Three weeks after Tropical Storm Harvey dumped more than 50 inches of rain over the area, local cities are focused on debris cleanup while Port Arthur deals with the double task of cleanup and housing shortages

Port Arthur

Port Arthur Mayor Derrick Freeman gave an update on the city via Facebook and addressed issues such as shelter, trailers, debris management and disaster recovery.

The city is working to shelter hundreds of residents that lost their homes or were evicted from their apartments due to the flooding. A community of soft shell tents is et up at the Robert A. “Bob” Bowers Civic Center parking lot with priority given to the most urgent needs.

Property owners can now look to FEMA for housing assistance with travel trailer’s manufactured homes and “partially repair” program where money is given up front to repair a home enough to shelter inside.

Port Arthur has three debris sites which are permitted from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; 60^th St., Jade Avenue and 19^th Street. These strategic sites allow the trucks to move debris out of neighborhoods quickly and efficiently, Freeman said in the post.

“Our 19th Street facility has gained attention lately. (Monday) TCEQ came out at noon to make sure we weren’t jeopardizing our citizens’ health, and again got clearance. First, there are no hazardous materials there. Second, the pile of debris is constantly sprayed down to keep the dust particles down. Third, staff walked the neighborhood to listen to citizens complaints,” Freeman said. “The ones we spoke to are OK and were appreciative that we are getting the debris up. And they were more comfortable once they learned that DMS was temporary and once it was sorted, they would move it all to the city dump.”

FEMA and the Small Business Administration have opened up a Disaster Recovery Center at 3535 Gates Blvd. so residents can speak directly with a FEMA representative. The hours of operation are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.”

“Thanks for the patience everyone. We are working to bring our city back. Better than before,” he said.

Groves

Groves, which saw more than 2,100 homes flood and anywhere from 100 to 200 rescues performed, has transitioned to the damage assessment and recovery stage, city manager D. Sosa said. Most city operations are back to normal and debris collection is underway.

Personnel with emergency management are working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency making sure that associated documentation is actively being addressed and the finance department is working to account for personnel time, equipment used and other associated costs with Harvey response and recovery operations.

In addition, the city’s human resource department is gathering city policies in support of financial operations, conducting damage assessment of city infrastructure and submitting information to our insurance carrier, and dealing with employee issues related to the disaster. Public Works is actively monitoring the debris contractor and picking up green waste and some debris. The garage is currently conducting preventive maintenance of city vehicles that were used during the rescue operations in the flooded areas of the city. Road and drainage damage assessments are being conducted to provide a cost estimate on repairs. The fire department is assisting emergency management in damage assessment of residential and multifamily structures in the city. The police department is actively patrolling the affected areas to protect personal property of the citizens. Code enforcement and the building officials are monitoring the flow of contractors into the area, and issuing contractors’ permit through the city and are inspecting and permitting temporary trailers being brought in to house citizens whose homes were flooded by the storm. “All departments in the city will for some time be addressing operations geared towards recovery, and any citizen needs associated with the storm,” Sosa said.

During the peak of the catastrophic flooding and after there were 976 people sheltered between First Baptist Church of Groves, Groves Activity Center and the Methodist Church. Approximately 180 apartment units in the city were flooded out/not livable.

Nederland

Nederland’s city services have returned to normal operations, Nederland City Manager Chris Duque said. Between 600 -750 homes and businesses were impacted by the catastrophic flooding and debris pickup is underway.

The three mid-county cities have worked together on the debris cleanup operation, Duque said.  Initially, the city of Nederland focused on three areas with the greatest concentration of debris and flooding.

“The debris cleanup process is several week-long process and city staff is regularly patrolling the city identifying storm-related debris piles outside of the initial three areas so we can move the trucks to that area as they progress,” he said. “We ask for people to remain patient during this process and remind people that FEMA does not need to inspect debris piles.  If you have flood insurance, you should contact your insurance company before placing debris at the curb.”

If people have any questions regarding debris, they can contact the Nederland Public Works Department at 723-1541.

Nederland also worked to help sister cities. Following the storm, that city assisted the city of Port Arthur with their garbage service due to the flood damage to their solid waste fleet.  In addition, the city assisted hospitals and other essential services in the Beaumont by providing treated water, he said.

To further help residents, the city has waived building permit fees for Harvey-related work. Permits from the inspections department are required for all structural repairs, and electrical permits are required if flood waters rose above any electrical device. In addition, the city has approved the placement of travel trailers, FEMA trailers, and/or storage units or PODs on properties with Harvey-related damages.  It is necessary to submit a drawing to the inspections department showing the location of the trailer and/or storage unit with distances from property lines.

Port Neches

The city of Port Neches is also on its way to recovery after seeing about 300 homes and some businesses impacted by the flooding.

All city operations have long since returned to normal and the initial pass for debris removal is nearing completion, city manager Andre Wimer said.

The debris removal contractor for the city is DRC and the debris monitoring firm is Tetra Tech.

The debris monitoring is high tech and allows city officials to pull up a map in real time and see where each debris removal truck is located.

The three Mid-County cities are using the same company and there is a staging area of sorts for debris on property at Lee Avenue and Block Street.

The city is also allowing the placement of trailers during reconstruction for homes damaged by Harvey. A permit will be required, however, fees are waived.

PODS will be allowed for storage for homes damaged by Harvey and a permit will be required, however, fees are waived.

In addition, building permits will be required for applicable reconstruction, however, fees are waived.