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The good news is, anyone in Port Arthur who needs assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency can get it. The bad news is, they will need a computer or a phone and Internet access. Port Arthur is still a city where over a thousand homes are still without power and where countless more do not have Internet access, nevertheless it is not yet clear when the city could get its own FEMA field office.
http://www.panews.com/2017/09/03/fema-assistance-can-be-accessed-by-phone-internet/
One sign of a return to normalcy are students going back to the classroom. The four local school districts are assessing and making plans for students to come back. The four local school districts are assessing and making plans for students to come back.
For the most part, the lights are back on in Port Arthur.
According to Sallie Rainer, the president and CEO of Entergy Texas, power should be restored everywhere that it can be in Port Arthur by the end of the day Tuesday.
“Certainly, there may be customers who cannot be hooked up because they still have water, but everyone who can be in service we believe will be in service by Tuesday evening,” she said.
http://www.panews.com/2017/09/04/power-returns-to-most-of-port-arthur/
Many people have questions about health care needs as the floodwaters continue to recede. Below is information on local hospitals and clinics as of Monday afternoon.
The Medical Center of Southeast Texas is open and fully operational, as it has been since the start of Hurricane Harvey and the catastrophic flooding that followed.
The Medical Center of Southeast Texas-Victory Campus continues to treat less serious injuries and illness in the emergency department. If you are scheduled for an upcoming elective procedure, please contact your physician to see if your procedure needs to be rescheduled. Contact your physician’s office for more information on if they are open and their hours of operation.
http://www.panews.com/2017/09/04/information-on-port-arthur-area-hospitals-clinics/
The city of Port Arthur shares the following tips and information with residents recovering from Tropical Storm Harvey.
• Food will be served at noon Tuesday at Memorial Stadium, 2500 Jefferson Drive. Open to everyone.
• Points of Distribution, or PODS, will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Gillam Circle, Knights of Columbus Hall on West Port Arthur Road, Stonegate area behind Dylan’s Bar and Grill, 8601 Ninth Ave. and Memorial Stadium.
• The Port Arthur City Health Department will administer tetanus shots at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the health department.
• The Port Arthur City Health Department is available at Thomas Jefferson Middle School and able to assist in dressing changes, wound care and prescription assistance.
• Code enforcement for the city of Port Arthur is beginning its door-to-door damage assessments starting in areas with power outages.
Hurricane Harvey has been one of the most devastating storms in living memory, killing dozens, displacing thousands, and leaving most of the city of Houston underwater. And it seems set to break another record. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on Sept. 3 that Hurricane Harvey could cost up to $180 billion, which would make it the costliest hurricane ever.
Abbott told CNN's State Of The Union on Sunday that the not quite $8 billion that the White House had so far requested from Congress wouldn't be nearly enough to rebuild, calling it a “down payment,” and saying that a comparison to 2012's Hurricane Sandy fell short.
http://elitedaily.com/news/hurricane-harvey-recovery-cost-katrina-says-texas-governor/2061440/
Flood insurance is one of the most misunderstood types of insurance, and scammers are taking advantage of that fact to make money off victims of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies are warning that residents of south Texas and Louisiana have reported getting robocalls saying their flood insurance premiums are past-due, and they need to pay right away to avoid a lapse in coverage.
This type of predatory behavior happens frequently after major floods, but given the size and scope of the unfolding devastation from Harvey, it’s likely many people will be taken in by this scheme. And as the storm moves east and north, it’s likely Mississippians will be getting such calls, too. FEMA warns homeowners not to fall for it. If you are really behind on your flood insurance, an automated phone call in the middle of the disaster won’t be your first notification.
Hurricane Harvey Recovery Could Cost More Than Katrina, Says Texas Governor
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2017/09/03/flood-insurance-scammers-could-calling/621582001/
Federal and state environmental officials say they're continuing to monitor smoke and air quality at a controlled burn at a Houston-area chemical plant.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said Sunday afternoon that they were outside the evacuation zone for the Arkema plant in Crosby, but could respond quickly if needed.
Three trailers containing the compounds had already caught fire at the plant after backup generators were engulfed by Harvey's floodwaters, which knocked out the refrigeration necessary to keep the organic peroxides from degrading and catching fire.
The agencies say that they've been monitoring the air after the initial fires and have not found toxic concentration levels in areas away from the evacuated facility.
http://www.kptv.com/story/36280377/the-latest-officials-monitoring-controlled-burn-at-arkema
Authorities started a controlled burn Sunday of highly unstable compounds at a Houston-area chemical plant that flooded because of Harvey. Utility crews went door-to-door to shut off power and warn those still at homes in the western reaches of the metro area that more flooding was possible.
The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office said in a statement Sunday the decision was made to take "proactive measures" to ignite the remaining trailers at the Arkema plant in Crosby. The office said that it doesn't pose any additional risk to the public. The 1.5-mile evacuation zone around the plant is still in place.
Six of the trailers had remained after three others ignited in recent days and sent thick black smoke and tall flames into the air. Arkema had said Harvey's floodwaters engulfed its backup generators at the plant, knocking out the refrigeration necessary to keep the organic peroxides, used in such products as plastics and paints, from degrading and catching fire.
http://www.wsmv.com/story/36279817/controlled-burn-at-chemical-plant-power-off-in-west-houston