[Houston District A Storm Recovery Town Hall]
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GOOD EVENING EVERYONE.I'M THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER FOR DISTRICT A.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.
UM, WE ARE HERE TO TALK ABOUT ASSISTANCE FOR, UM, THE DISASTER THAT WE ALL JUST WENT THROUGH ON ONE SECOND.
IT'S NOT BEING BROADCAST LIVE, BUT IT WILL BE ON HTV LATER.
SO IF THERE'S INFORMATION THAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED, YOU CAN GO BACK AND WATCH THAT AS WELL.
AND THERE'S CLOSED CAPTIONING HERE AS WELL, IF ANYONE NEEDS THAT.
UM, BEFORE WE GET STARTED, I JUST WANTED TO INTRODUCE A FEW PEOPLE.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, THE DISTRICT A TEAM, LIZ, SARAH, JOSIE, AND ALLEN, IF YOU COULD RAISE YOUR HANDS.
UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SETTING THIS UP AND FOR EVERYTHING THAT THEY'VE DONE, UM, DURING THIS DISASTER.
WE ALSO HAVE, UM, WE HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN'S, OFFICE JUSTICE.
WE HAVE STAFF FROM, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER'S OFFICE, DANELLE, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER JULIAN RAMIREZ, SONIA, UM, HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT THREE, COMMISSIONER RAMSEY NICHOLAS OVER THERE IN THE BACK.
UM, AND ALSO, UM, BRAD FROM COUNCIL MEMBER OF MARYANNE HUFFMAN'S OFFICE, AND STEVEN DAVID WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
SO THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.
IN ADDITION TO ME AS YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER, YOU ALSO HAVE FIVE AT LARGE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU'D LIKE TO TALK TO ANY OF THEIR STAFF THAT ARE HERE TONIGHT.
THEY ARE HERE TO ASSIST AS WELL.
SO WE HAVE SPEAKERS TONIGHT, UM, FROM THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, FEMA, SBA.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE, UM, CALLED WASTE DEPARTMENT IS HERE AS WELL, IN CASE YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT STORM DEBRIS.
SO WE'LL HAVE OUR SPEAKERS, UM, ALL SPEAK FOR JUST A FEW MINUTES TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ABOUT WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE, AND THEN WE'LL DO QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
UM, AND THEN IF YOU HAVE INDIVIDUALIZED QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR SPECIFIC ISSUE, UM, YOU CAN TALK TO THE REPRESENTATIVES AS WELL.
SO THIS IS MEANT TO GIVE YOU INFORMATION.
IF AFTERWARDS YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, YOU CAN ALWAYS CONTACT MY OFFICE.
WE ARE HERE AS A RESOURCE TO HELP.
WE KNOW THIS DISASTER WAS REALLY BAD.
I MEAN, SO MANY PEOPLE WERE OUT OF POWER FOR A WEEK.
WE RECOGNIZE THAT AND WANNA GET YOU THESE RESOURCES.
WE HAVE HEARD FROM MANY DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS THAT THIS, UM, POWER OUTAGE WAS ONE OF THE WORST THAT WE'VE EVER HAD IN HOUSTON.
EVEN WORSE THAN IN SOME OF THE HURRICANES, THE MOST RECENT HURRICANES, JUST BECAUSE WE DIDN'T KNOW THAT THE STORM WAS COMING.
SO THERE WAS, THERE WERE NO RESOURCES THAT WERE PRE-POSITIONED AND READY TO GO BECAUSE WE JUST DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT.
SO IT MADE THINGS REALLY DIFFICULT.
AND WITH THE HEAT AND EVERYTHING ELSE, IT JUST, YOU KNOW, IT, IT WAS A TOUGH SITUATION.
BUT WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE, AND WE WANNA GET YOU THESE RESOURCES.
SO WE'LL KICK THIS OFF NOW, UM, TO GET YOU THOSE RESOURCES.
UH, FIRST WE HAVE STEVEN DAVID, UM, WHO IS HERE FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, FROM MAYOR WHIT MEYER'S OFFICE.
CAN Y'ALL HEAR ME? OKAY? GREAT.
I'M DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF TO MAYOR WHITMEYER.
MY NAME IS STEVEN DAVID, AND, UH, I WORKED WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AS WELL AS ALL OF OUR JURISDICTIONAL PARTNERS FROM THE START OF THE STORM AT THE HOUSTON EMERGENCY CENTER.
ACTUALLY, I WORKED OUTTA THERE TODAY.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, AND I KNOW THAT THIS IS, UH, A LITTLE BIT OF A, A NUANCE TO GOVERNMENT.
THE THING THAT I'M, I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR, THANK YOU.
THE THING THAT I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR IS THE PARTNERSHIP THAT WE'VE RECEIVED FROM NOT JUST COUNCIL MEMBERS' OFFICES, BUT OUR COMMISSIONER, UH, COMMISSIONER RAMSEY HERE, AS WELL AS COMMISSIONER BRIANIS.
UH, THE, THE RESPONSE WAS NOT PERFECT, RIGHT? I THINK THAT WE CAN ALL POINT TO SOMETHING THAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE BETTER, BUT THE THING THAT I'M MOST GRATEFUL FOR IS THE FACT THAT WE'RE ALL WILLING TO ADMIT THAT WE NEED TO DO BETTER FOR THE NEXT TIME.
SO, AS YOU EXPERIENCE THIS, AS YOU, UH, SORT OF IDENTIFY AREAS WHERE YOU COULD SEE IMPROVEMENT IN THE WAY THAT THE GOVERNMENT RESPONDS TO YOU, THE CITY OF HOUSTON IN PARTICULAR, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, PLEASE LET US KNOW.
WE WANT TO HEAR, WE DO THINGS LIKE AFTER ACTION REPORTS, WHERE WE BUILD THESE THINGS THAT BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN SERVE YOU DURING THE NEXT DISASTER.
WE VIEW EACH DISASTER AS A TRIAL RUN FOR THE NEXT ONE.
AND THE BETTER WAYS THAT WE CAN IMPROVE, WAYS THAT WE CAN IMPROVE THE BETTER.
FOR EXAMPLE, COUNCIL MEMBER PECK IS GONNA BE PURCHASING SOME GENERATORS.
WE NOTICED THAT NOT ALL THE FACILITIES THAT WE WANT TO USE HAVE GENERATORS.
AND SO THAT'S GONNA BE A VERY IMPORTANT THING.
UH, THE ONLY THING THAT I WANTED TO GIVE Y'ALL WAS A LITTLE BIT OF AN UPDATE ABOUT DEBRIS COLLECTION.
AS YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE SORT OF THING THAT'S ON EVERYBODY'S TOP OF MIND.
UH, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED ABOUT 1.5 MILLION CUBIC YARDS OF DEBRIS THAT NEEDS TO BE HAULED
[00:05:01]
AWAY TO DATE, ACTUALLY, ABOUT AN HOUR AGO, WE'VE HAULED AWAY TWO, ABOUT 250,000 CUBIC YARDS.WE'RE NOT DOING IT QUICK ENOUGH, BUT WE ARE MOVING THE BALL FORWARD.
UM, THE EXPECTATION, AND THIS ISN'T THE TIMELINE THAT WE'RE STICKING TO, WE'RE GONNA SPEED IT UP AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
UM, IS THAT WE HAVE, WITH THE, THE 190 VEHICLES THAT WE HAVE DEPLOYED, PICKING UP, UH, DEBRIS FROM THE STORM, WE EXPECT IT TO TAKE ABOUT 30 DAYS.
WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SPEED THAT UP.
AND SO IN THAT SPIRIT, WHAT WE'RE WORKING WITH, UH, AND WE'RE HOPEFULLY GONNA HAVE IT TOMORROW OR FRIDAY, IS A PREDICTABLE MAP FOR YOU.
I CAN CREATE A MAP OF, OF WHERE WE HAVE PICKED THINGS UP.
WHAT I WANT Y'ALL TO BE ABLE TO HAVE, WHAT THE MAYOR WANTS Y'ALL TO BE ABLE TO HAVE IS WHERE WE ARE GONNA BE IN THE NEXT THREE DAYS TO GIVE Y'ALL A LITTLE BIT OF PREDICTABILITY SO YOU CAN KNOW WHEN TO PUT THINGS OUT AND WHEN YOU CAN EXPECT TO HAVE YOUR FRONT, FRONT YARD CLEARED.
SO THOSE, THAT MAP IS GONNA BE COMING OUT THIS WEEK, THAT'S GONNA BE SOMETHING THAT WE EXPECT OUR CONTRACTORS AND OUR SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT TO UPDATE EVERY DAY.
AND IT'S GONNA BE NOT DISSIMILAR FROM THE CENTER POINT MAP THAT Y'ALL SAW AFTER THEIR ART OUTREACH TRACKER WENT DOWN.
