• Louisiana residents can find up-to-date news releases at the “EMERGENCY.louisiana.gov” state site.  Here you will find information on topics like school closures, points of distribution, and food stamp application sites. Your local parish’s web site may also have important relief information.
• Texas residents please check your local city, town, or county’s web site for relief information.   Local media will also have information on recovery.   KHOU.com is a great source of info for the Houston area, and so is the Houston Chronicle.   Galveston area residents can find updates on the Guidry News site.
• Texas residents can find out more about FEMA disaster assistance by clicking here.
• Louisiana residents can find out more about FEMA disaster assistance by clicking here.
• For those of you trying to locate friends and relatives who were impacted by Hurricane Ike, please search the Red Cross’s Safe and Well List.
• For information on general post-disaster recovery issues, like coping with disaster or cleaning up after a flood, please visit us at OneStorm to view hundreds of free, printable, easy-to-read articles.
• If you still cannot find the information you are looking for, you may e-mail me at Heidi@onestorm.org

Please be safe during the clean-up process, and we wish you the best during this very difficult time.

-The OneStorm Team

Sugar Land First United Methodist Church
431 Eldridge
Sugarland, Texas 77481

First Assembly Church
601 S. Market St.
Brazoria, Texas 77422

Lindale Assembly of God
504 Caplin
Houston, Texas 77022

Richey Street Baptist Church
1010 S. Richey
Pasadena, Texas 77506

Family Faith Church
2407 Sam Houston Ave.
Huntsville, Texas 77320

Johnson Coliseum
Sam Houston State University
1964 Bobby K. Marks
Huntsville, Texas 77320

Huntsville High School
650 FM 2821 E.
Huntsville, Texas 77320

For current Shelter List information go to www.houstonredcross.org and 1-800 RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

People coming to Red Cross shelters should bring: Pillows and bedding; diapers and formula for your children; prescription medicines; toiletries; food to meet any special dietary needs they may have. These current shelters can not accommodate pets.

To help people reconnect after a disaster, we encourage evacuees to register with the Red Cross website Safe and Well, www.safeandwell.org. Evacuees’ friends and family can check the website and know they are safe.

Earlier today forty-eight Emergency Response Vehicles, from Red Cross Chapters nationwide, came to Houston to assist with delivering food and water to shelters and later on, to neighborhoods and distribution points. Mobile Feeding Kitchens will be set up within the next day or two in affected communities.

Red Cross damage assessment teams today drove through five affected communities to determine the extent of the storm damage. They are surveying damage in: City of Galveston, League City, Texas City, Deer Park and La Porte. Knowing how many homes are extensively damaged or destroyed helps the Red Cross estimate how much shelter space and food is needed.

The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of your donation. Call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.

Source: “GREATER HOUSTON AREA RED CROSS OPENS SHELTERS FOR RESIDENTS WHOSE HOMES WERE DAMAGED BY HURRICANE IKE.”  Greater Houston Red Cross.

Local officials have announced that all residents who evacuated to a state-run shelter for Hurricane Ike have returned.  In total, 1300 residents left Calcasieu Parish last Thursday, September 11, for shelters in Shreveport and Alexandria.

The busses carrying the evacuees began returning to Southwest Louisiana at 2:00 am, Monday morning, with the last bus arriving by mid-morning.  Members of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, City of Lake Charles, Calcasieu Medical Reserve Corps, National Guard, and Red Cross took part in the effort.  
The only remaining shelter open in Lake Charles is located at MLK Community Center, 2009 N. Simmons, Lake Charles, 337-491-1497.  This shelter is now being operated by the Red Cross.

All waterways in Calcasieu Parish are closed to boat traffic.  Deatonville residents are being allowed to travel to their homes by boat provided they launch from Calcasieu Point and have a driver’s license that proves they live in Deatonville.

Waste Management has resumed their regular garbage collection routes.  In addition, the parish will provide two manned drop-off sites for household solid waste only through Tuesday.  This is not for debris from the storm.  The sites are:

Post Oak Pavilion

2911 Post Oak Rd.,

Sulphur

Ward 1 Parish Barn

461 Parish Rd.

Moss Bluff

The sites will be open Monday and Tuesday only from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

All Calcasieu Parish Library locations will reopen Tuesday at 12p.m.
Feeding and relief sites are at the following locations:

Second Harvest Food Bank with Church of the King/PRC at Vineyard Church

Gulf Highway, Cameron Parish line

non-perishables, water, MREs

beginning Monday, 4pm; Tuesday lunch and dinner-time

DAILY

Second Harvest Food Bank with Church of the King/PRC (remote location)

