County commissioner gives the latest info on Harvey recovery

Published 5:31 pm Thursday, November 16, 2017

BEAUMONT — Nearly three months after Tropical Storm Harvey hit, Michael “Shane” Sinegal, Jefferson County Precinct 3 commissioner, said recovery is still an ongoing process.

Sinegal made his remarks at the monthly meeting of the Press Club of Southeast Texas on Thursday afternoon at Café Del Rio in Beaumont.

The recovery has been slow under the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and they have sometimes changed the rules, but debris cleanup in rural areas of the county have been great, he said.

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“This is the third round of debris cleanup and my office has received zero complaints from constituents. My Road & Bridge crew monitor the area,” he said. “The recovery effort has been slow, but it’s on track.”

He hopes that things done in response to this storm will make the area better prepared for the next time. He added that some things weren’t done properly.

“It’s by the grace of God more people didn’t die,” Sinegal said. “Volunteers (making rescues) need to fit into the future equation to prevent loss of life.”

Though Aug. 29 was a traumatic night, he appreciated the significant role local media played, particularly in response to some of the information being posted on social media.

“You can put a lie out and it will go around the world faster than the truth,” he said.

Mike Kirkpatrick, with the county’s emergency management department, spent 32 years with the county. He left that job but was called in to help on Aug. 29.

He told his family he would only be watching the rain fall. Four days later he still hadn’t gotten home.

“This was a nightmarish flood. This was worse than Rita,” Kirkpatrick said. “We’ve never had rains of this biblical proportion.

At first light, Port Arthur was overwhelmed and calls started rolling over to Jefferson County. Ten people were answering calls as quickly as they could pick up the phone.

“We couldn’t get to the people. We were like an island,” he said. “Port Arthur didn’t know they were in trouble (at the start). We had to fax to the Port Arthur Police Department.

“It was too dangerous to do rescues at night. All we could tell people was just survive.”

Kirkpatrick said one of the best things he saw, however, were 19 year old kids with boats, locally and all the way from Oklahoma, asking to help.

He said Southeast Texans help each other and it made him proud.

Debris collection in unincorporated areas is 75 percent completed with 135,201 cubic yards collected from homes. Construction materials are still being collected and white goods appliances are being picked up.

County Judge Jeff Branick is allowing crews Right Of Entry to pick up debris from homes away from the roadway.

Sinegal said 52,000 residents live in unincorporated areas of Jefferson County and 8,000 have filed claims with FEMA in flooded-out areas.

Branick, furthermore, will meet with FEMA officials on Dec. 4 about possible buyouts in rural areas.

Harvey also had an impact on the nation and the world.

Kirkpatrick said fuel prices increased $.40 with production stopped.

Sinegal said this shows how important it is to complete deepening and widening the Sabine-Neches Channel to get product out. He encouraged residents to call their Senators.

Kirkpatrick said the South East Texas Regional Planning Commission reported they finished recovery from Rita in 2015 and still working on Ike.

“We’ll be talking about Harvey years from now,” he said.

Sinegal was asked if the Jefferson County Drainage District 7 dropped the ball in their response. He said he had a long talk with Manager Phil Kelley about FEMA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers studying the issue to alleviate the problem.

He added that the DD7 pumps are outdated.

Sinegal said Port Arthur residents panicked right after Harvey because the city was telling them they would have to elevate their structures or relocate that wasn’t the case. Homes can be elevated, but at what cost, he asked.

Kirkpatrick said Harvey’s flooding was an unprecedented occurrence. Forty inches of rain was anticipated, instead Nederland got 64 inches and they had 36 inches in one 24-hour span. DD7 put out 35,000 gallons of diesel for pumps. They ran out and there was no way to get more.

Someone else asked about losing population.

Sinegal estimates he will lose from 3,000 to 4,000 residents in Precinct 3 who have moved away. He added that if the city of Port Arthur’s population plunges under 50,000, they won’t be able to receive federal funds.

Kirkpatrick said 2,300 left via the Jack Brooks Regional Airport. Some have nothing to come back to.

A big hit is anticipated in property tax loss too. Sinegal said he doesn’t have the numbers but in his 20 years of public service he never had to raise taxes. He hopes he won’t have to raise them, but it’s coming close to do so.

One audience member asked about senior citizens returning to the area.

Kirkpatrick said if they call the county, someone will get them back.

Sinegal said he saw trailers moving down Highway 69 toward Nederland and Port Arthur for temporary housing. He said he’s still out of his house.