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SRA Approves Grants to Counties Impacted by Hurricane Laura

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SRA Approves Grants to Counties Impacted by Hurricane Laura
From Left to Right: City of Orange Public Works Director Jim Wolf, City of Orange City Manager Mike Kunst, Sabine River Authority General Manager David Montagne, and Sabine River Authority Assistant General Manager- Operations Travis Williams

The Board of Directors of the Sabine River Authority of Texas (SRA) has approved special funding to provide disaster recovery assistance grants to counties, municipalities, and other entities located within the Sabine River Basin that were impacted by Hurricane Laura. Over the coming weeks, grant checks will be presented to the following local entities; Orange County, Newton County, Shelby County, Sabine County, Jasper County, San Augustine County, City of Orange, City of Bridge City, City of West Orange, and South Newton Water Supply. Hurricane Laura made landfall in Southeast Texas on Wednesday, August 26, 2020. Impacts from the storm primarily included power loss and wind damage. Many communities were left devastated.

Disaster relief assistance funds are part of SRA’s community assistance program approved by the SRA Board of Directors to help promote the quality and quantity of services essential for the development of a viable community. In the aftermath of the storm, SRA wanted to reach out to provide assistance for some of the entities that qualify for our program and were damaged by Laura. Additional entities that qualify for the Community Assistance Grant program will be identified and reviewed for consideration in the near future.

“The damage caused by Laura was another significant hit for many communities in East Texas that have suffered from repeated hurricanes in recent years,” stated SRA General Manager David Montagne. “SRA applauds the efforts of the local communities to rebuild and restore the necessary services they provide to their customers,” added Montagne. Created by the Legislature in 1949, the Sabine River Authority is an official agency of the State of Texas. The Authority was created as a conservation and reclamation district with responsibilities to control, store, preserve, and distribute the waters of the Sabine River and its tributary streams for useful purposes.

Residents Urged to Move Laura Debris for Pickup

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First Case of COVID-19 Reported in Orange County

According to the Orange County Office of Emergency Management, Orange County Citizens have until next Wednesday, October 28, 2020, to get Hurricane Laura debris out to the right of way for pickup.

After this date, the debris from Hurricane Laura will not be picked up. As a reminder, please do not mix Hurricane Delta debris with Hurricane Laura debris. Delta debris will be picked up separately.

Harvey Households with FEMA Group Flood Insurance Need to Switch Policies

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Harvey Households with FEMA Group Flood Insurance Need to Switch Policies

Approximately 6,690 Hurricane Harvey survivors have been notified that their Group Flood Insurance Policy (GFIP) will expire Oct. 24. These three-year policies end soon, so policyholders must plan now to switch to a standard flood insurance policy to ensure continuous flood insurance coverage.

Following the devastating disasters and hurricane season of 2017, FEMA purchased GFIP policies for thousands of disaster survivors whose homes were flooded. Part of the eligibility of receiving future financial assistance after a flood is that a homeowner or renter must obtain and maintain flood insurance to ensure that there is no lapse in coverage. If a property affected by a flood is sold, the new owners are required to have flood insurance for the property as well.

This means Harvey households who received a group policy need to purchase a new, standard flood insurance policy, or obtain other flood insurance for at least the amount of assistance that they received for repairs and replacement of property, in order to remain eligible for future FEMA assistance. Those who received a GFIP policy as part of their FEMA disaster assistance after Harvey but don’t buy a standard flood insurance policy will likely not receive federal disaster assistance for home repairs if they experience another flood event.

Flood Insurance Can Be Key to Recovery

Flood insurance policies are crucial to recovering quickly following a flood event as homeowners and renters’ policies do not typically cover flood damage.

Additionally, flood insurance will pay claims regardless of whether there is a major disaster declaration. Flood insurance claims can be paid for such events as flash flooding, storm sewer backup, river overflow, storm surge, mudslides, or tropical systems.

Since its inception in 1968, FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program has paid more than $69 billion in flood claims to help survivors rebuild their lives following flood events.

To get started:

  • contact your insurance agent
  • find an agent by calling 800-427-4661
  • visit www.floodsmart.gov

To find out if you have a flood insurance requirement, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362 (voice, 711/VRS – Video Relay Service) (TTY: 800-462-7585). Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish). The Texas Recovery Office GFIP Help Desk phone number is 877-503-6053.

