BEAUMONT — County Judge Jeff Branick said he didn’t get any sleep the first night Tropical Storm Harvey hit Jefferson County.

He went to bed at 3 a.m. the second night in an attempt to get three hours of sleep. However, as he was lying on Judge Justin Sanderson’s couch in his office, the roof was leaking and there was water inside. He called maintenance who used a wet/dry vacuum to suck up the water at 4:15 a.m.

Then, Greg Fountain, emergency management coordinator, called the judge back to the emergency operations center at the Jefferson County Courthouse for a report that 27 people evacuating in a boat on Highway 73 had capsized. The boat was taking on water and evacuees had climbed onto a high structure for safety.

The next night Branick got four hours of sleep. He said he was suffering from the effects of sleep deprivation.

Overall, Branick spent nine straight days at the courthouse because of Harvey.

Though his schedule isn’t that hectic anymore, Branick said he has been busy dealing with Harvey everyday since then.

During his time in the Emergency Operations Center, Branick helped answer calls. The Port Arthur EOC was swamped with rescue calls and they passed them on to the Jefferson County EOC and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

He would write down the information and send it to Deputy Chief Robert Havens, the Port Arthur emergency management coordinator.

“It (Tropical Storm Harvey) was an event unlike we were led to believe from the National Weather Service calls. We thought we would get 15 to 20 inches of rain over seven days. We got so much more. It overwhelmed the system. It was historical,” Branick said.

Branick was also here for Rita and Ike, but he thinks Harvey was worse than the other two storms and he expects it will be far costlier.

President Donald Trump initially signed off on $15 billion in federal aid with half going to Federal Emergency Management Agency and the other half to Community Development Block Grants. The CDBGs will be administered through the South East Texas Regional Planning Commission who will also be running the housing program in coordination with the Texas General Land Office.

Branick said there is a difference between the temporary housing program and the long-term housing program.

Residents will have to wait on Congress to approve spending on long-term CDBG housing.

Branick said Jefferson County has taken all of the necessary steps so nobody will be waiting when the grant proposal is approved.

The typical CDBG funding formula for grants are allocated for low-to-moderate-income residents at 70 percent. The remaining 30 percent is allocated for urgent need or for abolishing slums or blight. Branick is asking for a 50/50 formula to help working class individuals who didn’t have insurance or the financial wherewithal.

“This will most appropriately meet the needs of the citizens,” he said.

Another recovery focus is debris removal.

By paying contractors an additional $5 per cubic yard, the county now has many more drivers for pickups. The Texas Department of Transportation also used their trucks for pickup which Branick said was “a huge help too.”

The remainder of this week, Branick will go to Houston to testify before a Natural Resources House Committee. Then it’s off to Austin to speak with the General Land Office.

“This was response mode, now it’s recovery mode. There’s a lot of moving parts to the recovery process,” Branick said. “We’re in a part of history where we’re seeing so much divisiveness across the country on a lot of different issues.

“It was certainly a horrific event with a lot of heartache and loss that cut a swath along the coast from Rockport to Orange County. But it was refreshing on how everyone pulled together. Our police, fire, sheriff’s office, military done an extremely admirable job, but those resources were strained. It was people like the Cajun Navy and ordinary people launching their boats saving people without regard to their political affiliation, the color of their skin or their religion that helped. It was gratifying to see.”

Branick said he received calls from throughout Texas and Louisiana while working in the EOC asking how they could help.

“It was an amazing outpouring of assistance we certainly appreciate,” he said.