Today, September 18, 2008, at 1514 CDT, I received this email from the City of Friendswood, where I live and work. I will continue to post such information whenever I feel it may be valuable to those that come to our site in search of needed information in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike in the Greater Houston/Galveston Area of SE Texas. If you have something to add to this site concerning the recovery phase from this hurricane landfall, please free to email me at info@hurricaneconsulting.net, and I will add it if I agree it belongs here.
Hang in there my friends, power is returning and soon, we will hopefully be back on our feet and back into a more normal life. Keep the spirit of those that rebuilt after the nation’a worst disaster in history, the Great 1900 Storm… they did it, and so can we. Lend each other a hand… we can do this together.
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To our Friendswood residents:
As we continue our recovery from Hurricane Ike, we wish to first and foremost provide several venues where points of information are being distributed to our residents.
Information can be obtained from:
Friendswood’s Emergency Operations Center - 281-996-3335 City Web Site www.ci.friendswood.tx.us Radio Station 1650 AM
In addition, our residents can contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at 1-800-621-3362 or visit their website at www.fema.gov for recovery assistance. The Friendswood Public Library staff is available to help our residents with filling out FEMA applications at the Library, located at 416 S. Friendswood Drive. If a home is damaged to the extent that it is uninhabitable, FEMA will reimburse individuals for living expenses while they are away from their home.
The Friendswood Public Library is open and includes Internet services for our residents. Roads in Friendswood are passable, and our Police, Fire and EMS services continue to be in full force. A majority of homes in Friendswood also have telephone service. The U.S. Postal Service is delivering mail.
At this time, electricity in Friendswood is at 60 percent. Water supply continues to be safe to drink, and there is no shortage of water pressure in Friendswood. A mandatory curfew is in effect from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. in Friendswood until the City and utility companies can provide safe and effective services.
Fuel and food remains in short supply in Friendswood. While some businesses are beginning to reopen, their supply is still low.
Police Chief Wieners and our police officers want our residents to know that our city is secure. We have had no reports of looting, minimal criminal activity, no fatalities and only a few injuries due to storm clean up efforts. Again, our curfew is in effect, so our residents should carry their ID, and if you don’t have specific business in our community, stay out.
Debris removal has already begun in Friendswood. Our residents are asked to separate their trees and green waste from construction material and household trash. There is no need to bundle, cut or wrap tree limbs. Please be careful cleaning up.
Friendswood has recently put a price gouging ordinance into effect that prohibits vendors and others selling goods or services from unreasonably increasing their prices or rates. Residents who suspect that anyone in our community is price gouging should call the City of Friendswood at 281-996-3335 to report the gouging.
In addition, the City is requiring that Contractors who will be providing building and repair services in Friendswood register with the City and receive from the City a building contractor’s license. One of the purposes of this licensing is to ensure that contractors who will be working on properties in Friendswood are licensed and insured.
Once again, our residents should notify the City of Friendswood at 281-996-3335 if they suspect any price gouging or scams occurring as we recover from Hurricane Ike.
Schools in Friendswood ISD and Clear Creek ISD are closed until further notice. The UTMB health clinic on FM 528 will be open starting on Thursday.
We have 2 relief sites in the area: The FEMA POD is located at Centennial Park, 2200 S. Friendswood Drive. They are stocked with water, ice and ready meals. There is also a volunteer site at Calvary Church on FM 528 and Blackhawk, which has lunch and dinner meals, ice and supplies. Residents may also sign up to help at that location.
Special message for teachers in FISD: you are NOT needed at your campuses, so please take care of your personal needs. You will be given 2 to 3 days notice before you are needed to return and get your classrooms ready. You can check the FISD and City websites for updates later this week.
On behalf of the citizens of Friendswood, we wish to thank our City Manager, City employees and volunteers for the outstanding work they have done so far. Every single one of them has been working diligently at great sacrifice to themselves and their families. Our team includes every department of city services, including Police, Fire, EMS, Public Works, Community Services, Community Development , Administrative Services, City Manager’s Office, City Secretary’s Office and able volunteers, all under the able direction of our Emergency Management Team headed by Fire Marshal and Emergency Management Coordinator Terry Byrd.
We would also like to thank Galveston County Judge Jim Yarbrough and his County emergency management team for being with us before, during and after the storm. We would also like thank Gene Hafele’s National Weather Service team, the State’s Chief of Emergency Management Jack Colley and the State Chain of Command.
Others that we wish to thank include:
State Representative Larry Taylor
TCEQ
Governor Rick Perry’s office
Congressman Nick Lampson
Senator Mike Jackson
Terry Randall and his helicopter
Hill Sand Company
Beck - FEMA compliance
Crowder Gulf - debris removal
David Wight Construction
Boyer Inc. Electricians
Texas-New Mexico Power
CenterPoint Energy
AT&T and other phone utility workers.
Committed Relief and the Samaritan’s Gift ministries working through Pastor Ron Hindt at the Calvary Church relief site.
Kroger on FM 528 for food supplies
HEB Corporate offices in San Antonio for ice and supplies Jack Weber and his employees at the Friendswood Store for being prepared, ready and able to help
Lastly, we wish to thank our citizens for paying attention, and for the great job they are doing in helping each other. If you are still out of town, please check with your neighbors about your property. Use your own judgment when making the decision to return. If you do come back, pick up some groceries and fill up your gas tank before you come back into town.
Throughout this recovery process, we are confident that our community spirit will continue to thrive. We are all truly fortunate to have such committed residents working toward recovery after Ike.
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If you have questions or comments, feel free to comment to City Hall… I feel they are doing the best job they can in bringing our City back.
Stay Safe & Take Care,
Cane
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