Special Hurricane Ike Coverage, Resources, and Announcements
City of Navasota Tuesday 9/16 Citizens Notice>
Blinn College Update Sunday 9/14
All campuses of Blinn College will resume their normal class schedule and
operations Monday, September 15.
Navasota Recovery Update Sunday 9/14, 11:30 AM
Press Release from the City of Navasota>
Emergency Operations Updates
3:30 PM Sunday 9/14 Update
As of Sunday afternoon, 10 Bryan-College Station churches
were housing less than 2,000 evacuees who fled Hurricane Ike. Busloads have been
departing all afternoon, so it is difficult for officials to get an accurate
head count.
The shelters that remain open have reached capacity, and
evacuees seeking temporary shelter are being asked to continue on to Dallas,
emergency management officials said Sunday.
Classes will resume Monday morning at local
schools.
Officials in the Community Emergency Operations Center were
working Sunday to assess needs of the counties that surround Brazos, and
assisting in securing supplies for those areas.
The number to the Community Emergency Operations Center is
(979) 458-8750.
10:30 AM Sunday 9/14 Update
The shelter count in Bryan-College Station has increased
slightly since Saturday night. We now have 2,693 evacuees in 12 churches, five
schools and Reed Arena.
A plan is being developed to close local shelters that are
operating out of schools and consolidate some of the evacuees into fewer
locations. Brazos County Emergency Management Coordinator Chuck Frazier is
spearheading the effort and said the plan will not be finalized until Sunday
afternoon. Frazier can be reached at (979) 393-9913.
Officials in the Community Emergency Operations Center were
working Sunday morning to assess needs of the counties that surround Brazos, and
assist in securing supplies for those areas.
Bryan Emergency Management Coordinator Jerry Henry is
reminding local residents that now is a good time to make a donation to the
American Red Cross, Salvation Army or other local “VOAD” groups (volunteer
organizations assisting in disasters).
5:00 PM Saturday 9/13 CEOC Update
It was reported in a 4:30 p.m. statewide conference call briefing that cleanup efforts are well under way in the wake of Hurricane Ike. Priority areas needing emergency response are Orange County, Galveston and east Harris County. The hurricane has caused one of the highest-volume power outages ever caused by a disaster in Texas, state officials said during the conference call.
In Bryan-College Station, roughly 2,000 evacuees remain in 13 shelters. The evacuees are primarily from Houston (656), Galveston (108), Pasadena (145), Beaumont (141), Freeport (73), Texas City (62) and Baytown (78).
About 150 Bryan and College Station residents who sought shelter during the storm were told Saturday afternoon that they could safely return to their homes.
Evacuees who remain in Bryan-College Station should contact their local government to determine when it is safe to return. The number to Harris County EOC is (713) 881-3100. The number to Galveston County EOC is (281) 309-5002. The number to Jefferson County EOC is (409) 835-8757.
Brazos County Emergency Management Coordinator Chuck Frazier is working on a long-range shelter plan, which would include consolidating shelters and closing the shelter locations that are operating out of schools, so classes can return to normal schedules on Monday. A plan will be ready for release on Sunday, Frazier said.
Bryan Texas Utilities currently has about 50 to 75 customers in three counties who have lost power. BTU officials will be working through the night to restore power. They ask that residents be patient, as they are trying to respond to calls as quickly as possible.
Bryan Assistant Public Works Director Alton Rogers said all Bryan right-of-ways have been cleared of fallen trees except for the intersection of Rosedale and Palasota. A fallen tree is tangled with live electrical wires at that location, Rogers said. The streets have been barricaded to limit access.
“We had tremendous unified efforts by the water and wastewater department, the solid waste department, development services staff, the engineering division and the transportation division,” Rogers said. “Various-sized trees were down at more than 30 locations.”
No flooding incidents have been reported in Bryan.
Although College Station Utilities experienced several outages Saturday morning, they have had no significant outages since 2 p.m.
Flooding and other public works emergency needs can be reported to the Bryan Public Works Call Center at 209-5900 or to College Station Utilities at 764-3638. The number to report utility outages in Bryan is 822-3777.
Bryan Emergency Management Coordinator Jerry Henry is reminding local residents that now is a good time to make a donation to the American Red Cross, Salvation Army or other local “VOAD” groups (volunteer organizations assisting in disasters).
