POINTED OUT, WE'RE WORKING ACROSS THE AISLE.
WE HAVE OUR TWO US SENATORS HERE, AND I COULD GO ON AND ON ABOUT THE RANK AND FILE OF CITY, COUNTY, STATE AND FEDERAL EMPLOYEES THAT ARE HELPING US THROUGH THIS RECOVERY.
CONGRESSMAN JACKSON, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH WITH YOU AS WE GO THROUGH OUR RECOVERY.
MAYOR, DO YOU HAVE A LIST OF ALL THESE SENIOR LIVING FACILITIES THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO CHECK? YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL DETECTING 'EM.
I WAS AT, UH, INDEPENDENCE HALL SUNDAY.
UH, WHAT WE'RE DISCOVERING, AND IT'S REALLY SHAMEFUL FOR THE ABSENTEE OWNERS AND MANAGERS TO ABANDON THEIR RESIDENTS.
PART OF OUR GOING FORWARD WILL BE TO IDENTIFY 'EM, HOLD 'EM ACCOUNTABLE, AND, UH, PREVENT THAT THEY SHOULDN'T BE DOING BUSINESS WITH ANY CITY, COUNTY, OR STATE OR FEDERAL PROGRAM WHEN THEY'RE SO NEGLIGENT TO LEAVE PEOPLE.
THURSDAY NIGHT, INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS, SUNDAY AFTERNOON, IT WAS DEPLORABLE AND WE GOT THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT ON THE SCENE AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE.
WE OBVIOUSLY NEED TO WORK ON OUR AFFORDABILITY.
WHERE DO YOU TRANSPORT SOMEONE THAT IS IN AN UNLIVABLE CONDITION? WE'RE WORKING WITH FEMA ON THAT.
SO ALL I CAN TELL YOU IS ALL HANDS ARE ON DECK.
I WANT HOUSTONIANS TO KNOW THAT CITY GOVERNMENT, ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT ARE LOOKING OUT FOR 'EM AND WE'RE GOT DAYS OF RECOVERY.
THE LIGHT SHOULD BE ON BY LATE WEDNESDAY.
UH, AND THAT SOUNDS GREAT, UNLESS YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE PERSONS WITHOUT LIGHT CENTER POINT.
BUT LIKE I SAID, IF YOU DON'T HAVE YOURS, WE'RE WORKING ON IT.
THE PITNER LOCATION WAS RESTORED THIS MORNING.
WE'RE GONNA LEAVE HERE AND GO BACK AND WORK.
WE'RE ACTUALLY, I'M GOING TO THE EAST END WITH COMMISSIONER GARCIA TO DISPEL ANY RUMORS THAT IT MAY BE JUNE BEFORE POWERS RESTORED.
WE'RE TAKING CENTER POINT WITH US.
WE'RE BEING AS TRANSPARENT IN, IN, IN, IN SHARING INFORMATION BY THE HOUR WITH THE RESIDENTS OF HOUSTON HARRIS COUNTY.
AND, UH, I'M JUST HERE TO THANK FEMA.
WE'VE GOT AN EXPERIENCED ADMINISTRATOR THAT IS A TRUE PUBLIC SERVANT.
THE ADMINISTRATION IS HERE IN FULL FORCE.
SO ALL I CAN SAY IS AFTER THESE QUESTIONS ASK, LET'S GO TO WORK.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND YOUR OUTLOOK PLEASE.
QUESTIONS, UH, DYLAN THE CHRONICLE.
I WAS WONDER IF YOU GET ANY KIND OF SENSE OF HOW LONG IT TAKES THESE APPLICATIONS VERSUS TO TURN AROUND IN TERMS OF YOU.
I'M GONNA YELL TO THE, UH, ADMINISTRATOR.
I'M SORRY, WHAT WAS THE QUESTION AGAIN? CAN YOU GIVE US ANY KIND OF SENSE OF HOW LONG IT TAKES ATTORNEYS APPLICATIONS VERSUS RECEIPTS AROUND FOR INDIVIDUALS APPLIES? HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE? YEAH.
THERE'S NOT A STANDARD NUMBER.
EVERYBODY'S SITUATION IS GOING TO BE SPECIFIC AND UNIQUE TO THEM.
UM, A LOT OF IT WILL DEPEND ON GETTING SOME DOCUMENTATION.
MANY PEOPLE, AS SOON AS THEY APPLY, UH, WE'LL GET SOME FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IMMEDIATELY TO COVER SOME OF THEIR IMMEDIATE UH, COSTS.
