Thursday, September 18th, 2008 by Lew Fincher.

The US Army Corps of Engineers provides a free temporary roof to residential structures through its Blue Roof Program.  Citizens need to show up at sites set up across the city to sign up for the program. 

Initial sites include:

6810 Gulf Freeway at Home Depot

McGovern - Stella Link Library at 7405 Stella Link

Clayton Library Center at 5300 Caroline

Central Library at 500 McKinney

Kendall Library at 14330 Memorial Drive

Denver Harbor Multi Service Center at 6402 Market Street

Third Ward Multi Service Center at 3611 Ennis

Northeast Multi Service Center at 9720 Spaulding

1000 Gulfgate at Lowe’s

101 Pennsylvania Street at City of Webster Civic Center

Intersection of Red Bluff Rd and Spencer Highway in Deer Park

Additional sites set up soon at select city libraries.  More information about the Blue Roof Program is available by calling 1-888-ROOFBLUE (a recording).

CONTACT: 

Frank Michel     (O) 832-393-0800, Cell: 713-412-8674

Patrick Trahan   (O) 832-393-0804, Cell: 713-417-4134

Posted in Greater Houston/Galveston Area Information, Hurricane Ike | No Comments »

Thursday, September 18th, 2008 by Lew Fincher.

The Lynchburg Ferry and the Washburn Tunnel remain closed due to the effects of Hurricane Ike.  Both the Ferry and the Tunnel will re-open for service following evaluation and repair.

The tunnel suffered damage when the pumps could not handle the massive storm surge from the ship channel.  The ferries suffered damage as a result of being forced by tidal surge.

Contact:

Mark Seegers    713-881-3090 - JIC #

Posted in Greater Houston/Galveston Area Information, Hurricane Ike | No Comments »

Thursday, September 18th, 2008 by Lew Fincher.

FEMA: 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or www.fema.gov (Housing Assistance /

Debris/Escombros: 1 (800) 207-2325 (How to Set up Debris for Disposal

Posted in Greater Houston/Galveston Area Information, Hurricane Ike | No Comments »

Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 by Lew Fincher.

Food in refrigerators

o          Throw out any perishable food (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, leftovers) if the power to the refrigerator has been off for 4 or more hours. 

Food in freezers

(If the door remains closed, a full freezer will keep the temperature for approximately 48 hours; a half full freezer will keep temperature for about 24 hours.) 

o          If the freezer thermometer reads 41° F or below, the food is safe and may be refrozen. 

o          If there is no thermometer, check each package of food.  If the food still contains ice crystals or is 41 °F or below, it is safe to refreeze or cook.  Refreezing of these foods will be a quality (not food safety) issue.

Disposal of food

o          Liquids (excluding fats, oils and grease) - pour down the drain. Caution:  there is the possibility that you will experience sewage back up if your establishment does not have power.

o          Fats, oils and grease - place in approved grease disposal bins or place in closed containers and contact grease disposal facility for pick-up.

o          Small quantities of food - denature with a cleaning product such as bleach and place in covered refuse bin outside the facility.  If garbage pick-up is greatly delayed, place perishable food in closed containers, clearly label “not for sale” and place in a refrigerated location separate from other food until proper disposal is possible.

o          Large quantities of food - store in covered refuse containers in a secure location until proper disposal is possible

o          Massive quantities of food - take to Type 1 landfill. 

Type 1 Landfills

Landfill         Company      Address         County

McCarty Road          Allied 5757 A Oates Harris

Atascocita      Waste Management            3623 Wilson Rd.       Harris

Blue Ridge    Allied 2200 FM 521  Fort Bend

Baytown        Waste Management            FM 1405, just north of FM 2354    Chambers County

Security         Waste Management            19248 Hwy 105         Montgomery County

Water

o          Until a city or municipal utility district declares its water safe, only bottled water or water that has come to a rolling boil for one minute should be used.  Boiled or bottled washing should be used for food preparation, drinking and washing hands. 

o          Use single service utensils and tableware or use approved sanitizer in approved concentration to sanitize dishes after washing and rinsing.  (1/3 cup bleach to 5 gallons water)  Sequence should be wash-rinse-sanitize.  Heat sanitizing dish machines should not be used unless the sanitizing temperature reaches boiling (212°F.)

