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The City of Port Arthur Emergency Management Office is alerting citizens that the city may have significant impact from Tropical Storm Beta from strong winds and heavy rain throughout the area.

City officials encourage citizens to register with STAN (Southeast Texas Alerting Network) to stay informed of the changes and alerts associated with this storm.

Flood Plain Management

In addition, the city asks residents to keep in mind ideas to keep their homes safe from flooding, by using some of the following guidelines as suggested by FEMA:

FLOOD PREPAREDNESS: Residents may be able to take additional actions immediately before an expected flood event that will prevent or reduce flood damage to a home:

• Clean gutters, downspouts, and splash pads, along with any … drainage ditches or storm drains.
• Activate flood protection devices (turn on sump pumps, close backflow valves, etc.).
• Shut off electricity at the breaker panel.
• Safeguard important paperwork and move furniture, rugs, electronics, and other valuable belongings to upper floors, or at least off the floor of the ground level.
• Elevate major appliances onto concrete blocks.

PERMITS FOR DAMAGE REPAIR IN A SPECIAL FLOOD HAZARD AREA (SFHA): After a flood, hurricane, or any natural hazard event that causes significant damage, buildings located in SFHAs and other damaged buildings outside of the SFHAs will be inspected.

Homeowners who have sustained damage due to Hurricane Laura must obtain a permit for the replacement and repair of the structural components or mechanical and electrical equipment, is located within a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). To check to see if your home is in an SFHA, visit FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center website at https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search or contact the City of Port Arthur Building Official’s Office at 409-983-8242.

Damage that may meet the “substantial damage” definition must be addressed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the building code and floodplain management ordinance in effect.