The Woodlands Township Board meets regarding hurricane recovery

THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS (Tuesday, September 5, 2017) – The Woodlands Township’s Board of Directors met today regarding matters in hurricane recovery.

The Board fielded comments from residents of The Woodlands, particularly in Timarron and Timarron Lakes, regarding flooding, debris removal and public safety.

Lt. Ronnie Glaze of the Harris County Constable Precinct 4 office assured the Board additional patrol has been added in these flood affected areas.

The Board of Directors authorized up to $500,000 from The Woodlands Township to supplement services that are provided through the Counties/FEMA to assist in the cleanup. Specifically, the Board authorized the President/General Manager to take any and all necessary actions to procure debris removal services with the Township’s existing contractors in an amount not to exceed $500,000, to be funded $250,000 from the operating contingency account and $250,000 from the capital contingency reserve, to include the following items:

• Authorize funding for the placement of dumpsters close to the Timarron Lakes area of Creekside Park. This will provide residents with a close drop off site like the Montgomery County Public Drop Off location at the recycling center on Pruett Road.
• Encourage volunteers with trailers or pickups who want to assist storm victims in moving debris to a county designated site or one of the Township provided dumpsters in Creekside Park.
• Work with the Commissioners in both Montgomery and Harris Counties to encourage the removal of debris in a timely manner.
• Provide contingency funding for the removal of debris from gated communities if not authorized by FEMA in a timely manner. The Township was built around an equal service model and services necessary for a clean up after a natural disaster should be provided equally to all.
• Authorize staff to execute a contract amendment with Waste Management based on existing contract pricing and state approved pricing, if needed, to assure that all residents are provided debris removal services as the first round of debris removal operations is completed by both Montgomery and Harris Counties.

Also at the meeting The Woodlands Fire Department Chief Alan Benson gave an update from the storm. The Woodlands Fire Department evacuated 844 people and had six major rescues.

SHELTERS AND VOLUNTEERING

Shelter, volunteer and donation information is changing constantly. Please visit www.woodlandsinterfaith.org and www.mctxoem.org to learn more about shelters, donations and volunteer opportunities in The Woodlands. Interfaith will need volunteers throughout the coming weeks.

With school starting back for most children in The Woodlands, the need for volunteers will increase significantly, Chairman Bunch said. “Our community still needs a tremendous amount of volunteers, and most of this can happen during the day when kids are at school. Chairman Bunch encourages companies to send employees to volunteer, if possible. “It makes for great team building and helps our community in a tremendous way.”  Interfaith has made volunteering very easy with online sign up forms: www.woodlandsinterfaith.org

FIRST RESPONDERS DAY, SEPTEMBER 11 

The Woodlands Township will be hosting two ceremonies on September 11, 2017, to commemorate a day of remembrance and reverence in the community. The day will be proclaimed as Patriot Day of Remembrance and First Responders Day in The Woodlands.

The Woodlands Township Board of Directors Secretary Laura Fillault worked with Township staff to organize two ceremonies to honor the occasion. A small, solemn event for the September 11 Patriot Day of Remembrance will occur at The Woodlands Fire Department Central Station, located at 9951 Grogan’s Mill Road at 7:30 a.m. The second event will be in honor of First Responders Day, and take place at Town Green Park, 2099 Lake Robbins Drive at 5:30 p.m.

With the federal government establishing September 11 as Patriot Day and National Day of Remembrance, and the Texas Government Code 662.050 proclaiming September 11 as Texas First Responders Day, these ceremonies help to officially acknowledge this day in The Woodlands. A proclamation will be read at each ceremony by The Woodlands Township Chairman of the Board of Directors Gordy Bunch.

TRASH AND DEBRIS

Waste Management curbside trash and yard waste service has resumed normal schedule for yard waste and trash, including pickup on Monday (Labor Day). Please Note:NO curbside recycling services through the week of September 4, 2017, due to manpower shortages. The Recycling Center on Research Forest is also closed through the week.

New info today: Simple Recycling for curbside textile recycling is now servicing all routes in the Woodlands on their normal trash pickup day.

The Precinct 3 Recycling Center , located off Pruitt Road, is now closed, however the Debris Drop-off Center, located adjacent to it, is open Sunday to Sunday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. until further notice. The center is accepting drop-off debris. Please separate electronics, refrigerators and paint from other household debris. 

Important Information for residents of the Village of Creekside Park

The Woodlands Township has learned Harris County will begin collecting storm debris in unincorporated areas which include The Woodlands residences in the Village of Creekside Park. While the service has been announced to begin today, Monday, September 4, 2017, the schedule for Creekside Park has not been announced. Harris County officials said they expect to make multiple passes through neighborhoods over time.

A special hotline has been established for information and to document your residence:

713-274-3880 for Harris County debris removal

Operators at the hotline number have said debris needs to be sorted and separated into four (4) categories: 1. Landscaping, 2. Drywall/carpet/trim, 3. Appliances, 4. Electronics.

All items need to be curbside, but not in the roadway.

More information is anticipated to be uploaded here: www.eng.hctx.net Additional information can be found on Facebook by searching “Harris County Residential Debris and Damage Assessment.”

Montgomery County officials approve storm debris removal contracts

Montgomery County started debris removal on Sunday, September 3, 2017. For more information, go to the Montgomery County website at https://mctxoem.org/. At this page, you can find a link for Debris Pickup.

Debris pick up has begun, Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management asks that if you have debris due to Hurricane Harvey to register under debris

pickup & damage report www.mctxoem.org. If you received damage to your home or property, and haven’t done so already, register with

FEMA at Disasterassistance.gov or 1-800-621-3362. If you have any questions, concerns or need assistance in registering with FEMA or debris pickup & damage reports, call 936-523-3916.

FEMA

The Township has received notice of the President’s FEMA Declaration for Montgomery and Harris Counties. This declaration will allow county governments to initiate debris removal programs and provide reimbursement of certain emergency expenses incurred by local government during the emergency and will allow individuals to start filing for emergency assistance.

Apply online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov. Constituents may call the registration phone number at 1-800-621-3362; those who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362. For Harris County clean-up assistance, contact CrisisCleanup.org, visit HarrisRecovery.org, or call 1-800-451-1954 to report your need.

Beware of Rumors, Misinformation, and Fraud

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is raising awareness that Hurricane Harvey disaster survivors, and their friends and family, must be alert for false rumors, scams, identity theft, and fraud. Although many Americans are working hard to help their neighbors now, during chaotic times, some will always try to take advantage of the most vulnerable.

To dispel some of the false rumors circulating on the internet and social media, FEMA created a dedicated website to address some of the most common themes. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Visit https://www.fema.gov/hurricane-harvey-rumor-control to get the most accurate information from trusted sources.

Mosquitoes

Within a couple of weeks, mosquito populations are expected to increase, due to flooding and standing water in the area. Most of these mosquitoes are considered nuisance mosquitoes and will not spread viruses. Studies show that hurricanes and floods do not typically cause an increase in viruses spread by mosquitoes, like Zika or West Nile, however please take precautions to protect yourself and your family.

For additional information, please visit the Centers for Disease Control website, https://www.cdc.gov/zika/vector/mosquitoes-and-hurricanes.html

For additional information, visit www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov