How you can help or get help in Houston

Posted on April 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Via email from State Rep. Gene Wu:

I hope this email finds you safe after yesterday’s flooding. While we are seeing most of the high water receding from our neighborhoods, there is still a good deal of cleanup work to do today. Please stay safe as we anticipate even more rain throughout the day.

For those of you able to help your fellow Houstonians, you are always encouraged to donate to the Red Cross.

The Red Cross is also seeking volunteers who are available to commit 6-8 hours to assist at Houston-area shelters. There are different roles volunteers can play during a shelter operation:

  • provide immediate emergency services to individuals and families
  • greet families and provide comfort as they arrive.
  • provide meals, comfort kits, etc.
  • help oversee shelter operations.
  • entertain families.
  • assist in overnight security.

Other volunteer opportunities are available as well. To volunteer, contact the Red Cross at 713.313.5491.

Shelters in the Greater Houston area are located at:

Shelter                         Address
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Chinese Community Center        9800 Town Park Drive
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Johnston Middle School          10410 Manhattan Dr.
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Willow Meadows Baptist Church   4300 W Bellfort Blvd
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MO Campbell Education Center    1865 Aldine Bender
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Jersey Village Baptist Church   16518 Jersey Drive (Jersey Village)
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South County Community Ctr      2235 Lake Robbins Rd. (Spring)
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Pine Island Baptist Church      36573 Brumlow Road (Hempstead)
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Knights of Columbus Hall        1390 Highway 90 W (Sealy)
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First United Methodist Church   4308 W. Davis Street (Conroe)
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Royal High School               2550 Durkin Road (Pattison)
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East Montgomery County          21679 McClesky (New Caney)
Community Center
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As a reminder, here are some helpful links and phone numbers in case they are needed:

 

Thanks and stay safe!

From Sen. Rodney Ellis:

As our community continues to deal with flooding, please keep in mind these important tips to stay safe:
  1. Follow evacuation orders and do not attempt to return until officials say it is safe to do so.
  2. Head for higher ground and stay there.
  3. Stay away from floodwaters. If you come upon a flowing stream where water is above your ankles, stop, turn around and go another way.
  4. Turn around, don’t drown. If driving, turn around and go another way. If you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly around you, get out of the car quickly and move to higher ground. Most cars can be swept away by less than two feet of moving water.
  5. Keep children out of the water.
  6. Be especially cautious at night when it’s harder to see flood danger.
Area services
These services will help you as you begin to recover from the flood’s impact.
  1. Report flooding: the City of Houston Office of Emergency Management is asking any residents who experienced flooding inside their home or business to report it to the Houston 311 Help & Information Line by calling 311 orsubmitting the report online here.
  2. Legal assistance: the State Bar of Texas offers a legal hotline to help connect people with legal aid providers following disasters: 1-800-504-7030. Additional resources are available at texasbar.com/disasters and texaslawhelp.org.
  3. Abandoned car: if your car was towed during the flood, call 713-308-8580 or visit findmytowedcar.com to determine where it is currently located.
  4. No power or downed power lines: please report a power outage or downed power lines to CenterPoint Energy at 713-207-2222.
  5. Food: if you need food or water, please contact the Houston Food Bank at 832-369-9390.
  6. Free storage: U-Haul is offering 30 days of free storage and U-Box container usage to flood victims. Call one of the Houston offices for more details: U-Haul of East Houston 281-377-3380; U-Haul of West Houston 281-495-6683; U-Haul of Gulf Coast Texas 713-750-7701; U-Haul Storage Centers of Houston 281-531-4022

And from CM Greg Travis:

1. Report Flooding to 311:
Please report all flooding to 311. As you have no doubt heard, the ReBuild Houston program is “worst first,” meaning the areas with the greatest flooding will receive reconstruction prior to areas with less severe flooding. Self-reported 311 information is the main data point going into the SWEET (Storm Water Enhanced Evaluation Technique), which aids in prioritizing drainage projects. It is vitally important that everyone who experienced structural flooding (flooding inside their home or business) report it to 311.
There are four ways to make reports to 311:
Phone: 713-837-0311 (or 3-1-1)
Smartphone: download the mobile app from the site above (or from the Apple App site or the Google Play site) and use it to report matters directly to the City of Houston
If you are reporting flooding online please select “Traffic, Streets, and Drainage,” then select “Report Flooding” from the “Maintenance & Repairs” menu. If you experienced flooding on a prior date you did not report (for instance, May 2015 or October 2015), you may also use this same process to report the prior flooding event.
If you have pictures of the flooding you wish to submit, you may report flooding by email and attach pictures, or once you have received the service request number for your report, you may email 311 the number with your pictures and ask to have the pictures attached to your flooding report.
2. Flood Recovery Information:
For flood recovery information, please visit http://www.houstonemergency.org/go/doc/2263/2620898
Currently, this site only has flood recovery information from May 2015 and October 2015, but the city is in the process of updating the information. This site will contain information about flood mitigation assistance, hazard mitigation grants, repairing flood damage if you live in a floodplain, making a flood insurance claim, and other important information to get you and your family back on your feet.
3. City of Houston Trash Pick-Up:
There was no City of Houston trash pick-up yesterday due to the floods. For information regarding the pick-up schedule for the rest of the week, please visit http://www.houstontx.gov/solidwaste/press-04182016.html
If you have questions about City of Houston trash pick-up, please contact one of the following Solid Waste Department representatives during normal business hours:
Irma Reyes
Tyra Wilkins
4. Information Regarding Late Filing of Your Federal Income Tax Return:
Yesterday was the deadline to file your federal income tax return. If you were not able to file due to flooding, and you did not timely request an extension, you will find information to assist you here: https://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Houston-Area-Taxpayers-Affected-by-Severe-Weather-May-Qualify-for-Relief-from-Penalties-on-Late-Tax-Returns
5. Find your Towed Vehicle:
If you were forced to abandon your vehicle on a public roadway and it was towed, you will find information regarding the location of your towed vehicle here: http://findmytowedcar.com/tvrmscitizen/mainpage.aspx
6. Utility Outages:
CenterPoint Energy crews have been working since the storm began Sunday night to restore service to affected customers. Overall, an estimated 170,000 customers have been impacted with a peak of approximately 120,000. The most heavily impacted areas are Cypress, Greenspoint, Humble and Spring Branch. As of 2:30 p.m. yesterday, approximately 45,000 customers remain without power. CenterPoint will be bringing an additional 30 crews from neighboring utilities and their contractors to assist in the most heavily impacted areas.

CenterPoint crews are having difficulty making it through floodwaters, which is slowing power restoration efforts. Customers should be prepared for extended outages, particularly in some of the harder-hit areas. Estimates of when power will be restored will also be delayed.

Safety is CenterPoint Energy’s No. 1 priority, and the company has provided these important electric and natural gas safety tips:
Electric:
  • Stay away from downed power lines. Be especially mindful of downed lines that could be hidden in floodwaters, and treat all downed lines as if they are energized.
  •  If you experience flooding and water has risen above the electrical outlets in your home, contact a licensed electrician before turning on the main circuit breaker or trying to restore power.
  •  All electrical appliances and electronic equipment that have been submerged in water need to dry thoroughly for at least one week. Then, have them checked by a qualified repair person before turning them on. Attempting to repair a flood-damaged appliance could result in electrical shock or death. Attempting to restart it could result in further damage and costly repairs.
  •  If the outside unit of an air conditioning system has been under water, mud and water may have accumulated in the controls. Have the unit checked by a qualified air conditioning technician.
  Natural Gas:
  • Do not turn off your natural gas service at the meter; doing so could allow water to enter the natural gas lines.
  •  Be alert for the smell of natural gas. If you smell gas, leave the area immediately and tell others to leave, too.
  •  If you smell gas, do not turn the lights on or off, smoke, strike a match, use a cell phone or operate anything that might cause a spark, including a flashlight or a generator.
  • Do not attempt to turn natural gas valves on or off. Once safely away from the area, call 888-876-5786, and CenterPoint Energy will send a trained service technician.
  • If your home was flooded, call a licensed plumber or gas appliance technician to inspect your appliances and gas piping to make sure they are in good operating condition before calling CenterPoint Energy to reconnect service. This includes outdoor gas appliances including pool heaters, gas grills and gas lights.
  • Before conducting debris cleanup, or to locate underground natural gas lines and other underground utility lines before digging on property, call 811 – the nationwide Call Before You Dig number.
  • Be aware of where your natural gas meter is located. As debris is put out for heavy trash pickup, make sure it is placed away from the meter. In many areas the meter may be near the curb. If debris is near a gas meter, the mechanized equipment used by trash collectors could pull up the meter, damaging it and causing a potentially hazardous situation. If this happens, leave the area immediately and call CenterPoint Energy at 888-876-5786.
 For the latest information on power outages:
The District G office will provide additional information as it becomes available.  Above all, please stay safe.

See here and here for more from the Red Cross. There’s a reason why I don’t unsubscribe to the zillions of email lists I manage to get onto. Times of crisis are always good times to give blood as well – go to the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center to arrange for a donation. Remember that the general rule is that it’s better to give money to a charitable organization than stuff unless they are specifically asking for stuff. Don’t buy canned goods and bring them to the food bank. They can get those canned good more cheaply than you, so give them the money you would have spent.

HISD schools were closed yesterday but at last report were to be open today, while city and county offices reopened and Metro resumed service yesterday. Some other school districts remain closed. There’s still rain in the forecast through tomorrow though nothing like Monday, so there’s still a risk of flooding. Hopefully that won’t happen, but be prepared and stay off the roads as much as possible.

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