WE HAVE A NEW PROGRAM THAT WE PUT IN PLACE JUST THIS PAST MARCH CALLED DISPLACEMENT ASSISTANCE.
UH, WHERE IF SOMEBODY'S STAYING WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND PERHAPS THEY'RE HELPING THEM PAY FOR, YOU KNOW, THEIR ELECTRICITY BILL OR FOOD OR SO FORTH, THESE ARE, THESE ARE FUNDS THAT CAN HELP THEM.
BUT THE FIRST STEP IS PEOPLE NEED TO REGISTER AND THEN WE CAN START THE PROCESS.
AND, AND SOME OF IT MIGHT BE INCRE INCREMENTAL, SOME OF IT WILL, UH, WILL DEPEND ON HOW MUCH THEIR INSURANCE COMPANY'S GOING TO PAY AND SO FORTH.
UM, BUT WE NEED TO GET THEM TO START THE PROCESS, UM, TO GET IN THAT SYSTEM.
I THINK IT'S UP TO SEVEN $50 FOR CERTAIN PROGRAMS. YEAH, THAT'S JUST ONE PROGRAM THAT, THAT'S CALLED OUR SERIOUS NEEDS ASSISTANCE.
AGAIN, WE HAVE DISPLACEMENT ASSISTANCE, UM, WHICH IS A DIFFERENT PROGRAM.
WE ALSO HAVE REPAIR ASSISTANCE FOR ANY DAMAGES TO YOUR HOME.
AND WE HAVE OTHER NEEDS ASSISTANCE IF YOU HAD A DAMAGE TO YOUR CAR OR DAMAGE TO OTHER PERSONAL PROPERTY.
SO THERE'S A NUMBER OF PROGRAMS OUT THERE THAT HAVE DIFFERENT MONETARY AMOUNTS.
AGAIN, BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S SITUATION IS SPECIFIC TO THEM, AND WE DON'T HAVE A STANDARD NUMBER BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA HELP THEM WITH WHAT THEIR COSTS ARE.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FOR, FOR MAYOR.
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I DUNNO IF YOU HAVE A SENSE THAT TO THIS POINT, IF THE, THOSE HAVE BEEN IN FACT THE HARDEST.IF, IF THAT'S PEOPLE IN ECONOMICALLY CHALLENGED COMMUNITY IN THE CITY.
IF THEY'RE TAKING A BRU THIS RIGHT NOW OR A TRANS, WE WE'RE GOING TO THE HARDEST HIT AREAS, OBVIOUSLY.
WE WERE THERE THIS MORNING ON PITNER NORTHWEST HOUSTON.
I'M ON MY WAY TO THE EAST END.
IT STARTED KIND OF COMING DOWN TWO 90, VERY SUDDEN, VERY INTENSE.
WE WERE ACTUALLY IN A HURRICANE PREPARATION MEETING THURSDAY MORNING.
WITH ANGELA BLANCHARD LEADING 35 STAKEHOLDERS PREPARING FOR HURRICANES.
I WAS AT A LITTLE LEAGUE GAME AT SIX O'CLOCK.
THEY, THEY, WE JUST RAN FOR COVER AS MOST HOUSTONIANS CERTAINLY IN THESE IMPACTED AREAS.
BUT IT CAME THROUGH TIMBER GROVE, THE HEIGHTS, RIGHT INTO THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT TO THE EAST END, AND THEN HEADED SOUTHEAST TOWARD THE BAY.
SO WE OBVIOUSLY ARE FOCUSING ON IMPACT AREAS.
WE'RE GETTING THE ICE LIFELINE SUPPORT, ICE FOOD, ENERGY.
AND WE'RE THERE NOW TO HELP THEM RECOVER WITH FEMA ASSISTANCE.
YOU MUST APPLY TO REPEAT AND EMPHASIZE TO ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS.
AND THE GREAT THING IS FEMA SENDING MOBILE TEAMS INTO OUR COMMUNITIES.
WE'VE ESTABLISHED AN APPLICATION CENTER AT DELMAR STADIUM, WHICH WILL SERVE NORTHWEST HOUSTON, DENVER HARBOR, FIFTH WARD, NORTHEAST.
WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO TAKE OUR SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITIES.
WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO, BUT I CAN'T THANK ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS, THE SOCIAL AGENCY, THE FAITH COMMUNITY.
HOUSTON IS DEMONSTRATING AGAIN, HOW WE COME TOGETHER.
