Judge Branick briefed Senator Ted Cruz in Beaumont Friday
Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick toured Senator Ted Cruz around Beaumont today. Conversations centered on quick response by FEMA, temporary housing needs, critical water infrastructure, and assisting the Lower Neches Valley Authority (LNVA) in repair of non-working stations to expedite the authority’s ability to provide water to agricultural users. Judge Branick and Senator Cruz also had the opportunity to discuss community development block grant (CDBG) funding for navigation projects.
IMPORTANT: Note for Jeff. County residents who applied for FEMA assistance before 9/2
Residents who applied for FEMA disaster assistance prior to the Presidential Disaster ad received denial letters are encouraged to appeal the denial or re-apply. Senator Ted Cruz is planning to work with FEMA to reconsider the denied applications in light of the subsequent disaster declaration.
Governor Abbott to visit county tomorrow to discuss housing issues
Governor Greg Abbott is expected to visit Jefferson County tomorrow to discuss housing issues for affected residents.
Volunteers needed in Bevil Oaks to assist elderly
Volunteers are needed for recovery efforts currently being coordinated by State Representative Dade Phelan in the Bevil Oaks community. Please contact his office at 409-745-2777.
Jefferson County Courthouse to resume normal operations Monday
The Jefferson County Courthouse plans to resume normal operations on Monday, September 11. Residents who have business with the commissioners, county, or district courts should reach out to the respective offices for schedules and hours of operations.
Jeff. County Mosquito Control daily monitoring and conducting mosquito-landing counts
Jefferson County Mosquito Control is daily monitoring and conducting mosquito-landing rate counts and are forwarding to Judge Branick for review. The county does not appear to be having high counts of disease carrying mosquito populations, but continued spraying with land and air assets the past four days. State assistance with effort expected in the next few days.
Guidelines for debris removal in the unincorporated areas of the county
Residents in the unincorporated areas of Jefferson County (Bevil Oaks, Northwest Forest, Nome, China, Hamshire, Labelle, Fannett, and Cheek) should follow a few simple guidelines when setting out debris for picked up. DRC, the debris removal company for the rural areas of the County, would like residents to place debris out for pick-up on the county right of way as close to the road as possible. Materials need to separated as follows: Vegetation-Trees, leaves, logs Spoiled Food and contaminated recyclables-Unusable food and wet papers Structural and building material- Drywall, lumber, carpet furniture, etc. Appliances-freezers, stove, washer and dryers Electronics-Televisions, computers, telephones, etc. Household Hazards-oils, batteries, paints, cleaning supplies, gasoline Having everything separated as best as you can will expedite the debris pick up. If residents have any questions about debris removal, DRC has set up aCustomer Hotline at 1-888-721-4372, which started taking calls on Tuesday, September 5, and will started debris pick-up on Thursday, September 7. It will take a few weeks before operations are fully up and running. So it may be a few days before they get to your area. DRC is contracted for the rural areas of Jefferson County and the Mid-County areas. The Cities of Beaumont and Port Arthur have contracted with other companies contracted for their citizens.
REMINDER: PODs open through the weekend in unincorporated areas of county
Judge Branick and Jefferson County Emergency Coordinator Greg Fountain are reporting that points of distribution (PODs) will be open in the unincorporated areas of the county at least through Sunday, September 10. For assistance locating the nearest POD, please contact Emergency Management at 409-835-8757.
REMINDER: Residents eligible for federal assistance at disasterassistance.gov
The federal government issued a Major Disaster Declaration for Jefferson County on September 2, 2017, which made county residents eligible to apply for federal disaster assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). All Jefferson County residents impacted by Hurricane Harvey are encouraged to apply for federal assistance at disasterassistance.gov, at a local government office, or at a FEMA disaster recovery center when established. For more information and helpful resources on FEMA’s disaster relief and recovery efforts, please visit FEMA.gov or call 1-800-621-3362.
NOTE: residents who applied for FEMA assistance prior to the Major Disaster Declaration by the federal government on September 2, 2017, need to re-apply for assistance or appeal the denial.