THEY RELEASED THAT MAP THAT SAID, YOUR POWER'S GONNA BE RESTORED ON THIS DAY HERE, THIS DAY THERE.
AND WE'RE GONNA TRY AND KEEP THAT AS LIVE AS POSSIBLE SO YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR DEBRIS IS GONNA BE TAKEN AWAY.
AND THEN THE LAST THING THAT I WANNA SAY AGAIN, IS I WANNA THANK Y'ALL FOR BEING HERE.
I KNOW THIS IS SORT OF A MOMENT OF NEED.
YOU NEED INFORMATION, YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE TO YOU.
AND I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH OF A RESOURCE THE COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE BEEN FOR INFORMATION.
UM, SO PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU, YOU GO TO THEM AND GO TO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, CALL 3 1 1 IF YOU NEED TO, TO GET INFORMATION.
WE'RE ALL WILLING AND TRYING TO HELP.
MY NAME IS ISHA SMITH AND I AM A COMMS ADVISOR FOR OUR INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AT FEMA.
UM, AND I'M HERE TO WALK YOU THROUGH AND GIVE YOU A BASIC OVERVIEW OF OUR INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
SO WHAT IS INDIVIDUAL AS ASSIST INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE? SO THE MISSION WITHIN INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE IS TO PROVIDE SURVIVORS AND COMMUNITIES FROM DISASTERS OR RECOVERING FROM DISASTERS WITH GRANTS AND RESOURCES THAT ARE EASY TO ACCESS, SIMPLE TO UNDERSTAND AND OUTSTANDING IN THEIR HELPFULNESS.
UM, FEMA MAY HELP WITH TEMPORARY HOUSING EXPENSES, BASIC HOME REPAIRS, AND OTHER ESSENTIAL DISASTER RELATED NEEDS.
AND THIS INCLUDES MONEY FOR TEMPORARY HOUSING WHILE YOU ARE UNABLE TO LIVE IN YOUR HOME, SUCH, SUCH AS RENTAL ASSISTANCE OR REIMBURSEMENT FOR HOTEL COSTS, MONEY TO SUPPORT THE REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT OF OWNER OCCUPIED HOMES THAT SERVE AS THE HOUSEHOLD'S PRIMARY RESIDENCE.
UM, INCLUDING PRIVATELY OWNED ACCESS ROUTES SUCH AS DRIVEWAYS, ROADS, OR BRIDGES.
IT ALSO INCLUDES A TEMPORARY HOUSING UNIT IF APPROVED FOR THE DISASTER, UM, WHEN YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO USE RENTAL ASSISTANCE DUE TO A LACK OF AVAILABLE HOUSING RESOURCES.
UM, IT ALSO INCLUDES MONEY FOR HAZARD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE TO HELP ELIGIBLE HOMEOWNERS REPAIR OR REBUILD STRONGER MORE DUR HOMES.
UM, AND ALSO IT INCLUDES MONEY FOR OTHER UNIN, UNINSURED, OR UNDERINSURED DISASTER CAUSE EXPENSES AND SERIOUS NEEDS.
ADDITIONALLY, IN COORDINATION WITH STATES, TRIBES, TERRITORY GOVERNMENTS, AND OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES AND VOLUNTARY ORGANIZATIONS, WE OFFER A VARIETY OF RECOVERY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS TO DISASTER SURVIVORS.
THIS INCLUDES MASS CARE AND EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE, COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAMS, AND VOLUNTARY AGENCY COORDINATION AND DONATION MANAGEMENT.
I ALSO WANNA EMPHASIZE THAT FEMA ASSISTANCE IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR INSURANCE AND CANNOT COMPENSATE FOR ALL DISASTER LOSSES.
UM, BUT IT IS INTENDED TO JUMPSTART THE RECOVERY PROCESS, UH, FOR PEOPLE AFFECTED BY THE DISASTER.
I ALSO WANNA GIVE YOU SOME GREAT UPDATES ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
SO UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF ADMINISTRATOR DEANNE CRISWELL, WE MADE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT UPDATES TO SURVIVOR ASSISTANCE IN THE LAST 20 YEARS.
SO THESE UPDATES TO OUR INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM INCLUDE QUICKER ACCESS TO NEEDED FUNDS, EXPANDED ELIGIBILITY FOR PROPERTY AND HOME REPAIRS, AND ALSO AN EASIER APPLICATION PROCESS FOR SURVIVORS TO JUMPSTART THEIR RECOVERY FROM DISASTERS.
NOW, WE'VE MADE MULTIPLE CHANGES TO THE PROGRAM, BUT I ONLY HAVE TIME TO WALK YOU THROUGH A FEW OF THEM.
UM, IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THESE CHANGES ARE ONLY FOR DISASTERS THAT WERE DECLARED ON OR AFTER MARCH 22ND, 2024.
SO UNDER THE FIRST BUCKET, UM, AND I'M GONNA WALK YOU THROUGH THREE OF THEM.
UM, WE'VE ESTABLISHED NEW BENEFITS THAT PROVIDE FLEXIBLE FUNDING DIRECTLY TO SURVIVORS WHEN THEY NEED IT MOST.
SO THIS IS OUR DISPLACEMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
UM, SO FOR SURVIVORS WHO ARE UNABLE TO RETURN HOME AFTER DISASTER, DISPLACEMENT ASSISTANCE CAN HELP BY PROVIDING ELIGIBLE PEOPLE WITH MONEY TO ASSIST THEM TO FIND A PLACE TO STAY.
SO THIS PROVIDES SURVIVORS THE FLEXIBILITY TO
[00:10:01]
DETERMINE THE BEST OPTION FOR THEM.SO IF THEY WANNA STAY WITH THEIR FRIENDS, THEIR FAMILY, IF THEY WANNA GO TO A HOTEL, OR IF THEY WANNA STAY IN AN AIRBNB, WHATEVER THEY DETERMINE IS BEST FOR THEIR HOUSEHOLD, THEY GIVES THEM THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE FOR THEMSELVES.
UM, WE'VE ALSO CUT RED TAPE AND EXPANDED ELIGIBILITY TO REACH MORE PEOPLE AND HELP THEM RECOVER FASTER WHILE BUILDING BACK STRONGER.
SO PREVIOUSLY WE SAW SOME RELUCTANCE WITH SURVIVORS REGARDING THE NEED TO SECURE A LOAN FROM THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, EVEN THOUGH WE STILL WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THEM.
THOSE ARE OUR CLOSE PARTNERS AS PART OF THE, AS PART OF THE DISASTER ASSISTANCE PROCESS.
NOW, WHILE THE OPTION TO APPLY FOR A SMALL BUSINESS LOAN IS STILL AVAILABLE, FEMA HAS NOW SIMPLIFIED ACCESS TO OUR INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM BY REMOVING THE NEED FOR SURVIVORS TO APPLY FOR A SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION LOAN BEFORE RECEIVING CERTAIN TYPES OF ASSISTANCE.
SO NOW YOU CAN WORK THROUGH THE FEMA APPLICATION PROCESS AND THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DISASTER LOAN PROCESS AT THE SAME TIME.
UM, AND LASTLY, WE'VE SIMPLIFIED APPLICATION, THE APPLICATION PROCESS TO MEET SURVIVORS INDIVIDUAL NEEDS AND MEET THEM WHERE THEY ARE.
SO NOW WE'VE REALIZED THAT NOT EVERYONE HAS THE ABILITY TO FILL OUT THE APPLICATIONS ON TIME.
AND WHEN YOU'RE IN A HURRICANE OR A DISASTER, MAYBE YOU HAVE FLOODING IN YOUR HOME AND YOUR ROOF IS LEAKING, YOU MAY NOT HAVE TIME TO GO AND, AND PUT IN THAT APPLICATION, UM, ON TIME.
SO NOW TO STREAMLINE THE PROCESS.
NOW, PEOPLE WILL NOT HAVE TO SUBMIT ANY DOCUMENTATION TO EXPLAIN WHILE THEY'RE APPLYING LATE.
INSTEAD, THEY CAN JUST CALL THE FEMA HELPLINE NUMBER, WHICH IS THAT 1 806 2 1 3 3 6 2, AND THEY CAN GIVE THE REASONING OVER THE PHONE.
SO NOW, IF YOU HAVE BEEN, UM, AFFECTED BY THE CURRENT DISASTER, UM, IN TEXAS, THERE ARE A COUPLE WAYS TO APPLY, OR THERE'S A FEW WAYS TO APPLY FOR FEMA ASSISTANCE.
YOU CAN CALL THE ONE 800 NUMBER, WHICH IS 1 806 2 1 3 3 6 2.
YOU CAN GO TO DISASTER ASSISTANCE.GOV OR YOU CAN GO IN PERSON TO A DISASTER RECOVERY CENTER.
RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE SEVEN DISASTER RECOVERY CENTERS.
I BELIEVE THERE ARE FOUR IN HARRIS COUNTY.
UM, AND THERE AT THE DISASTER RECOVERY CENTER, YOU CAN RECEIVE ONE-ON-ONE HELP FROM A FEMALE REPRESENTATIVE, REPRESENTATIVES FROM OTHER AGENCIES, SUCH AS THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION.
AND YOU CAN SIT DOWN AND WORK THROUGH YOUR APPLICATION IN PERSON, ASK YOUR QUESTIONS, SUBMIT YOUR DOCUMENTATION, OR IF YOU'VE ALREADY PUT IN YOUR APPLICATION, YOU CAN COME IN AND ASK SOME QUESTIONS IF YOU NEED TO UPDATE, OR IF YOU JUST SIMPLY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU WANNA ASK OR YOU HAVE ANY UNMET NEEDS, WE CAN DIRECT YOU TO OTHER AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT CAN ASSIST YOU AS WELL.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
I'M A PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER WITH THE OFFICE OF RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE.
SBA, EVERYONE KNOWS SBA, THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, AND USUALLY THINK, WHY ARE THEY HERE? SO WE OFFER LOW INTEREST LOANS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO HOMEOWNERS, RENTERS, NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND BUSINESSES OF ANY SIZE.
SO IF YOU HAVE DAMAGES TO YOUR HOME AND YOUR INSURANCE DOESN'T COVER A HUNDRED PERCENT, WHICH IS USUALLY THE CASE, UNFORTUNATELY, YOU CAN GET A LOAN FOR UP TO $500,000 TO REPAIR OR REPLACE YOUR MAIN RESIDENCE.
ON TOP OF THAT, YOU CAN GET $100,000 FOR YOUR PERSONAL PROPERTY TO REPLACE YOUR PERSONAL PROPERTY.
THIS CAN BE ANYTHING THAT WAS INSIDE YOUR HOME, YOUR FURNITURE, YOUR CLOTHING, INCLUDING INCLUDING YOUR CAR.
SO IF YOUR CAR SUFFERED DAMAGES OR IT WAS LOST BECAUSE OF THE STORMS, YOU CAN GET A LOAN FROM THE SBA FOR ANYTHING THAT IS NOT COVERED BY ANY INSURANCE.
THESE LOANS FOR HOMEOWNERS AND RENTER RENTERS CAN BE FOR AN INTEREST RATE AS LOW AS 2.68%.
SO THE INTEREST RATE IS VERY LOW.
BESIDES THAT, YOU WILL HAVE 12 MONTHS NO INTEREST AND NO PAYMENTS TOO.
AFTER YOU RECEIVE YOUR FIRST MONEY, YOU CAN WAIT 12 MONTHS TO START REPAYING YOUR LOAN.
THERE ARE NO ANY FEES OF ANY KIND, NO PENALTIES FOR, UH, REPAYING YOUR LOAN SOONER, BUT STILL IT IS A LOAN YOU CAN APPLY ARE DISASTER RECOVERY CENTERS, ANY DISASTER RECOVERY CENTER THAT FEMA AND THE STATE HAVE.
UH, WE HAVE SBAS PERSONNEL AND THEY CAN WALK YOU THROUGH THE PROGRAM AND HELP YOU TO APPLY.
ALSO, OF COURSE, WE HAVE LOANS FOR HOMEOWNERS.
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UH, BUSINESS OWNERS, UH, BUSINESSES AND NONPROFITS CAN GET UP TO $2 MILLION TO, FOR ANY, UH, PROPERTY DAMAGE THAT THEY HAD, ANY MACHINERY, EQUIPMENT, ANYTHING THAT THEY LOST BECAUSE OF THE STORM AND OR THEY CAN GET UP TO $2 MILLION FOR ECONOMIC INJURY.THIS WILL BE IF YOU HAD TO CLOSE YOUR BUSINESS FOR, UH, A COUPLE OF WEEKS BECAUSE OF THE STORMS OR BECAUSE THE STREETS WERE FLOATED.
YOU CAN GET A LOAN TO HAVE WORKING CAPITALS, UH, WORKING CAPITAL.
THESE ARE WORKING CAPITAL LOANS.
SO YOU CAN HAVE, UH, MONEY TO STAY IN BUSINESS OR REOPEN YOUR BUSINESS IF YOU HAD TO CLOSE IT.
AGAIN, THESE LOANS ARE, UM, AS LOW AS 4% FOR BUSINESSES AND FOR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, THAT INTEREST RATE IS 3.25%.
AND AGAIN, 12 MONTH DEFERMENT, NO PAYMENTS, NO INTEREST, AC.
SO MY SUGGESTION IS WHEN YOU GO TO A DISASTER RECOVERY CENTER, UH, REGISTER WITH FEMA AND APPLY WITH SBA, THERE IS NO OBLIGATION, UH, TO TAKE A LOAN IF YOU ARE APPROVED AND, UH, YOU HAVE SOME TIME TO THINK ABOUT IT.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR YOUR INSURANCE TO SETTLE OR FOR FEMA TO GIVE YOU, UH, AN ANSWER ON HOW MUCH THEY CAN HELP YOU WITH.
SO THESE RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE TO YOU.
IF YOU APPLY, YOU GET APPROVED, YOU WILL HAVE TIME TO DECIDE.
UH, THERE, THERE ARE NO, UH, INTEREST TO ACCRUE IN 12 MONTHS AND NO PAYMENTS DUE.
SO COME TO ONE OF OUR DISASTER RECOVERY CENTERS.
WE ALSO ARE HERE AT THIS COMMUNITY CENTER.
UH, WE HAVE A BUSINESS RECOVERY CENTER FOR BUSINESS OWNERS.
BUT IF YOU ARE A HOMEOWNER AND YOU, THIS IS THE BEST, UH, LOCATION FOR YOU, YOU CAN TALK TO ONE OF OUR REPRESENTATIVES HERE.
THEY ARE HERE FROM EIGHT TO SIX, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, AND SATURDAYS FROM EIGHT TO 4:00 PM AND WE ARE ALSO AT THE SPRING BRANCH FAMILY DEVELOPMENT CENTER IN 85 75 PINNER ROAD, UH, WHICH IS CLOSE TO THIS LOCATION.
IF YOU NEED, UH, AN ADDRESS TO CALL, YOU CAN ALSO CHECK OUR WEBSITE AND GET ALL THE INFORMATION.
WE HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION IN, IN SPANISH AND OTHER LANGUAGES.
I CAN ALSO, UH, GIVE YOU THE INFORMATION IN SPANISH IF YOU NEED TO.
AND WE HAVE A ONE 800 NUMBER 6 5 9 2 9 5 5.
AND I HAVE FLYERS THERE WITH ALL THIS INFORMATION.
UH, THEY ARE IN GREEN, SO YOU CAN, UM, LOCATE THEM.
UP NEXT WE HAVE STEVEN DAVID AGAIN.
UM, HE IS GOING TO, UM, SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WITH SOME INFORMATION, UM, ABOUT THAT.
I'M THE MAYOR'S DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF.
UH, SO I'M GONNA SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
SO A LOT OF TIMES WE LIVE IN GOVERNMENT IN OUR ACRONYMS. WE LOVE OUR ACRONYMS. I REALLY CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH WE LOVE THEM.
UM, BUT THERE IS, UH, AN OFFICE THAT DOES NOT, UH, RESPOND THE SAME WAY THAT YOU WOULD EXPECT POLICE OR FIRE OR PUBLIC WORKS, RIGHT? FIRE DEPARTMENTS GOING OUT AND THEY'RE DOING HIGH WATER RESCUES.
PUBLIC WORKS IS DOING THE SAME WITH THEIR HIGH LEVEL VEHICLES.
POLICE ARE RESPONDING TO CALLS FOR SERVICE, DOING BOAT RESCUES.
THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ARE OUR EMERGENCY COORDINATORS.
THEY'RE THE ONES WHO ARE THE CENTRAL HUB OF ALL INFORMATION.
THEY'RE RECEIVING STUFF FROM THE POLICE, FROM FIRE, FROM CENTERPOINT, FROM OUR COUNTY PARTNERS, FROM OUR STATE AND FEDERAL PARTNERS.
THEY ARE JUST THE RECIPIENT OF ALL THE INFORMATION.
AND THEN THEY PACKAGE IT ALL TOGETHER AND THEY HELP TO DEPLOY THE RESOURCES.
THEY'RE ALSO THE HUB FOR THOSE EMERGENCY CALLS AND FOR THOSE FOLKS THAT WE KNOW HAVE GREAT NEED.