College Station Utilities Update
We have had various small outages due to trees throughout the system
(probably about 15 total). We have had two breaker trips (Longmire),
and two breaker lockouts (East Bypass and Holleman). East Bypass was a
broken cross-arm (due to a tree) which took about 1.5 hours to fix, and
Holleman was also tree caused. We currently have 7 customers without
power.
Experienced personnel are still in the field surveying lines for downed
trees or leaning poles, etc. to try to avoid further outages.
The total number of customers affected was between 2500-3000.
The Electric Utility Command Center will be closing at 2:30. 24 hour
Utility Dispatch will still be here, and crews will stay until outages
are restored. After that, there will be 2 crews on duty for any calls
that come in later. Utility management personnel are ready to reopen
the command center should the need arise.
2:00 PM CEOC Update
Nineteen shelters are open; 14 are full.
Bryan-College Station currently is housing about 3,670 people
and has capacity for more.
Those seeking shelter should call 458-8750.
A long-term shelter plan that includes consolidating the
shelter population currently being housed at local schools is likely to be
prepared and released on Sunday. Chuck Frazier, Brazos County emergency
management coordinator, is heading up that effort.
We’ve been notified that the worst part of the storm has
passed. Staffing levels have decreased, although a core group of about 30 people
remains at the EOC.
11:30 CEOC Update:
College Station’s east bypass utility feeder has been
restored, bringing back power to 1,100 customers.
The Holleman feeder locked open, which affected the Target
store and some nearby apartments. The cause is unknown at this time, but 900
customers were temporarily without power. Crews responded, and power was almost
immediately restored. There has been a report of a transformer fire on Glade
Street.
College Station is continuing to receive a high volume of
calls that trees have fallen on power lines or are about to fall. The city is
responding to try to prevent further outages.
The Bryan Public Works Department is receiving a high volume
of calls. It is mostly drainage issues and minor infrastructure damage, such as
fallen trees and damaged signs. Transportation crews are
responding.
One street closure – Broadmoor at Mary Lake – is now
effective in Bryan.
Some railroad crossing arms and lights have blown over. Union
Pacific Railroad has been notified and is responding.
CEOC Press Release - Update as of 11:00 AM Saturday 9/13>
BVSWMA Landfill Cancels “Ike” Operating Hours
COLLEGE STATION, TX- The Brazos Valley Solid Waste Management Agency’s Rock Prairie Road Landfill has canceled special operating hours for Hurricane Ike. Disposal services will resume normal operating hours on Monday, September 15, at 7 a.m.
Samantha Best, BVSWMA Landfill Superintendent stated, “BVSWMA was prepared to assist in storm debris disposal efforts; thankfully damage assessments in the area have indicated only minor damage to structures and buildings.”
The majority of storm debris is tree limbs and shrubs. The Cites of Bryan and College Station will be collecting the clean green brush during normal collection routes next week.
Urgent City of Navasota Utility and Damage Advisory
Press Release, extensive damage and unsafe conditions>
City of Navasota Friday Evening Update
Press Release>
Miscellaneous Hurricane Ike information from the Cities of Bryan and College Station
Bryan’s Information Technology department is encouraging residents to not use their cell phones unless an emergency occurs. If everyone uses their cell phones at the same time, it can cause a strain on the system and they will not be functional.
The Bryan Fire Department announced Friday morning that it will not respond to calls once hurricane winds reach speeds of 50 mph or higher. This is expected to occur Saturday afternoon. A briefing is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at Fire Station No. 1 on William Joel Bryan Parkway to further discuss the fire department’s action plan.
Shelter sites for local residents will be announced Friday afternoon.
Power outages should be reported to Bryan Texas Utilities at (979) 822-3777.
Public drainage emergencies should be reported to Bryan Public Works at (979) 209-5900.
College Station outages should be reported to College Station Utilities at 764-3535.
The number for Atmos Energy is (888) 322-8667.
The number to the Community Emergency Operations Center is (979) 458-8750.
September 12, 2008 5:00 PM Update from Community Emergency Operations Center
The Bryan-College Station community currently is sheltering about 3,033 evacuees.
About 533 of those have special needs.
There are roughly 243 small animals and 137 large animals.
Fifteen shelters are open; 12 are full.
Stephen F. Austin Middle School, Bonham Elementary, Anson Jones and College Station Middle School will open at 6 p.m. to Bryan and College Station residents who are concerned that their homes may not be able to weather the storm.
Veterans Park check-in area closes at 8 p.m. Evacuees should call 211 for a shelter assignment.