Ice

o          Establishments that are under a “boil water” notice should not make ice.   Purchase packaged ice from an approved source.

o          Discard any stored ice.  Clean and sanitize ice machine according to the manufacturer’s recommended procedures. 

When may I re-open?

Food establishments may resume operation if they meet the following conditions*:

1.         Potentially hazardous food (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, etc.) that has not been held at 41°F or less is properly discarded.

2.         Full power is restored.

3.         Hot and cold running water is restored and is at sufficient pressure to wash hands and clean and sanitize equipment effectively

4.         Toilet facilities are operating properly.

5.         The establishment does not have structural damage that will cause contamination of food or food contact surfaces and equipment.

*If you wish to resume food operations, but these conditions are not fully met, please consult HCPHES supervisory personnel at (713) 439-6270.  Partial operation may be possible.

Contact:     

Rita Obey            (713) 439-6293

Sandy Kachur     (713) 439-6192

***end***

Posted in Business, Home, Greater Houston/Galveston Area Information, Hurricane Ike | 1 Comment »

Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 by Lew Fincher.

Protect Yourself from Mosquito Bites

September 17, 2008

Contact: Sandy Kachur

713.439.6292

Due to the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services (HCPHES) cautions residents that mosquito activity is increasing. The combination of storm debris and standing water left behind has produced many more mosquito breeding sites.

HCPHES Mosquito Control is currently conducting county-wide surveillance to detect disease-carrying mosquitoes and determine pest mosquito populations. Ground-based operation (evening spray truck) and aerial treatment operations will be implemented according to on-going surveillance information.

Now is the time to eliminate mosquito breeding habitats from your property.

        • Don’t feed the storm drains. Sweep up lawn clippings, leaves and tree limbs from sidewalks and driveways.

        • Empty any containers that can hold water such as flowerpots, tires, buckets and other outdoor containers.

        • Keep rain gutters clear and draining.

Protect yourself and your family from mosquito bites.

        • When outdoors (especially between the hours of dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active), use an insect repellent containing DEET, Picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535 (Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus). Apply as directed on the label.

        • When possible, wear long-sleeved clothing and long-pants.

Keep mosquitoes out of the house.

        • Make sure window and door screens are in good condition.

        • Seal other openings, such as those around window air conditioning units.

        • When mosquitoes are noticed in the home, use a “flying insect spray”. Be sure to use according to the label.

Posted in Business, Home, Greater Houston/Galveston Area Information, Hurricane Ike | 1 Comment »

Tuesday, September 9th, 2008 by Lew Fincher.

09/09/2008 – 0700CDTIKE sliding westward just off of the south shore of Cuba.  Texas clients need to remain vigilant as we have raised all Texas locations HURCON level to LEVEL 1 (chance of tropical storm winds in 120 hours).

Ike has managed to stay far enough offshore in the last 24 hours so that it’s structure and intensity has maintained itself well.  It is currently moving WNW and will pass over western Cuba in the same location as Gustav did just a few weeks ago.  Top winds are 80 mph and may strengthen a bit before hitting the south coast of Cuba.  The central pressure is 965 mb.

Ike will weaken a bit over Cuba any will likely drop to barely a hurricane or a strong tropical storm.  It should re-strengthen rapidly in the Gulf of Mexico and we expect it will be a major hurricane within 24 hours of reaching the gulf.  NHC’s intensity forecast is not as aggressive.Since IKE has defied history so far in its unusual path, we see no reason why it should not continue to do so.  The image below shows the official forecast which has continue to move southward… now indicating a landfall in S. Texas, as well as the forecast models.  The purple and black model tracks that show a track to the NE Gulf of Mexico are climate models which show where most storms in this position normally move.  We still would be surprised if Ike does not end up a little further north than what is currently forecast.  The European model shows  a late northward movement similar to the HWRF (red) track which we like more than a straight shot into Texas.   As far as we are concerned the entire coast of Texas is threatened by Ike.

With this new forecast through the central and southern Gulf, where the water temps are much warmer than the northern Gulf, Ike has the potential to reach Cat 4 strength.  The image below shows where some of the warmest SST’s in the Atlantic basin are located. NHC is not forecasting a Cat 4 hurricane.

Posted in Hurricane Preparedness Information, Greater Houston/Galveston Area Information, Emergency Management Information, 2008 Hurricane Season, Hurricane Ike | No Comments »