AND SO THE TWO PROGRAMS THAT I WANNA TALK TO YOU ABOUT, THAT THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OVERSEAS AND THAT ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO, FOR YOU TO REGISTER AND FOR YOUR, TO TELL YOUR NEIGHBORS AND YOUR FAMILY TO REGISTER.
THE FIRST ONE IS CALLED I STATS.
SO THIS IS THE ABILITY OF US TO TRACK DAMAGE FOR THE PURPOSES OF GETTING REIMBURSEMENT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
SO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PRESIDENT BIDEN DECLARED A DISASTER, BUT WHAT HE DOESN'T DO IS HE DOESN'T PUT A PRICE TAG ON THE DISASTER.
THE WAY THAT WE DO THE PRICE TAG IS WE UNDERSTAND WHERE, WHERE THE DAMAGE IS, WHAT THE VALUE OF THAT DAMAGE IS, AND THEN WE SUBMIT A PACKAGE UP TO THE STATE OF TEXAS, AND THEN TEXAS HELPS US SUBMIT IT TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
AND SO THAT INCLUDES BOTH DAMAGE TO PUBLIC BUILDINGS, SO PA PUBLIC ASSISTANCE.
AND THEN WHAT OUR LOVELY FEMA INDIVIDUAL TALKED ABOUT IA, INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE.
INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE IS Y'ALL PUBLIC ASSISTANCE IS THE GOVERNMENT.
AND SO WE HAVE DAMAGES TO BUILDINGS JUST LIKE Y'ALL HAD DAMAGES TO YOUR HOMES.
AND SO WE NEED Y'ALL TO TRACK YOUR DAMAGE ON YOUR HOME AS WELL.
AND YOU CAN DO THAT THROUGH THE I-STAT APP.
SO THE WEBSITE I'M GONNA GIVE YOU TO BE ABLE TO GET TO THAT IS HOUSTON OE M.ORG.
AND YOU CAN GET ALL OF THE RESOURCES THAT YOU NEED THERE.
IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT THING TO DO.
IT'S A GREAT WAY TO TRACK THE DAMAGE.
AND IT IS EXCEPTIONALLY IMPORTANT.
[00:20:01]
TWO YEARS FROM NOW WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO GET REIMBURSED, UH, ON ALL OF THE MONEY THAT WE ALL SPENT.Y'ALL ARE GONNA GET YOUR MONEY UP FRONT FROM FEMA, WHICH IS THE IA ASSISTANCE, BUT ON THE BACKEND, WE TRY AND MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S RECUPERATED.
THE SECOND PROGRAM THAT I WANNA TALK TO YOU ABOUT IS CALLED STEER.
I TOLD YOU WE LOVE OUR ACRONYMS, UH, S-T-E-A-R, AND IT'S THE STATE OF TEXAS EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE REGISTRY.
SO STEER IS AN EXCEPTIONALLY IMPORTANT PROGRAM FOR THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
SO IF YOU KNOW ANYBODY WHO HAS ANY SORT OF MOBILITY CHA CHALLENGES, WHO HAS ANY SORT OF DISABILITY, UM, IS CONSIDERED MEDICALLY FRAGILE, YOU WANT TO REGISTER THEM WITH THIS PROGRAM.
AND WHAT WE DO IS WHEN DISASTERS OCCUR, WE ARE BY LAW REQUIRED WITHIN 24 HOURS TO CONTACT 100% OF THE PEOPLE ON THAT LIST.
AND DO NOT JUST A, YOU KNOW, AN EMERGENCY NOT, NOT AN EMERGENCY ALERT WHERE IT GETS PUSHED TO YOUR PHONE.
WE HAVE TO HAVE A PERSON SPEAK TO THAT INDIVIDUAL AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE OKAY.
DO YOU HAVE YOUR INSULIN, DO YOU HAVE ENERGY? DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE, DO YOU HAVE OXYGEN NEEDS? THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT WE KNEW NEEDED SWAP OUTS OF THEIR O2 TANKS, AND WE WOULD GO AND TAKE THEM PERSONALLY TO THESE FACILITIES.
IT'S ACTUALLY HOW WE FOUND A LOT OF THESE APARTMENT COMPLEXES THAT YOU WERE HEARING ABOUT THESE MULTIFAMILY FACILITIES WHERE PEOPLE WERE STUCK ON THE TOP FLOOR BECAUSE THERE WAS NO, UH, THERE WAS NO ELECTRICITY AT THEIR PLACE FOR A FEW DAYS.
THOSE PEOPLE WERE PART OF STEER.
AND THE ONES THAT WE DIDN'T FIND OUT ABOUT FOR LONGER THAN THAT, THEY WERE NOT REGISTERED WITH STEER.
SO, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REGISTER FOR STEER BECAUSE THAT MEANS WE GREW THE LIST.
WE WERE ACTUALLY VERY FORTUNATE.
WE GREW OUR STEER LIST BY 1800 PEOPLE THIS PAST DISASTER, AND WE WANT TO KEEP GROWING IT IN NON-DISASTER TIME SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND INDIVIDUAL NEEDS.
AND SO IF THERE IS A NEED FOR INSULIN, WE CAN TAKE THAT INSULIN TO Y'ALL AS YOU GO THROUGH THE RECOVERY PROCESS.
IF YOU HAVE A MOBILITY NEED, WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT AS WE KNOW STORMS ARE COMING, WE CAN GET YOU DOWN OFF THAT TOP FLOOR.
SO IN THE CASE OF AN A ENERGY EMERGENCY WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE ELECTRICITY, YOU'RE NOT STUCK.
SO THAT'S A, A REALLY IMPORTANT THING.
I THANK YOU AGAIN FOR LETTING ME SPEAK.
IT'S REALLY GREAT TO MEET Y'ALL FOR SOME, I'VE BEEN UP HERE.
UM, SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, FEEL FREE TO ASK, BUT HOUSTON OEM.ORG IS A GREAT RESOURCE FOR ALL OF THE GOVERNMENT INFORMATION, ALL THE INFORMATION YOU WOULD NEED OUT OF GOVERNMENT.
OKAY, SO NOW WE ARE GOING TO HAVE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
SO IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION, YOU CAN COME ON UP TO THE MICROPHONE.
UM, IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING REALLY SPECIALIZED, LIKE A UNIQUE SITUATION THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO GET INFORMATION ABOUT, UM, IF YOU WANNA WAIT TILL AFTERWARDS, YOU CAN ASK ANY OF US AND WE'RE HAPPY TO ASSIST.
BUT IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING MORE GENERAL THAT YOU WANNA ASK RIGHT NOW, PLEASE COME ON UP.
WE'VE ANSWERED ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS, YOU'RE ALL GOOD.
I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE TRASH PICKUP.
OKAY? UH, THEY'VE ALREADY MADE ONE PASS THROUGH MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND PICKED UP WHAT I HAD OUT, BUT I HAVE THREE QUARTERS OF A TREE LEFT THAT IS NOT OUT ON THE CURB YET.
AND ALSO CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL.
ARE THEY GONNA PICK UP CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL? I HAD A WHOLE GARAGE DEMOLISHED AND A CARPORT.
SO DO I HAVE TO GET A DUMPSTER MYSELF OR WILL THE CITY OF HOUSTON PICK IT UP? HOW DOES THAT WORK? AND WILL THEY MAKE MORE THAN ONE PASS? SO THAT'S A WONDERFUL QUESTION.
UH, SO RIGHT NOW WE ARE GOING TO BE DOING THREE TREE DEBRIS PASSES.
UM, SO THESE ARE, YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF TRUCKS IN YOUR COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW.
UM, THEN WE'RE NOT DOING A GREAT JOB OF CLEARLY MARKING THOSE TRUCKS.
SO SOME OF THEM, IF YOU SEE A CITY OF HOUSTON VEHICLE, MORE LIKELY THAN NOT, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE PICKING UP THE TREE DEBRIS THAT WE VISUALLY ASSOCIATE WITH, UH, THIS DISASTER.
AND THE REASON WHY IS 'CAUSE WE'RE HIRING A WHOLE BUNCH OF CONTRACTORS TO DO THAT.
SO THERE ARE MULTIPLE COMPANIES THAT ARE OUT THERE, AND THESE ARE THE BIG, I DUNNO IF YOU'VE SEEN 'EM, THEY'RE THE TWO TRAILERS.
IT'S THE ONE GIANT TRUCK PULLING ANOTHER TRAILER AS WELL.
THOSE ARE ACTUALLY FOLKS THAT WE HAVE HIRED TO COME HELP US.
THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO SPECIALIZE IN DISASTERS AND SPECIALIZE IN DEBRIS PICKUP.
SO THEY WILL BE DOING THREE PASSES IN OUR COMMUNITIES.
AND WE'VE BROKEN THE CITY UP INTO TINY LITTLE ZONES, NEIGHBORHOOD BASED ZONES.
AND SO THAT'S THE MAP THAT I REFERENCED EARLIER.
WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET IS A LITTLE BIT MORE PREDICTABILITY.
IF YOU'VE HAD ONE PASS, YOU'RE GONNA GET TWO MORE.
UM, WHEN WE GET IT IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN COMMUNICATE MORE EFFECTIVELY.
THIS IS ALSO YOUR JUNK WASTE MONTH, UH, IN THE HEAVY TRASH MONTH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WE ARE WORKING VERY HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, WE STAY ON TIME WITH OUR HEAVY TRASH, BUT WE'RE GONNA FALL BEHIND.
UM, AND THE REASON WHY IS BECAUSE THERE IS, SO WE EXPECT ABOUT 60,000 CUBIC YARDS OF HEAVY TRASH, WHICH IS THE HIGHEST MONTH.
THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENS TO BE THE PEAK MONTH IN, IN ANY GIVEN YEAR FOR, UH, FOR HEAVY TRASH, UH, WITH SOLID WASTE.
ADD THE 1.5 MILLION THAT I TOLD YOU IS, HAS FALLEN SINCE THEN.
SO THE FIRST THING TO GO WILL BE TREE DEBRIS.
AND THEN THE CITY OF HOUSTON WILL ALSO WORK.
SO KEEP, THE OTHER THING THAT WE'RE DOING, AND THIS IS GONNA BE PROBABLY, UH, A LITTLE BIT MORE NUANCED AND DETAILED.
WE HAVE A, UH, WE HAVE A DEPARTMENT CALLED THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS AND THEY ROVE THE CITY AND THEY DO CODE ENFORCEMENT.
[00:25:01]
WE HAVE ADVISED THEM THAT THEY WILL NOT BE ISSUING HEAVY TRASH VIOLATION CITATIONS FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS BECAUSE THAT IS A THING THAT IS EXCEPTIONALLY UNFAIR TO Y'ALL, RIGHT? WE'RE TRYING, THIS IS AN UNPRECEDENTED EVENT.WE HAD A SEVEN MINUTE WARNING.
THE THING THAT'S A LOT OF, UH, I, I'M A DATA GUY, LIKE STATISTICS.
THIS IS THE SAME LEVEL WIND EVENT AS I, AS IKE WAS.
UH, THE DIFFERENCE WAS THAT IT WASN'T SUSTAINED OVER THE PERIOD OF TIME, BUT IT WAS JUST AS HIGH A WINDS.
THE PEAK WIND THAT WE SAW WAS 119 MILES AN HOUR.
IT WAS ACTUALLY JUST SOUTH OF HERE, REALLY CLOSE TO Y'ALL.
I MEAN, I KNOW THAT Y'ALL ALL SAW IT.
UM, BUT WHAT WE HAD THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IKE AND THIS EVENT, THIS IS THE SECOND WORST WIND EVENT IN HOUSTON'S HISTORY WITH IKE.
WE HAD WARNING THIS WAS SEVEN MINUTES AND IT CAME THROUGH.
AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS, UH, BECAUSE THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED, WE REALLY SHOULDN'T BE COMING AFTER Y'ALL FOR CODE VIOLATIONS, AT LEAST WITH REGARD TO HEAVY TRASH.
AND ALSO WE'RE DOING GO ON THE CURB.
AND ALSO IF YOU HAVE, UH, I'LL, I'LL ADD THIS IN THERE 'CAUSE IT POPPED INTO MY HEAD.
UH, IF Y'ALL HAVE TO DO ANY ELECTRICAL WORK, WE ARE ALSO EXPECTING OUR PERMITTING DEPARTMENT TO DO EXPEDITED PERMITTING, UM, FOR HOME REPAIRS.
SO WE ARE EXPEDITING EVERYTHING.
SO IF YOU ARE GOING INTO THE PERMITTING CENTER, IF YOU ARE CALLING AND APPLYING, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU LET EVERYBODY KNOW.
YOU PUT IT IN AS MANY NOTE SECTIONS AS YOU CAN DURING YOUR APPLICATION THAT THIS IS DISASTER RELATED.
WE ARE PRIORITIZING THOSE NOW, LIKE FOUR MONTHS FROM NOW.
IF Y'ALL PUT DISASTER IN IT, WE'RE GONNA KNOW THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO HOODWINK US AND WE'RE NOT GONNA PRIORITIZE IT.
BUT THE, UH, FOR THE PURPOSES OF REPAIRING AFTER THE DISASTER, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT Y'ALL HAVE THAT PRIORITY.
WHAT OTHER QUESTIONS CAN WE ANSWER? SO I HAVE A FENCE THAT WAS DAMAGED AND THE GATE OPENER ALSO WAS DAMAGED 'CAUSE OF THE SWING ARM GOT BENT.
SO MY INSURANCE DOESN'T COVER FENCE REPAIR.
SO HOW DO I GO ABOUT GETTING ASSISTANCE IN GETTING THINGS LIKE THAT REPAIR THAT THE HOME INSURANCE DOESN'T COVER? DO I TAKE PICTURES AND GET IT AND GET QUOTES OR DO I GET THE REPAIR DONE FIRST AND THEN GET APPROVAL OR WHAT? SO YEAH, THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THE OPTION? YEAH.
UH, FEMA IS SAYING, UH, THEY DON'T, DO NOT COVER THAT, BUT, UH, YOU COULD GET A, A LOAN FROM THE SBA.
YOU CAN GO TO ONE OF OUR DISASTER RECOVERY CENTERS AND APPLY IT'S PART OF YOUR HOME SO YOU CAN APPLY AND, AND SEE IF YOU QUALIFY.
IF YOUR INSURANCE DOESN'T COVER, YOU SHOULD QUALIFY YES.
BUT HOW ABOUT OTHER RESOURCES? HI, SHE WILL ANSWER.
SO UNDER FEMA ASSISTANCE, WE'RE ONLY GONNA COVER THE DAMAGES TO THE ESSENTIAL AREAS OF YOUR HOME.
SO UNFORTUNATELY, A FENCE WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER THAT.
UM, BUT YOU COULD COME DOWN TO A DISASTER RECOVERY CENTER.
WE MAY BE ABLE TO DIRECT YOU TO ANOTHER ORGANIZATION WHO WILL BE ABLE TO ASSIST YOU WITH YOUR FENCE.
UM, WE HAVE TWO HUGE LIMBS, ABOUT 20 FEET LONG FROM A NEIGHBOR'S TREE THAT ARE RESTING ON THE BOTTOM TWO WIRES, WHICH WE ASSUME IS MAYBE CABLE AND BONE.
THE ELECTRICITY HAS BEEN REPAIRED, BUT THESE LIMBS ARE HALF IN HIS YARD AND HALF IN OUR YARD.
AND, UH, WOULD BE RATHER DANGEROUS TO TRY AND DO SOMETHING FROM OUR SIDE BECAUSE THEY COULD FLIP UP AND HIT THE POWER LINES.
SO WHO DO WE CONTACT? YEAH, THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION.
AND WE'VE HEARD A LOT OF THAT OF, YOU KNOW, TREES THAT ARE IN LINES THAT PEOPLE ARE UNSURE ABOUT.
UM, IF YOU COULD, UM, TALK TO MY STAFF, UM, RIGHT AFTER THIS AND GIVE US YOUR ADDRESS.
UM, WE WANNA, UM, HELP YOU CONTACT CENTERPOINT AND MAKE SURE THAT IT'S NOT A LIVE WIRE BEFORE ANYTHING IS DONE.
AND DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU WANTED TO ADD TO? SO TWO NUMBERS.
THE FIRST ONE IS 7 1 3 2 0 7 2 2 2 2.
DON'T ASK ME WHY THAT'S STUCK IN MY HEAD.
THIS IS CENTER POINTS, UH, EMERGENCY LINE FOR DOWN LINES, BUT WE ALSO DO TREES LEANING ON THEM.
YOU'RE RIGHT THAT IT'S RESERVED.
UH, OR MAYBE YOU SAID THAT IT'S RESERVED FOR, UH, THAT THOSE LOWER WIRES ARE RESERVED FOR, UH, THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LINES.
SO IT SHOULD NOT BE HIGH WIRED, BUT DON'T TAKE ANY RISK WITH IT.
YOU STILL CALL THAT NUMBER THOUGH, FOR ANY TREES LEANING ON IT.
IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S DOWNED WIRES OR TREE LEANING, IT'S JUST AS DANGEROUS.
AND SO THE SECOND NUMBER THAT YOU SHOULD CALL IS THREE ONE ONE AND CREATE A STORM DEBRIS PICKUP SERVICE REQUEST.
SO, UM, THERE ARE ALSO, THERE'S ALSO AN ORGANIZATION, UH, CALLED CRISIS CLEANUP THAT WILL HELP.
