The HPCA office has been given the following names of organizations that are still ready to assist those in need of all kinds of Harvey help. These websites detail what the groups have to offer as well as what type of documentation is needed. While HPCA does not specifically offer endorsements for these groups, we do know that help is still out there. Please contact them directly should you need additional information:
FEDERAL, STATE & LOCAL RESOURCES
HarrisRecovery.org
ReadyHarris.org
FEMA
DisasterAssistance.gov
Harris County Flood Control District
Houston Transtar
WATER: HCUD6
POWER: CenterPoint Energy
TRASH: WCA Waste Services
DEBRIS REMOVAL: Harris County Pct. 4
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Replacing Lost or Damaged Documents
Courtesy of Senator John Cornyn's office
See below for:
1.) Download Your ReadyHarris App Today
2.) WCA Waste Services Notice: August 31, 2017
3.) HCUD6 Boil Water Notice: August 29, 2017
4.) Now What? Some helpful advice …
5.) No Flood Insurance? What Next?
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Download Your ReadyHarris App Today
The Harris County Office of Security & Emergency Management (HCOHSEM) urges everyone to download the free ReadyHarris app, from the App Store or Google Play. The ReadyHarris app delivers real-time weather alerts, hosts a step-by-step guide to building a personalized family disaster plan, offers survival tip sheets, maps evacuation routes, and locates local emergency services. The app is available in both English and Spanish. Sign up to receive weather and emergency alerts at www.readyharris.org and closely monitor the news media. Residents can also follow HCOHSEM on Facebook and Twitter.
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HPCA NOTE: The following information from our trash collection service was distributed to all customers on August 31st. With the current conditions in our neighborhood, we can not assure that the WCA trucks will be able to reach all homes that are not flooded. We will do our best to keep you up to date as we receive further details.
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WCA Waste Services Notice: September 7, 2017
Sincerely,
WCA Waste Services Municipal Department
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(Prepared by Severn Trent) Updated Information as of September 8, 2017 4:00 p.m.
Is my water safe to drink?
and has agreed to put Jackrabbit’s water needs at the top of their service area.
The wastewater system collects the sanitary sewage and pumps it to the Jackrabbit Regional facility via two separate lift pump stations. Lift station #1, located off Clay Road, has been temporarily repaired and is pumping sewage to the Jackrabbit facility. Lift Station #2 is still
underwater and non-operational at this time. As the water recedes at Lift Station #2, ST will begin repairs ASAP.
The Jackrabbit Regional WWTP is operating in a very limited capacity. The facility has sustained significant damage and is in the process of being evaluated for repair.
When will repairs be made?
Until the water recedes at Lift Station #2, we are unable to evaluate the condition of the assets or make repair. As soon as possible, we will deploy mobile pumping equipment at lift station #2 to relieve the system.
What precautions should I take with the flood water?
Residents of HCUD6 may have received an E-Bill. At this time, payments on the bill are suspended. A bill will be generated next month combining 2 months’ usage and allowing residents one extra month to pay their usage. Penalties will not be assessed and residents who experienced leaks during the storm should contact our Customer Service department to assist with adjustments to their bill.
MUDs are designed and required to build to certain criteria to protect customers from many events. Harvey brought in excess of 50 inches of rain to our area. In an area with the topography that Houston has, there is no amount of planning and preparation that can adequately deal with 50 inches of rain. HCUD6 has taken extreme measures to protect its facilities and its customers but this event was of such great magnitude there was no way to repair or mitigate what this storm brought.
SUMMARY:
Our primary concern is to protect the health and safety of the public and all actions taken will be with that goal in mind.
To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and ice making should be boiled and cooled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes.
In lieu of boiling, individuals may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source for drinking water or human consumption purposes.
When it is no longer necessary to boil the water, the public water system officials will notify customers that the water is safe for drinking water or human consumption purposes.
Once the boil water notice is no longer in effect, the public water system will issue a notice to customers that rescinds the boil water notice in a manner similar to this notice.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
If you have questions concerning this matter, you may contact Mirna Bonilla-Odums at 281-460-0189.
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Listed below are some helpful articles for residents concerning the recent flood in Bear Creek Village. Please note that these articles are meant to assist your efforts to recover and rebuild, but are not meant to replace official local, state or federal procedures.
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Now What? Some helpful advice ...
FROM A HELFUL BEAR CREEK NEIGHBOR: For my friends that have water in your home and are wondering "now what" - this is a brain dump based on experiences in 2008, 2015 and 2016 - hope it helps:
1. Ensure physical safety - everything else can be replaced - you can’t.
2. You are in a marathon now, not a sprint - everything will take much, much longer than you want it to. You will be dealing with the federal government (National Flood Insurance Program) and they move at their own pace....it is a process!
3. Take pictures and video - lots of pictures and video. Talk through your videos with the brand and model of the items that you have damaged to help with the claims process. Establish how high the water was inside and outside of your house. You need to prove how deep the water was as part of your flood claim. Use a yardstick or ruler on the outside of your house to establish the high water mark.
4. File your claim immediately - get in line for adjustors, etc .
5. Flood insurance will not reimburse you for loss of use, so any hotel or lodging expenses will be out of pocket. There is not an option for "Loss of Use" on the Flood Policy like the Homeowner and Windstorm policies. (Check with FEMA for housing options.)