Forecasts are currently showing that areas of Brazos County could get isolated thunderstorms and up to 6 inches of rain on Saturday. A tropical storm wind warning (winds up to 58 mph) is effective for Brazos County. Residents should be alert for fallen power lines and debris in roadways.
Bryan, College Station and Brazos County officials say their emergency responders and public works authorities are ready to respond to emergencies, but cannot safely do so once winds reach speeds of 50 mph.
State officials announced Friday afternoon a plan for a rapid deployment search and rescue operation set to begin in the early hours of Saturday morning in Port Arthur, Galveston Island and Galveston Bay.
Evacuees are being advised to stay in shelter until state officials announce that it is safe to return.
The next statewide conference call briefing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
Numbers update from Emergency Operations Center
The Bryan-College Station community currently is sheltering about 3,033 evacuees.
About 533 of those have special needs.
There are roughly 200 small animals and 114 large animals.
Fifteen shelters are open; 12 are full.
Stephen F. Austin Middle School, Bonham Elementary, Anson Jones and College Station Middle School will open at 6 p.m. to locals who are concerned about their housing.
Veterans Park check-in area closes at 8 p.m. Evacuees should call 211 for a shelter assignment.
Shelters for BCS Residents
Shelters are opening, see noon September 12, 2008 Press Release from Bryan College Station CEOC>
Shelters for Navasota Residents
Shelters have opened for residents. See Press Release>
Hotel / Motel Availability
From the Bryan-College Station Convention & Visitors Bureau:
If you are looking for lodging or know of someone who needs to evacuate during Hurricane Ike, here is a website that you need to be aware of:
www.tacvbemergency.net
This is a service of the Texas Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus. This is a list of available hotel rooms for all Texas cities, listed in alphabetical order. This list is updated every 4 hours by each city's CVB. You can immediately see how many hotel rooms are available in each city, and when you click on an individual city, a list of all of their hotels, and whether these hotels are pet friendly, etc. will pop up. This will allow you to QUICKLY locate available hotel rooms.
The Bryan-College station hotels are now sold out for Friday and Saturday nights, so this will be an important website for you to pass along to those in need.
Blinn College
Blinn College will be closed on Friday, Sept. 12, due to diminishing weather conditions from Hurricane Ike. Classes and events on all four campuses are cancelled through the weekend. The college will maintain a regular schedule through the remainder of today.
Residence halls and apartments on the Brenham campus will remain open for students who choose to stay on campus. Food and other essential services including security will be available to those students.
Classes and normal operations will resume Monday unless otherwise notified.
Blinn College administration advises students and employees to remain alert. Blinn is committed to the safety and security of its students, faculty and staff. Check www.blinn.edu and local media for notice of action taken by the college in regards to this storm. You may also visit our emergency preparedness page for policies and procedures - www.blinn.edu/emergency.htm.
Blinn College employees are not to report to work unless otherwise notified by their supervisor.
General information: 979-830-4180/4181
Employees: 979-830-4128
Emergencies only: 979-830-4100 (Brenham)
979-209-7418 (Bryan)
The Star of the Republic Museum at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park will be closed beginning at 5 p.m. today through Sunday. Check www.starmuseum.org.
Event changes:
The Ronnie Renfrow Concert scheduled for tonight on Blinn College’s Brenham campus has been postponed. Tickets will be honored for the concert when it is rescheduled.
All campus events are cancelled through Sunday.
Evacuee Check-in Location for College Station
Veterans Park - Location Map>
City of Bryan
Press Release 9/11 - Brazos Valley Prepares for Hurricane Ike>
Downtown Bryan
The Downtown College Night planned for this Friday has been cancelled due to Hurricane Ike. The event will be rescheduled
City of Navasota Hurricane Ike Preparations
As many of you know, Hurricane Ike is projected to track
through our area beginning Friday evening. The City of Navasota has been in
contact with the Governors Division of Emergency Management, and the reports we
are receiving predict strong thunderstorms, winds and with any hurricane their
is also a possibility of tornadoes. The City emergency crews are watching the
storm closely. Citizens should be prepared for heavy rains, strong winds and
potential flooding. Please take precautions to secure loose items around your
home and place of business, and watch for rising water in low lying areas. We also encourage those who live in a mobile
home to seek more substantial shelter.
Also, Allied Waste has canceled solid waste collections for
Friday, with plans to resume service on Monday.
And the City of Navasota Compost Center will be closed Saturday due to
the predicted storm. If you have any
questions you may contact the Navasota Police Department at 936-825-6410.
Animals
Animal Issues In Disasters>
More Announcements and News to follow....
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