More Hurricane Ike updates: FEMA’s Houston/Galveston efforts struggling, still availble for help
Categories: Texas
Written By: Shawn Williams
The folks I’m talking to in Houston say conditions are still tough. FEMA has trucks with ice and supplies, but residents don’t know where to go to get them. Officials are asking residents to boil their water before drinking, but it’s hard to do with no electricity.
Cellphone batteries are running down - no way to charge them. Many who use cable companies for home phone service are unable to receive calls. Here are some other newspaper reports.
Dallas Morning News:
Hundreds of first responders at two staging areas in Texas for Hurricane Ike have run out of food and water.
Congressman John Culberson said Sunday that 300 National Guardsmen, state troopers and other emergency workers are going hungry at a high-school football stadium — and at another staging area on Houston’s west side.
Culberson blamed FEMA for the gaffe and says he tried to contact Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who is touring flood-stricken areas of Texas.
Houston Chronicle
…the Federal Emergency Management Agency struggled today to move supplies to distribution centers throughout Houston as nearly 5 million people across the region continued to live without power and access to clean drinking water.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said 40 trucks of water and 40 trucks of meals would be delivered to Reliant Stadium by the end of the day.
ABC 13 - Houston
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has made federal disaster aid available for the state of Texas to supplement recovery efforts in the area struck by Hurricane Ike, including assistance for temporary housing for those whose homes are unlivable.
Available assistance includes rental payments for up to three months for homeowners and at least one month for renters. Assistance may be extended if requested after the initial period based on a review of individual applicant requirements.
Persons who need assistance should register at www.fema.gov or at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. Applicants registering for aid should be prepared to provide basic information about themselves (name, permanent address, phone number), insurance coverage and any other information to substantiate losses.
September 15th, 2008 at 9:15 am
The country boys I’m talking to aren’t having any trouble boiling water. (Hint: the secret is fire. Everyone should have at least three ways of starting one, and one of them shouldn’t require tools.)
It is a bad situation, though. A lot of people decided to ride it out despite being advised otherwise, and they aren’t enjoying it. Car chargers still work if you filled your car up, and haven’t run all the gas out of it. That is how I have been talking to people.
September 15th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
WHERE DO WE GO TO GET HELP WHERE DO PEOPLE ON THE NORTHSIDE GET HELP HOW DO WE FIND WHERE HELP IS?
September 15th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
I guess starting bonfires on Galveston would be an answer to the need to boil water.
There’s plenty of wood lying around and it would be easier to sweep up ashes than to move bulky water logged wood with heavy equipment.
Since there is no communication coming from the island in any reasonable quantity
I’m assuming that few people had filled their gas tanks with the intent of
charging their celphones. Therefore I would recommend that (phelps) be put in charge of all communications since he (or she) seems to have this part of the
problem solved. If he (or she) is amenable there a couple of addresses that I’d like to have checked out for damage and then they can call me and tell me if they are
OK or if they’ve been burned up for the purpose of boiling water.
September 16th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
I guess the inability to boil water with nothing short of a raging structure fire explains how we never manged to get more than a few hundred people in one place before the invention of electricity.
September 17th, 2008 at 9:53 am
The fact that you have internet access, Candace, indicates that you have access to resources such as local media.
I typed in our city’s one newspaper: http://www.chron.com and the front page was flooded with information about where to get the commodities, where power has been restored, Metro info.
Try click2houston.com for information. They even have the local broadcast LIVE on the Internet. They are constantly updating on what’s happening and have been since the hurricane left.
And finally, count yourself lucky that you’re in Houston and not the coastal towns not named Galveston. Those folks are having it worse than you.
September 17th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
how can i get help with a place to stay until i can go home to galveston island. I have two disable people living with me
September 20th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Hello, I own a growing day spa in Pittsburgh, PA and have immediate job opportunities for workers that might be displaced from Hurricane Ike. If you know anyone looking for work as a nail technician, manicurist or esthetician - we can help with relocation and housing in addition to starting hourly wages between $8 & $15 per hour plus benefits for full-time employees. Please have any potential candidates contact us at 412-782-3888 or visit http://www.esspa.com. Thank you, Eva
September 21st, 2008 at 4:41 pm
We are currently under an burn ban because the fire department does not have adequate water supply I had a fire going and had to put it out Fema did finally show up 5 days after the storm with water and ice the day after we got gas
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Are there improvements being made for the people in houston?
Will they beable to drink healthy water,have electricity and bealde to call their family before the month of october comes?
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:56 pm
i am a grandaughter in califorina and i am worried about my family in houston, texas!
January 30th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
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