This article was originally published in The Examiner on Nov. 2, 2017.
By Eleanor Skelton
Staff Writer
More than 5,000 volunteers picked up 40 tons of trash across 55 miles of Texas beaches during Adopt-A-Beach Day, which is organized by the Texas General Land Office and promoted by the Galveston Bay Foundation.
Adopt-A-Beach is held at 13 locations along the upper Texas Gulf Coast on Sept. 23.
More than 500 roadways reopened after crews cleared away water and debris, just 37 days after Hurricane Harvey made its first landfall near Port Aransas, TxDOT said in a news release Oct. 1.
“During the height of Harvey, TxDOT’s DriveTexas.org Web site handled more than 5 million online visits to check road conditions, find alternate routes and see road closures in near real time,” TxDOT said.
The Texas General Land Office and the U.S. Coast Guard announced plans Oct. 6 to clear 300 displaced and sunken boats in Texas Gulf Coast waters in the aftermath of Harvey, officials said.
Owners who are still missing a vessel should call (877) 458-9377.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) approved 189 temporary debris management sites to process the massive amount of debris caused by Harvey as of Oct. 6.
TCEQ field observers are monitoring staging areas and landfills to make sure debris is process in compliance with environmental guidelines, officials said.
More than 23,000 people affected by Harvey called the Cleanup Assistance Hotline, and about 188 volunteer groups completed 16,000 requests to muck and gut flood-damaged homes along the Texas Gulf Coast as of Oct. 23.
To contact the Cleanup Assistance Hotline, call (844) 965-1386.
The funding and technical abilities to remove debris and clean up Texas come from several different sources, officials said.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers low interest disaster loans to businesses of all sizes, including landlords, nonprofits, homeowners and renters to cover uninsured or uncompensated losses and damages from Harvey, which includes the cost of debris removal.
The SBA approved more than $1.4 billion in disaster loans for Texans affected by Harvey as of Nov. 2. Anyone can apply online at lending.sba.gov.
Farmers, ranchers, foresters and livestock producers affected by Hurricane Harvey could be eligible for emergency loans through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Farm Service Agency to cover losses such as crops or livestock, officials said.
Anyone with questions can visit fsa.usda.gov or visit an FSA office or USDA service center.
Local organizations such as towns, cities, nonprofits or government agencies who are seeking reimbursement for their Hurricane Harvey expenses need to submit Requests for Public Assistance Forms to the Texas Division of Emergency Management. FEMA said they will reimburse eligible local jurisdictions for 90 percent of approved debris-removal costs, along with emergency protective measures and the repair and replacement of infrastructure damaged by a disaster.
Eleanor Skelton 