According to the National Weather Service – Lake Charles, our region has the potential to see severe storms Thursday evening into Thursday overnight.
Severe thunderstorms are expected to form Thursday evening over southeast Texas with sustained winds between 20 and 25 mph with gusts between 25 and 30 mph.
Citizens are encouraged to monitor local news and official social media sites for current information.
Orange County Disaster Rebuild will operate a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) for those that have suffered major residential damage from the January 24, 2023 tornado. Access to this event is limited to Orange County Residents only.
Attendees will need to self-report through this link: https://damage.tdem.texas.gov/ prior to registration for the MARC. Damage reports are NOT a guarantee for assistance and will be verified.
Once the self-report survey has been completed, click on this link to register for the MARC.
Registration for this event is REQUIRED. The event address will be provided upon Registration. One submission per affected address, please.
Approved participants will need to bring a photo ID and proof of address. In-person registration will NOT be permitted.
Orange County Emergency Management and Orange County Road and Bridge are coordinating debris pickup for those areas in Orange County impacted by the tornado activity. This debris pickup will only be in the affected areas of the county.
Vegetative/green waste piles (tree limbs, branches, and cutting) will picked up. There will not be a pickup for construction, demolition materials, or white goods. If there are construction and/or demolition materials with vegetative/green waste piles, the pile will not be picked up.
The vegetative/green waste should be cut into 10 feet or fewer pieces. Place the debris to the side of the road in a manner that is not blocking the roadway in any way. The debris should be accessible for pickup with a grappling truck.
The Road and Bridge Department employees are only allowed to get what they can reach from the road with their equipment. They are not allowed to go on private property. It is recommended that homeowners take pictures of debris that is placed curbside for pickup to ensure proper documentation.
It is further recommended each homeowner verify with their insurance carrier any other additional documentation requirement they may have.
The Orange County Citizen Collection Station, 11265 FM 1442 in Orange, is open to receive demolition/construction debris from homeowners. The fees will be waived for these residents. The hours of operation are Saturdays and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. These extended hours will last for two weeks.
Building permits are required for rebuilding from tornado damage and can be obtained at the Environmental Health and Code Compliance Department in the Expo Center at 11475 FM 1442 in Orange. The permit fees will be waived for homeowners only. If the damaged structure is located in a special flood hazard area, an elevation certificate is required.
With damage assessments ongoing, impacted families are encouraged to report damages sustained to homes and businesses during this last week’s tornado event using the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT) damage survey.
The iSTAT damage survey can be filled out online at damage.tdem.texas.gov.
If you are having trouble entering your information, Orange County Disaster Rebuild will be offering in-person assistance to help families enter their damaged information into iSTAT starting Monday, January 30, 2023, located at the Orange County Convention & Expo Center;11475 FM 1442; Orange, Texas 77630 from 8 am to 5 pm.
The information provided by you will aid emergency management officials in gaining an understanding of damages that have occurred and helps officials determine if the state meets federal requirements for various forms of disaster assistance, as well as identify any immediate resource needs.
Orange County Emergency Management Coordinator Joel Ardoin confirms about 100 homes in Orange County were impacted and/or damaged.
He notes that it will take days to get a full picture of the destruction, adding, “From impacted to destroyed homes, there are different levels of that, but there are about a 100 homes, but we’re going to go back out to finish up that assessment tomorrow,” Ardoin said.
Ardoin says there were no deaths and only two injuries. One person had some cuts, and another had a head injury.