Boone’s Corner (Hwy 384/385)

hot lunch and dinner

beginning Monday, 4pm; Tuesday lunch and dinner-time

DAILY

Second Harvest Food Bank at Catholic Charities Lake Charles

612 Louisiana Avenue at the Sacred Heart School Gym, Lake Charles

non-perishables and food pantry items only

Monday, Sept 15th 2-4pm

DAILY

Second Harvest Food Bank at Greater St. Mary’s

1401 Moeling Street, Lake Charles

pantry items, clothing, other supplies

Monday, Sept 15th, 9am – 2pm

DAILY

Second Harvest Food Bank at Maplewood Church

(Sulphur)

cleaning items

Beginning Wednesday after lunch

DAILY

The Salvation Army

Nelson Road WalMart, Lake Charles

hot lunches and hot dinners available daily; also have clean-up kits available

DAILY

The Salvation Army

starting Monday, Sept 15

hot lunch and hot dinner at the Thrift Store; also have clean-up kits available

2008 Sampson, Westlake

DAILY

The Salvation Army

starting Monday, Sept 15, normal store hours

clean up kits only

Thrift Store, Moss Bluff (Sam Houston Blvd)

DAILY

Second Harvest Food Bank and Salvation Army will have additional mobile sites will be established for Cameron and Vermilion once it has been declared safe to enter those areas under mandatory evacuation and curfews have been lifted.  Additional sites in parishes surrounding Calcasieu are available by contacting 211, visiting www.cppj.net or www.no-hunger.org and looking for the agency/feeding site information.  Services available in the other southern parishes of Louisiana are available on the Second harvest website (www.no-hunger.org) or by contacting 211.

American Red Cross feeding sites -

hot lunches are served at these locations between 11am – 1pm and hot dinners will be served at the same locations between 4pm and 6pm:

Vinton City Hall (Calcasieu Parish)

Reeves Fire Department (Allen Parish)

West Calcasieu Arena in Sulphur (Calcasieu Parish)

Maplewood Baptist Church in Sulphur (Calcasieu Parish)

Lagrange Soccer Field in Lake Charles, behind the old Applebee’s (Calcasieu Parish)

Roanoke Fire Department (Jefferson Davis Parish)

Huber Park in Lake Charles (Calcasieu Parish)
Topsy VFW in Ragley (Beauregard Parish)

Kinder Fire Department (Allen Parish)

Monaghan Center in Westlake (Calcasieu Parish)

Calcasieu Parish Permitting Reminder:

Prior to commencement of work, all development within the unincorporated areas of Calcasieu Parish must receive permits from the Calcasieu Parish Permit Office.  Development includes, but is not limited to, any electrical work, any plumbing work, demolition of structures, rebuilding, and placement of temporary residences.  Priming of water wells does not require a permit.  In most cases, FEMA and the SBA loan programs will require proof of permitting for file purposes.  For additional information on the permitting process, call 337-721-3610 or visit http://www.cppj.net/dept/planning/devpermit.asp.

Source:  “Press Release.”  Calcasieu Parish Police Jury.  15 September 2008, 2:00 PM.

Source:  “Greater Houston Supply Distribution Centers.“  KHOU.com.  15 September 2008, 2:48 PM.

Source:  “Press Release: Road Closures.”  State of Louisiana.  15 September 2008, 2:30 PM.

Source:  “Hurricane Ike- Important Information- UI and DUA Claims.”  Texas Workforce Commission.

Brazoria County was hit hard by Hurricane Ike.  Surfside was devastated by the storm.  There is no flood water in the county.  There are few stores open in the county.  There are few gas stations with gas available.  Electrical outage is very wide spread in the county.  There are a lot of hungry thirsty people in the county because food and water are in limited supply.

We recommend that you not try to come back to the county without checking with your city first.  If you live outside a city limit, you can call Brazoria County at 979-864-1064 for information.  Please call your city for information instead of the county courthouse.  Each individual city can offer better information on their status than the county can.  Check with your city for the availability of gas and groceries.

Source:  “Notice.“  Brazoria County Emergency Management.  15 September 2008, 11:00 AM.

Source:  “Openings and Closings.”  Houston Chronicle.  15 September 2008, 2:00 PM.

“Openings and Closings.“  Houston Chronicle. 15 September 2008, 2:06 PM.

* L.A. 45 south of Goose Bayou into lower Lafitte is flooded
* L.A. 45 south into Barataria across the Bayou Barataria Bridge leading into Privateer Boulevard is flooded
* Crown Point roads flooded

Source: “News Release:  Roads Closed due to Hurricane Ike.“  Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.  15 September 2008.

There are two contractors for the City of Baytown residents to assist with the removal of debris. These contractors are: BAMACO and DRC, and they are authorized by city officials to remove debris. Beck’s Engineering has also been contracted to provide oversight with the debris removal. These contractors will be making sweeps of the city over the next few days.

Unfortunately, there may be individuals and/or businesses who may be offering to remove debris and make home repairs that may be questionable service.

BAYTONIANS PLEASE BEWARE AND ALERT TO THOSE WHO MAY BE ATTEMPTING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR RESIDENTS IN YOUR TIME OF NEED.

WasteManagement will resume operation on Tuesday, September 16, 2008, from 7:00 am until 7:00 pm.

All storm related inquiries should be directed to the City of Baytown’s Emergency Phone Bank at 281-420-5311, 8:00 am – 8:00 p.m., Sunday through Tuesday. Helpful information is also available on the City’s website at www.baytown.org and on Cable Channel 16.

Source:  “Press Release- Baytown, Texas Debris Removal.“  Baytown, Texas.  15 September 2008, 10:00 AM.