AND THIS IS GONNA BE A NUMBER, UH, THE LADY BEFORE WE POTENTIALLY COULD GET HELP FROM.
[00:30:01]
THEY'RE ACTIVE UNTIL TOMORROW, UH, OR EXCUSE ME, UNTIL FRIDAY.BUT I BELIEVE THAT THEY'RE GONNA TRY AND EXTEND, AND THAT NUMBER I DON'T HAVE IN MY HEAD, SO I'M NOT AS MAGICAL AS I THOUGHT IT WAS.
BUT THE, UH, THAT NUMBER IS, THEY WILL HELP TO, TO CUT UP THINGS ONCE.
CENTER POINT WILL KNOCK THAT OFF THE LINE.
SO CENTER POINT IS, CENTER POINT'S GONNA BE YOUR FIRST CALL, RIGHT? THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND, AND IF ANYONE HAS THOSE QUESTIONS, WE'RE HAPPY TO CONNECT YOU WITH CENTER POINT AS WELL.
BUT ALSO, UM, IF YOU'RE NOT GETTING A RESPONSE, I MEAN, THEY'RE SO OVERWHELMED, CONTACT US AND WE'RE HAPPY TO, TO WORK WITH THEM ON THAT.
TREES, TREES, TREES AND TREES.
UH, WE HAVE, UH, PEOPLE THAT ARE LIVING BEHIND US AND THEY HAVE MASSIVE TREES THAT HAVE NOW TILTED ONTO OUR PROPERTY.
UM, WE'VE READ IN ON THE INTERNET THAT IF WE CUT THEM ON OUR SIDE AND THE TREE DIES, THE OWNER OF THE TREE COULD THEN MAKE US RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR TREE.
UH, WHAT WHAT CAN WE DO WHEN WE KNOW IF WE HAVE A HURRICANE THAT THE TREES ARE NOW LEANING ON OUR PROPERTY AND THEY'RE HUGE.
I MEAN, THEY'RE THIS BIG AROUND, UH, WHAT CAN WE DO? WHAT, WHAT ARE THE RESOURCES OR WHO CAN WE CALL TO GET SOME ADVICE TO COMMUNICATE WITH OUR NEIGHBORS? THEY'RE NOT WILLING TO CUT THE TREES.
SO, UM, I MEAN, TYPICALLY IN A SITUATION LIKE THAT, UM, WE DON'T WANNA OFFER ANY LEGAL ADVICE AS WE'RE NOT LAWYERS.
UM, BUT IF YOU WANNA CONTACT OUR OFFICE, UM, WE HAVE IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS SIMILAR TO THAT, HAVE HAD, UM, THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS COME OUT WITH US TO JUST KIND OF ASSESS THE SITUATION AND MAYBE TALK TO THE HOMEOWNER AND SEE IF THERE'S A, A SOLUTION THERE.
UM, BUT WE CAN'T NECESSARILY FORCE ANYTHING, UM, IN MOST SITUATIONS.
BUT WE'RE HAPPY TO HELP WALK YOU THROUGH IT.
UM, SO PLEASE CONTACT MY OFFICE AND WE'LL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO ASSIST.
SO THAT'S THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS.
IT'S THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT WE'RE HAPPY TO CONNECT YOU WITH THEM.
SO JUST CONTACT MY OFFICE, UM, AND IT TO CONTACT MY OFFICE.
UM, IT'S DISTRICT A@HOUSTONTX.GOV, THAT'S DISTRICT A@HOUSTONTX.GOV OR 8 3 2 3 9 3 3 0 1 0.
AND WE'RE HAPPY TO ASSIST WITH ANY OF THESE, UM, CONCERNS.
WHAT ELSE? YES, MY NAME'S GARY LOWE, AND I KNOW CENTERPOINT ENERGY'S NOT HERE, BUT, UH, WAS CURIOUS WHAT THE RELATIONSHIP IS BETWEEN THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND CENTER POINT ENERGY.
IS THERE ANY, UH, DOES THE CITY OF HOUSTON HOLD THE CENTER POINT ENERGY ACCOUNTABLE? UH, AND HOW WOULD YOU GRADE IS WHAT, WHAT AS, UM, CITIZENS SHOULD WE EXPECT FROM CENTERPOINT ENERGY AFTER A STORM? YEAH, THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION.
UM, SO IF ANYONE HAS ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS FOR CENTERPOINT, THEY WILL BE AT OUR TOWN HALL THAT WE'RE HAVING TOMORROW NIGHT AT THE WHITE OAK CONFERENCE CENTER IN INWOOD.
THEY COULDN'T BE HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE OF THE STORM YESTERDAY.
UM, THEY, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALL HANDS ON DECK FOR THEM RIGHT NOW, BUT THEY WILL BE THERE TOMORROW IF YOU DO HAVE QUESTIONS.
SO, UM, I KNOW THAT AFTER A STORM, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE EXPECT THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO KIND OF GET YOUR POWER BACK UP, RIGHT? UM, THE CITY OF HOUSTON ACTUALLY, WE DON'T HAVE REGULATORY AUTHORITY OVER CENTERPOINT.
UM, THAT'S THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION AND YOUR STATE LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT.
BUT THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO ASSIST YOU WITH EVERYTHING THAT WE COULD POSSIBLY ASSIST YOU WITH.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WHEN YOU'RE CONTACTING US SAYING, YOU'RE NOT PRIORITIZING GETTING OUR POWER BACK ON, I MEAN, WE DON'T HAVE THAT AUTHORITY TO SAY, YOU NEED TO DO X, Y, AND Z.
AND THEY HAVE TO SAY, OKAY, BECAUSE WE HAVE JURISDICTION OVER THEM.
UM, AS FAR AS THEIR PLAN OF HOW TO GET PEOPLE BACK UP, UM, WITH ELECTRICITY AFTER A STORM, THEY DO WORK WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON, OF COURSE, ON THOSE KINDS OF PLANS.
THEY, UM, TYPICALLY WORK WITH THE, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER IS GOING TO GET THEM THE MOST PEOPLE BACK ON AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE IS KIND OF THEIR PLAN.
AND SO WE'VE SEEN THAT WHERE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE WORKING ON A PARTICULAR AREA THAT GETS THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE BACK ON AND THEN THEY DO THE HARDER ISSUES.
THAT'S, YOU KNOW, MAYBE A STREET OR A SECTION OF A STREET.
AND SO THAT'S KIND OF THE PRIORITY LEVEL THAT THEY HAVE.
THEY ALSO WORK VERY QUICKLY, UM, TO GET HOSPITALS AND NURSING HOMES AND THOSE KINDS OF FACILITIES BACK UP VERY QUICKLY AS WELL.
SO THOSE ARE A HIGH PRIORITY FOR THEM.
UM, THIS WAS A REALLY DIFFICULT STORM, LIKE I SAID BEFORE THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW THAT IT WAS COMING.
SO CENTERPOINT WASN'T PRE-POSITIONED WITH PEOPLE IN EQUIPMENT LIKE YOU WOULD NORMALLY SEE WHEN WE'RE EXPECTING A HURRICANE.
AND SO THEY HAD TO BRING PEOPLE AND EQUIPMENT IN VERY, VERY QUICKLY FOR THIS SCENARIO.
THIS ALSO WAS UNIQUE IN THAT WE HAD TRANSMISSION TOWERS JUST COMPLETELY CRUMPLED AND ON THE FLOOR.
UM, WHEREAS EVEN IN HURRICANES, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN LINES THAT ARE DOWN, THAT KIND OF THING.
BUT I MEAN, TRANSMISSION TOWERS WERE DOWN ALL AROUND DISTRICT A AND ESPECIALLY SPRING BRANCH.
SO IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT IT JUST, IT, IT TOOK A LONG TIME, UNFORTUNATELY TO GET THAT BACK UP.
UM, AND IN A LOT OF CASES TOO, UM, THEY WERE TEMPORARY
[00:35:01]
FIXES THAT THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO GO BACK AND ACTUALLY DO THE PERMANENT FIX.AND SO, UM, THIS IS GONNA GOING TO BE A REALLY LONG PROCESS TO GET EVERYONE BACK UP COMPLETELY, UM, WHERE IT'S A PERMANENT FIX.
SO, UM, I DO SUGGEST THAT YOU ALSO READ OUT, REACH OUT TO YOUR STATE ELECTED OFFICIALS TOO, SINCE THEY HAVE THE REGULATORY AUTHORITY AND JURISDICTION OVER CENTER POINT.
BUT LIKE I SAID, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT TRYING TO PASS THE BUCK TO 'EM.
WE'RE ALWAYS HAPPY TO HELP IF THERE'S A SITUATION WE CAN BE IN CONTACT WITH CENTER POINT AND, AND HAPPY TO WORK WITH THEM.
SO MY FIRST QUESTION, I GUESS IS THE TREE DEBRIS.