WE DON'T CARE WHAT COMMUNITY YOU'RE FROM, BUT WE ARE FOCUSING ON THOSE THAT WERE GREATLY IMPACTED MORE SO THAN OTHERS.
SOUTHWEST HOUSTON, THEY'RE BLESSED.
THEY, THEY PRETTY MUCH SAW A STORM COME INTO NORTHWEST AND HEAD SOUTHEAST, BUT THEY HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY.
ALL HOUSTONIANS HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP FELLOW HOUSTONIANS LOOK OUT FOR THEIR FAMILIES, HELP 'EM AS THEY GO TO WORK, ASSIST THEM, LOOK OUT FOR THEIR PETS, THEIR NEIGHBORS.
WE'RE STRONG AND WE'RE UNITED.
AND I CAN'T THANK THE STAKEHOLDERS, THE CONGRESSIONAL, EVERY LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT.
YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN IN OFFICE 52 PLUS YEARS.
I'VE BEEN THROUGH CRISIS AT THE STATE LEVEL, LOCAL LEVEL, WORKED WITH NINE ADMINISTRATIONS AT THE CITY.
I'VE NEVER SEEN SUCH UNPRECEDENTED COOPERATION AT EVERY LEVEL'S A GOVERNOR.
AND THAT'S THE WAY IT SHOULD BE.
SOME OF THESE, UM, UH, AREAS, UH, IN MY CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, PARTICULARLY THE HARD HIT, UH, VULNERABLE AREAS, UM, AND WE TRULY NEED, WHICH IS ONE OF THE REASONS, EVEN THOUGH THE DOWNTOWN DOES NOT NECESSARILY ATTRIBUTE ITSELF TO, UM, UH, IF YOU WILL, HIGH PRICE, UH, LIVING, UH, IT IS AN AREA THAT'S IMPORTANT TO THE 18TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
MY POINT IS THAT THIS IS A TIME TO DRAW TOGETHER.
I'M GLAD THE MAYOR MENTIONED THE FAITH COMMUNITY.
THEY CAN BE ENORMOUSLY VALUABLE IN DIRECTING PEOPLE TO, UH, THE, THE, THE FILING AND THE APPLICATION PROCESS.
PLEASE DIRECT YOUR SENIORS AS BEST YOU CAN TO THE, UH, APPLICATION PROCESS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE FILLING OUT THESE, UH, DOCUMENTS SO THAT THEY CAN AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, GET THESE DOCUMENTS IN, GET THESE DOCUMENTS FILED, AND THEN HELP MONITOR THEM WITH THEM.
MONITOR THEM THAT THESE APPLICATIONS ARE BEING PROCESSED.
AND IF THEY'RE BEING PROCESSED, I CAN ASSURE YOU WITH ALL THESE LAYERS OF GOVERNMENT, UH, WE ARE GONNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE ATTENDED TO AND THAT THEY WILL GET THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED.
BUT LET IT BE PROCESSED FIRST.
THIS INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE IS SOMETHING THAT HAS NOT BEEN DONE BEFORE.
AND OF COURSE IT GOES UP AND UP AND UP.
SO ALL I CAN ASK YOU TO DO IS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHANGES, UH, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU TAKE CARE OF, UH, THE, UH, PEOPLE WHO ARE FRAIL, UH, AND CAN'T DO IT ON THEIR OWN.
AND IF THEY CAN'T AND YOU CAN HELP 'EM, GREAT THINGS CAN HAPPEN.
ONE LAST THING, I WANT TO THANK OUR FIRST RESPONDERS.
THEY USED THEIR YEARS AND HOURS OF TRAINING ON TWO 90, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STORM, YOU HAD FIREFIGHTERS TAKING LIVE WIRES OFF OF TWO 90.
I CONSIDER PUBLIC WORKS AND SANITATION FIRST RESPONDERS AS WELL.
I'D LIKE TO CONCLUDE THIS BRIEFING BY ASKING
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EVERYONE TO PAUSE FOR A MOMENT.WE LOST HOUSTONIANS TO TRAGIC EVENTS.
A TREE FELL ON THE DRIVER KILLING A MOTHER WITH HER CHILDREN ON THE BACK SEAT.
SO YOU NEED TO COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS AND REALIZE, BUT FOR TIMING, IN A LOT OF CIRCUMSTANCES THAT COULD HAVE BEEN ONE OF OUR FAMILY MEMBERS.
THANK Y'ALL FOR PARTICIPATING.