Harvey impacted 41,500 square miles of Texas. If it rains, it can flood, which means all Texans should purchase or renew flood insurance policies. The 2020 hurricane season began June 1 and ends on November 30, but a policy protects you from financial losses from other flood events all year. Just 1 inch of water can cause $25,000 of damage to a home.

 

City of Vidor Awarded Grants to Mitigate Hurricane Harvey Damage

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City of Vidor Awarded Grants to Mitigate Hurricane Harvey Damage

In August 2018, the remnants of Hurricane Harvey impacted the City of Vidor as a tropical storm, delivering approximately 50 inches of rain and causing millions of dollars of damage to our area. Since then, the City of Vidor has been working diligently to secure federal funding in the form of grants to pay for projects to help address the numerous drainage, flooding, and emergency service issues that resulted from that event. The City has also secured grant dollars for projects to help prevent impacts from future events. To date, the City has successfully obtained approximately $9.95 million dollars in funding and is also applying for an additional $15.9 million that will hopefully be awarded to the City this spring. Below is a summary of the grants, and their associated projects, that have been awarded to the City along with grant applications that are pending.

The City would like to thank our staff, grant professionals, and engineers who have worked to develop information and compile the many grant applications. A special thanks to Cpt. Aleta Cappen, Vidor Emergency Management Coordinator, who has worked for many years to identify grant opportunities and has helped process many successful grant applications and managed grant projects to the benefit of the citizens of Vidor. Also, a special thanks to Cheryl Ray, the City’s Financial Director for her efforts in keeping the grant paperwork straight and working through various agencies to ensure grant payments are made for the various projects.

The City also sincerely thanks all of the staff and elected officials who worked hard standing outside Walmart and going door to door to obtain household income information which was absolutely critical to obtain favorable points for the current $15.9 million grant application. We also deeply appreciate all of the citizens who provided the needed household information. The information will be invaluable in upcoming future grant opportunities for years to come.

Awarded Grants

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) – Disaster Recovery (DR) – $5.65 Million
Scheduled to be completed Summer 2022

  • Damaged culvert replacement on Tiger Creek Lateral at Texas and Pine
  • Hydrologic and Hydraulic Study of Anderson Gully
  • Archie Street road and drainage upgrades
  • Drainage System repairs and upgrades on the south side of Elgie Street west of Maple
  • Minor Ditch Repairs on Aery Street west of Hwy 12
  • Demolition of Hurricane Harvey abandoned damaged residential structures – various locations

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) – Disaster Recovery (DR) – Buyout Program $2.57 Million
Proposed to be completed Summer 2022

  • Purchase and demolition of approximately 20 repetitive loss or substantially damaged
    residential properties – various locations

DR – Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) – $1.89 Million
Scheduled to be completed winter 2024

  • Upgrade existing culvert crossing on OST at School House Ditch to a bridge crossing

General Land Office – Mitigation (GLO-MIT) HMGP Supplemental – $2.13 Million
Scheduled to be completed winter 2024

  • Upgrade erosion prevention at Alamo Street and School House Ditch
  • Detention pond north of Hwy 12 on Terry Gully

FEMA – Project Assistance – $272,354.81
Projects Completed

  • Repair flood-damaged road surfaces on Oakland, Lakeside, and Oakland Streets

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) – $12,670.40
Projects Completed

  • Repair of flood damage to culvert crossings on Orange and Dewitt Streets

Pending Grant Applications

CDBG – MIT – $15.9 Million

  • Proposed detention ponds on Anderson Gully and School House Ditch
  • Orange Street drainage upgrades from Woodland to Hwy 105
  • Upgrade of Tiger Creek culvert at Ferndale
  • Upgrade of Lyndale Street Drainage System
  • Heritage subdivision drainage system improvements and outfall ditch upgrades
  • Lamar Street East Drainage System upgrade
  • Lateral 5 Crossing at Orange Street – Study and Upgrade
  • Lexington and Concord Street Drainage Improvements

DR 4466 HMGP – $747,810.00

  • Generators – Various Locations

Residents Encouraged to Report Damages From Delta

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Residents Encouraged to Report Damages From Delta

All citizens that have sustained damages to home or businesses due to Hurricane Delta are urged to submit damages to this survey.

This survey will aid the Office of Emergency Management and partnering agencies as they assess and identify damages and needs within the community. Accurately reporting your location of damages will allow emergency management to prioritize recovery efforts in the most affected areas.

Reporting your damages to emergency management is a voluntary activity, is not a substitute for reporting damages to your insurance agency, and does not guarantee disaster relief assistance.

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