THIS, BECAUSE SOMEBODY CAME OUT IN OUR, THIS CAME OUT IN OUR MOM GROUP.
UM, SOMEONE SPOKE TO THE COUNTY, I'M GONNA READ HER MESSAGE.
SHE SPOKE TO THE COUNTY OFFICE ABOUT TREE DEBRIS AND THEY SAID IT WOULD EVENTUALLY GET TO EVERYONE, OF COURSE, BUT ANYTHING PAST THREE FEET FROM THE CURB WILL NOT BE PICKED UP BECAUSE IT'S CONSIDERED PRIVATE PROPERTY.
MY TREE TRASH GOES ON THE STREET AND ABOUT 10 FEET INTO MY YARD AND I CAN'T PUT ANY MORE.
I MEAN, IT'S FROM MY DRIVEWAY TO MY NEIGHBOR'S DRIVEWAY AND TO THE OTHER SIDE OF MY, MY, MY, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO PUT TRASH.
I DON'T HAVE HEAVY TRASH OUT BECAUSE WE HAD, WE LOST A CAR, ANOTHER CAR GOT DAMAGED AND IT TOOK OUT PART OF OUR HOUSE AND OUR GARAGE.
SO
AND THEN I HAVE TWO MORE QUESTIONS.
SO THE EXPECTATION IS THAT WE'RE GONNA PICK UP WHAT'S OUT THERE.
OKAY? SO IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW FAR IT IS.
'CAUSE I MEAN, IT IS IN MY DITCH IF IF IT'S IN YOUR DITCH, IF, I MEAN, IF YOU, YOU'VE GOT THE SPACE THAT YOU'VE GOT SPACE FOR, RIGHT? UM, SO WE'RE GONNA PICK IT UP IF IT IS NOT PICKED UP.
IF FOR SOME REASON A CONTRACTOR OR A SOLID WASTE EMPLOYEE DECIDES TO PICK UP EVERYTHING LESS THAN THREE FEET AWAY FROM THE RIGHT OF WAY, THEN PLEASE CALL 3 1 1.
AND ALSO PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU CALL THE COUNCIL MEMBER'S OFFICE AND THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
'CAUSE WE'RE GONNA BE VERY INTERESTED IN THAT.
ONLY ONE CAR CAN FIT DOWN OUR STREET RIGHT NOW BECAUSE MY OTHER, MY NEIGHBOR ACROSS HAS TREE TRASH TOO.
SO, OKAY, SO MY, I WROTE THIS DOWN SO I WOULDN'T FORGET, I'M NOT UP HERE.
SO AS FAR AS LIKE WHEN WE HAVE ROOF DAMAGE, UM, AS HELPING, AS FAR AS DEDUCTIBLES GO, 'CAUSE MOST PEOPLE KNOW WE'RE DOING WIND AND HAIL DAMAGE RIGHT NOW.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT NINE, $10,000 IN DEDUCTIBLES.
HOW DO YOU GUYS GO ABOUT HELPING FOR THOSE? AND DO WE NEED TO GET OUR ADJUSTER TO COME OUT FIRST? BECAUSE MINE IS NOT GONNA BE HERE TILL TOMORROW.
'CAUSE THAT IS HIS FIRST TIME BEING ABLE TO COME TO, TO LOOK AT ANYTHING.
UM, HAVE YOU PUT YOUR APPLICATION IN WITH FEMA YET? NO, BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW IF WE NEEDED TO HAVE THE ADJUSTER, YOU KNOW, TELL US WHAT, YOU KNOW, I KNOW WHAT MY DEDUCTIBLE IS.
BUT, UM, AND THEN IF YOU'RE DENIED, THIS IS MY OTHER QUESTION, YOU MIGHT HAVE SAID AT THE SAME TIME MM-HMM
LIKE ONE OF MY NEIGHBORS HAS, HAS, UH, ROOF DAMAGE MM-HMM
BECAUSE HE SAID HE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH DAMAGE.
I MEAN, I MEAN, I CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION FOR HIM.
SO I DON'T, I DON'T, I CAN'T TELL YOU ABOUT INDIVIDUAL CASES 'CAUSE I DON'T KNOW THE SPECIFICS OF HIS CASE.
I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU APPLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND PUT THAT APPLICATION IN AND ASK THE QUESTIONS.
YOU MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR SOME ASSISTANCE WITH YOUR DEDUCTIBLE.
UM, SO MAKE SURE YOU COMMUNICATE ALL OF YOUR NEEDS TO FEMA.
UM, YOU CAN, I SUGGEST PEOPLE TO COME INTO THE DISASTER RECOVERY CENTER SO THEY CAN SIT DOWN WITH SOMEONE.
I THINK IT'S A LOT EASIER TO WORK THROUGH THE APPLICATION PROCESS THAT WAY.
UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAD SOME DAMAGE TO YOUR CARS, YOUR VEHICLES AS WELL.
ONE WAS A TOTAL LOSS, BUT THEY PAID THAT OUT AND I DON'T, I MEAN, I MEAN, INSURANCE TOOK CARE OF IT.
AND THEN OF COURSE YOU PAID OUR DEDUCTIBLE AND IT'S GONNA BE FIXED TOMORROW, THANK GOODNESS.
UM, SO A BREAK, JUST MAKE SURE YOU BRING THAT INSURANCE INFORMATION TO US AS WELL.
UM, WE WILL NEED TO KNOW HOW MUCH YOUR INSURANCE IS GOING TO YOUR YES, YOUR CLAIM IS GONNA COME OUT TO BEFORE WE CAN DETERMINE HOW MUCH YOU'LL BE ELIGIBLE THROUGH A FEMA.
UM, BUT DEFINITELY PUT THAT APPLICATION IN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE FOR YOUR NEIGHBOR.
UM, IF HE HAS BEEN DENIED OR DEEMED INELIGIBLE, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT HE READ HIS FEMA DETERMINATION LETTER VERY CAREFULLY.
UM, AND THEN EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO APPEAL.
SO I WOULD ALSO SUGGEST AND ENCOURAGE HIM TO COME TO THE DISASTER RECOVERY CENTER AS WELL AND SUBMIT HIS APPEAL AND BRING ALL OF HIS DOCUMENTATION THAT HE HAS WITH HIM AS WELL.
ARE THEY STILL AT PITNER RIGHT NOW? YES.
SO EARLIER, I DON'T KNOW IF I, I, I THINK I WALKED YOU THROUGH WHAT A DISASTER RECOVERY CENTER IS.
UM, BUT IF YOU WANNA FIND OUT WHAT THE DISASTER RECOVERY OR WHAT CLOSEST ONE IS TO YOU, YOU CAN GO TO FEMA.GOV/DRRC, THAT'S FEMA.GOV/DRC AND THAT'S WHERE YOU CAN COME IN PERSON SPEAK WITH A FEMA REPRESENTATIVE.
THERE'LL BE SOMEONE FROM THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AS WELL AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS.
WE HAD THE AMERICAN RED CROSS AT ONE
[00:40:01]
OF OUR LOCATIONS TODAY.UM, THEY WERE HELPING, UH, SURVIVORS IN PROVIDING ASSISTANCE THROUGH THAT AS WELL.
SO I HIGHLY RECOMMEND FOR ANYONE WHO THINKS THEY NEED ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE TO COME INTO A DISASTER RECOVERY CENTERS AND COMMUNICATE YOUR UNIQUE NE YOUR UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES TO US.
UM, SO WE'LL BE THERE FOR AS LONG AS NEEDED.
THERE'S NO CLOSE DATE AS OF RIGHT NOW.
WE'RE OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK FROM 7:00 AM TO 7:00 PM IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION YES.
SO THERE ARE SOME SPANISH SPEAKERS ON SITE.
IF YOU NEED ANY OTHER INTERPRETERS, YOU CAN COME IN AND LET US KNOW YOUR NEEDS FOR THAT AS WELL.
AND ALSO WE HAVE A SL INTERPRETERS.
AS YOU CAN SEE, AARON'S ONE OF OUR A SL INTERPRETERS.
IF YOU NEED THAT ASSISTANCE, YOU CAN REQUEST THAT AS WELL.
I WOULD JUST LIKE TO MAKE A STATEMENT.
I, UH, HAD A TREE BRING DOWN THE ROOF IN MY LIVING ROOM.
UH, I HAD A TREE, UH, BRING DOWN THE ROOF IN MY LIVING ROOM AREA.
AND I WENT TO, UM, DISASTER RECOVERY.GOV ON SAT LAST SATURDAY.
A REPRESENTATIVE CAME IN AND ASSESSED THE DAMAGE ON MONDAY OR TUESDAY, AND I GOT A CHECK IN THE DEPOSIT THIS MORNING SO I COULD PAY THE ROOFERS FOR THE NEW ROOF.