6. Save all receipts - all of them.
7. Order a POD or storage container as they will sell out fast.
8. As soon as the water recedes, start mitigating the damage. Shopvac out what water you can, remove the wet carpets, remove the baseboards and start removing wet sheetrock. Cut a line about 2 feet up the wall. The straighter you cut, the easier the rebuild will be. Bag debris/insulation etc and take it outside. Save a square of ruined carpet (2 feet by 2 feet) and ruined carpet pad for the insurance to verify replacement value - if you have multiple carpets, save multiple samples. - Your goal is to get anything wet out of your house so it can begin to dry. Don’t worry about removing glue down hardwoods, let the contractor handle that during the rebuild
9. Take pictures of any damage you see, wet sheetrock, wet carpet, wet furniture, anything you want to claim - document. For contents, document individual items - each shirt, book, etc. needs to be enumerated and documented for the claim - if you say 20 books on your claim, you need a photograph where 20 books can be individually accounted for - be exact and over detailed. They will want to know when you bought the item, where you bought the item, and what you paid for it. Flood insurance Contents Coverage is on an Actual Cash Basis. Therefore, they will take the original cost of the item less the depreciation and that is what you will be paid for the loss on said item.
10. We are expecting more rain so don’t put flood debris where it can float away, block a drain and cause more trouble.
11. Be very careful about hiring “the experts” companies will bring in fans, etc. and eat up a lot of your claim check by “drying” your house - once the walls are open, the studs will dry in time. Every dime you spend renting expensive blowers is money you can’t use towards granite countertops or tile upgrades when you rebuild. Fans, your air conditioner, a dehumidifier from Home Depot will do the job. You can spray the studs with bleach as they dry out. We saved $10K each claim by doing the work ourselves in our three floods. If you can't do the work yourself and you do need to hire someone, make sure to confirm with your adjuster what they will cover when it comes to fans and dehumidifiers....there is a maximum number they will cover per room and per house. If they tell you that they need a generator to start work, confirm how much they will charge you to rent one and make sure to double check if it is covered by your policy and how much they will cover.
12. Be careful hiring contractors - ask for multiple references, ensure they use sub-contractors they know - they will be busy and be prepared to wait. In my opinion it is best to use a local contractor because weeks or months down the road if you have problems, they will still be here to fix it!
13. Plastic storage tubs work better than cardboard boxes for storage of your undamaged stuff.
14. Be nice to the adjustor - he or she will be valuing your loss and establishing the rebuild - every dollar counts, so be a pleasant memory for the adjustor, rather than “that” person. Understand that some of these adjusters have driven from 4 or 5 states away to come help with this claims process. Ask them as many questions as you can because they are the ones to help you understand what is covered and what is not. (An example would be your cabinets - if the lower cabinets go under water and the upper cabinets do not, they will pay for the lower but not the upper because they were not damaged. Your policy pays to only replace the items that were ruined.)
15. No matter who your insurance company is, all flood claims go through the National Flood Insurance Program, all money comes through FEMA, so the time between the adjustor visiting your house and you getting money takes weeks/months - be patient - it is challenging and horrible waiting, but you are dealing with the government and all the other claims that are in flight as well. Also, know that if you have a mortgage on your home, you will be paid with a two party check and you will have to sign it and send it to your mortgage company. Your mortgage company will send you portions of the dollar amount paid as you make repairs to the structure and you will have to prove that you are repairing the home.
16. Your first estimate will likely be less than you expect, but there has to be a starting point. Therefore, you want to work with your contractor to confirm the amount of coverage paid and if it is in line with what they charge. If the original estimate does not satisfy what your contractor charges, make sure your contractor gives you a detailed bid like the proof of loss that you receive from the flood adjuster so you can show in detail why additional claims dollars are needed. Be wary of working with 3rd party arbitrators as they will take a percentage of your total claim, not just any extra they get you in the supplement.
17. Accept help when offered and be specific - if someone asks “what can I do?” tell them something specific - I need candles, contractor bags, sandwiches - be grateful of those that reach out and be honest with what you need.
18. You will get through this, it is a struggle, but you will get through it. Understand that we have become an instant gratification society and things just can’t work that way in a catastrophic loss like this! Things will take time! Lean on your faith, your friends and family.
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No Flood Insurance? Some Resources:
1. Register with FEMA. Get in line now. Don't wait until the flood water recede.
2. File for the Disaster Assistance and Emergency Relief Program and file your Publication 547 form with the IRS. Both of these programs allow for residents to write off their losses via taxes, and even refile your most recent taxes, thus potentially getting an unexpected refund, something that could go a long way in recovery.
3. Apply for the Disaster Legal Services Program. Through this program, the government provides legal services to lower-income individuals. This can help when seeking insurance claims, dealing with contractors and home repairs, etc. A huge benefit.
4. Apply for Rebuild Houston Together, a group that helps senior citizens rebuild their homes.
5. See if you belong to a group that is a member of the Tool Bank, a group that brings much needed tools to a disaster area. Note you must be a part of one of their member orgs, such as a church or other charity, including neighborhood associations.
6. Apply for assistance with Team Rubicon, a group that specializes in helping gut homes damaged by disaster so that trade professionals can come in and get the job done faster and cheaper.
7. Work through the options at DisasterAssitance.gov. Links found on this site will streamline some of the other steps, e.g. FEMA application.