AND I WANTED TO THANK FEMA AND, UH, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES FOR THEIR RAPID RESPONSE.
NOW I'M THE CITY SECRETARY FOR HILLSHIRE VILLAGE, JUST RIGHT OVER HERE OFF WESTVIEW.
UM, WE HAVE WORKED AND WESTVIEW THAT BORDERED THE CITY OF HOUSTON MEDIANS.
AND I'VE GOT A LOT OF TREES THAT NEED TRIMMING.
WHAT'S THE BEST WAY FOR ME TO REPORT THAT TO 3 1 1 TO GET AN ACCURATE LOCATION OF WHERE I'M TRYING TO GET THEM TO FOR NOT FOR DEBRIS PILE COLLECTION ON THE SIDE.
AND ALSO THE, THE TRICK, I HAVE A GOOD ANSWER FOR THIS ONE.
SO IF YOU, THERE IS THE ABILITY, THERE'S A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT YOU COULD DO THIS.
THE, THE BEST WAY TO DO VERY SPECIFIC GEOLOCATION, UH, WHERE YOU CAN DO LIKE LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES, OKAY.
YOU CAN ACTUALLY ACCESS THE PORTAL ONLINE.
OTHERWISE YOU CAN JUST GIVE US CROSS STREETS.
UM, YOU COULD ALSO GIVE US A, AN ADDRESS, A PHYSICAL ADDRESS IF YOU CAN JUST FIND IT AND GIVE DETAIL WITHIN THE NOTES WHEN YOU'RE CREATING IT.
THESE WE RECOGNIZE, WE DO, HONESTLY, THE, THE BEST PROXY TO THINK ABOUT WHENEVER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TREES AND WHERE THEY ARE, ARE POTHOLES.
WE ALWAYS GENERALLY KNOW LIKE, EH, IT'S AT THIS INTERSECTION AT THAT CROSS STREET.
RIGHT? BUT IT'S MAYBE IT'S OFF OUR WAY.
RIGHT? AND SO WHAT, WHAT WE DO, OUR EXPECTATION FOR OUR TEAMS IS THAT WHEN THEY GO OUT, THEY GO TO THE THING THAT THEY THINK IS BEING ADDRESSED AND THEN THEY DO A SWEEP.
SO IF YOU HAVE TREE TRIMMING ISSUES, DEBRIS ISSUES, PUT THAT IN THERE.
NOW, IF IT'S TREES IN THE RIGHT OF WAY, WE HANDLE THAT.
IF IT'S TREES ON PRIVATE PROPERTY, WE DON'T, RIGHT? NO.
THESE ARE TREES IN YOUR RIGHT OF WAY.
THANKS FOR KNOWING THE RIGHT OF RIGHT.
JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THAT THOSE RIGHT OF WAY AREAS THAT ARE ON MY SIDE OF WESTVIEW AND MY SIDE OF WHERE ARE GONNA BE INCLUDED IN YOUR DEBRIS COLLECTION OR IF I NEED TO WORK WITH MY ILA WITH HARRIS COUNTY TO GET THAT DONE.
UH, LET'S TALK, OKAY,
MAKE SURE IT GETS TO THE RIGHT PERSON.
UM, YOU CAN USE THE APP, YOU CAN CALL INTO THREE ONE ONE, SEND THEM AN EMAIL NO MATTER HOW YOU CONTACT THEM, UM, YOU'LL GET A SERVICE REQUEST NUMBER.
SO YOU CAN JUST SEND THAT NUMBER TO OUR OFFICE AND WE'RE HAPPY TO MAKE SURE THAT IT, UM, GETS TAKEN CARE OF.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER, UM, QUESTIONS THAT WE CAN ANSWER BEFORE WE KIND OF BREAK OUT AND LET YOU ASK YOUR INDIVIDUAL QUESTIONS? UM, SO BEFORE WE DO, UM, QUESTIONS, WE DO, UM, HAVE A SPEAKER FROM THE SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT THAT WANT, UM, IF YOU COULD COME GIVE US SOME TIPS.
I THINK YOU HAD ABOUT THE STORM DEBRIS PICKUP.
SO I'LL BE, I'LL BE REAL FREE.
I'M WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT.
UM, ONE TIP THAT I WANTED TO PROVIDE, DESMOND, DO YOU WANNA SPEAK AT THE MICROPHONE? SO THAT
SO WE JUST WANNA REMIND RESIDENTS TO BE CONSCIOUS OF WHERE YOU'RE PARKING YOUR VEHICLES.
WE WILL BE OUT IN THE AREA TO REMOVE STORM DEBRIS.
WE NEED THOSE VEHICLES AS FAR AWAY FROM THE PILES OR IN THE DRIVEWAYS IF POSSIBLE.
WE DO REALIZE THAT SOME VEHICLES WERE DAMAGED IN THE STORM, BUT IT KIND OF EXPEDITES THE PROCESS.
WE DON'T HAVE TO WORK AROUND VEHICLES OR, OR POTENTIALLY DAMAGE ANY PROPERTY IF THOSE VEHICLES ARE MOVED OUT OF THE WAY.
ALSO, I'LL BE ON THE BACK TABLE TO ANSWER ANY, ANY SPECIALIZED QUESTIONS, ANY QUESTIONS PERTAINING TO YOUR PARTICULAR RESIDENCE.
I WOULD ENCOURAGE, ENCOURAGE ALL
[00:45:01]
RESIDENTS TO PICK UP A SEPARATING YOUR DEBRIS FLYER.WE KNOW A LOT OF RESIDENTS HAVE, HAVE, UH, DEBRIS AT THE CURB CURRENTLY.
WE'RE NOT ASKING YOU TO JUST, YOU KNOW, COMPLETELY REORGANIZE ANYTHING.
BUT IT DOES MAKE IT A LOT EASIER WHEN OUR CREWS COME AND THEY DO HAVE THE DEBRIS SEPARATED INTO THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES.
PLEASE GRAB A FLYER, SHARE, SHARE IT WITH YOUR NEIGHBOR, SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS.
UH, WE DO POST TIPS AND TRICKS, UM, ON OUR FACEBOOK.
UH, IF YOU GUYS WANT TO FOLLOW THAT AS WELL FOR ANY TIPS, ANYTHING THAT WE'RE NOTICING WHILE WE'RE OUT IN THE FIELD.
SO JUST WANT TO GIVE A, GIVE A BRIEF TIDBIT.
AND THEN WE HAVE, UM, ONE MORE COMMENT FROM THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IF YOU WANNA COME UP AND THEN WE'LL BREAK OUT FOR QUESTIONS AFTER THIS.
MY NAME IS GISELA CINTA AND I'M WITH THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
REALLY QUICK, UH, I KNOW, UM, STEVEN MENTIONED THE PHONE NUMBER FOR CRISIS CLEANUP.
THE PHONE NUMBER, THE HOTLINE IS (832) 509-2977.
AND THEY MAY EXTEND THE FOR ANOTHER, FOR AN EXTRA WEEK THE REGISTRATION.
SO IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE REMOVING TREES OR ANY, ANY DEBRIS FROM YOUR BACKYARD, YOU'RE WELCOME TO SIGN UP.
AND THEY, THEY MAY PROVIDE SOME VOLUNTEERS TO SUPPORT, UH, THE EFFORTS.
ADDITIONALLY FOR THIS IS MORE FOR THE NON US CITIZEN COMMUNITY COMMUNITY.
UH, THE AMERICAN RED CROSS AND UNITED WAY ARE ALSO PROVIDING SOME RESOURCES.
YOU CAN REACH OUT TO THE AMERICAN RED CROSS CALLING ONE 800 RED CROSS AND UNITED WAY THROUGH CALLING 2 1 1.
THERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL RESOURCES, SO IF YOU DON'T QUALIFY FOR THE FEMA ASSISTANCE, YOU MAY BE ABLE TO REACH OUT TO THEM AND AND SEE IF THERE IS ANYTHING THEY YOU CAN QUALIFY FOR.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE ALERT HOUSTON.ORG.
IT IS A SYSTEM OF TEXT MESSAGES THAT GO LIVE.
IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY, YOU WILL RECEIVE LIVE NOTIFICATIONS.
SO WE INVITE YOU TO SIGN UP FOR THOSE FOR ALERT HOUSTON.ORG.
AND TOMORROW, OR LAST TOMORROW AT PITNER, UH, THE COMMUNITY CENTER, THE THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY CENTER, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A DISTRIBUTION.
THEY ARE PUTTING A DISTRIBUTION TOGETHER WITH THE HOUSTON FOOD BANK OF DISASTER BOXES.
SO IF YOU KNOW OF ANYONE NEEDS, UM, SOME PANTRY NEEDS, IT'S GONNA START AT EIGHT 30.
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR COMING.
UM, WE WILL BE HERE, SO IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK US.