Galveston County will host a public meeting Tuesday, March 23 from 5-7 PM at Crenshaw Elementary and Middle School to update Bolivar Peninsula residents on various Ike recovery projects.
It has been 18 months since Hurricane Ike devastated the peninsula, destroying 3,600 homes, severely damaging the ferry landing and Rollover Pass Bridge, and devastating public infrastructure. Public meetings have been held every couple of months to help keep citizens informed of debris cleanup, water and power restoration, road repairs and other response activities.
The long process of obtaining grant funds through the federal and state governments is nearly complete, and many projects beneficial to the peninsula are finally under way. County officials will brief citizens on these projects at the March 23 meeting, and then take questions.
“As we have with previous meetings on the peninsula, we will reserve most of the meeting time for questions and answers,” said County Commissioner Pat Doyle, who has spearheaded the peninsula recovery projects along with County Judge Jim Yarbrough. “We have made significant progress, no doubt, but much remains to be done.”
The Community Development Block Grant housing program, the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program for buyouts, and CDBG infrastructure repairs all will be discussed. In addition, an update will be provided on the ongoing Bolivar Blueprint long-term recovery process, which will result in some exciting projects beneficial to citizens and visitors alike.
Crenshaw Elementary and Middle School is located at 416 Highway 87 on the west side of Crystal Beach.

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Sixteen members of the Galveston County CERT Program participated in the Harris County CERT Rodeo Feb. 20 along with other CERT teams from across the state, receiving some valuable experience and winning accolades from the organizers of the event.
CERT stands for “Community Emergency Response Team.” Galveston County’s CERT program, now in its third year, is part of a nationwide effort to enhance citizen preparedness for all hazards, and falls under the Citizen Corps umbrella of affiliated programs.
The event was held at the Harris County Fire and Sheriff’s Training Academy in Humble.
Using skills learned through the County’s basic CERT training, the team was tested on triage, medical treatment, search and rescue, patient transport, cribbing, evidence recovery, scene size-up, and incident command. They finished in second place overall, with the top award going to a team from Dallas.
The Galveston County team needed just four minutes to “walk the plank,” a competition in which team members use ropes to help them navigate 20 feet of  2-by-4 planks in both directions.
“In the cribbing competition, the evaluators were very impressed our team’s approach and actions,” said Nancy McCain, coordinator of the Galveston County CERT Program.  “Our team was the only team to receive a perfect score on their approach criteria.”
Cribbing involves the careful raising of a collapsed structure to safely extricate a victim. In this exercise, a “victim” is located beneath an 840-pound block of cement on the side of a hill. The exercise goal was to use the tools and materials provided to rescue the victim without causing further injury and while maintaining a safe work environment.
Throughout the event, the Galveston County team operated under the incident command structure required by the National Incident Management System.
For more information about the Galveston County CERT Program and upcoming classes in your area, contact McCain at (281) 309-5009.

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Several consultants and subcontractors are assisting Galveston County with the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, an effort by the County to remove Ike-damaged properties from the floodplain.
The first phase of the buyout project encompasses the beachfront on Bolivar Peninsula, as well as the community of Gilchrist. The County’s grant consultant for the project – Beck Disaster Recovery – is in the process of contacting these property owners to alert them to the next steps.
An appraisal of each property will be required, and homeowners interested in the program have been asked to compile several documents that will be helpful in determining the appropriate value. This includes pre- and post-storm photographs, prior appraisals, surveys, purchase contracts, closing statements, MLS printouts, and lists of repairs or improvements made prior to and after the storm.
The independent appraisal firm of IRR-Residential Appraisers & Consultants has been contracted to assist Galveston County with this process. Also working with the County on the buyout program, in addition to Beck Disaster and IRR, are Jeff Ward and Associates and Southland Title.
The buyout program is entirely voluntary. More information can be obtained by calling the buyout hotline at 866-957-2325. Please visit this website regularly for updates.

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The high cost of home heating fuels and utilities has caused many Americans to search for alternative home heating sources such as wood burning stoves, space heaters, and fireplaces.  Heating is one of the leading causes of residential fires.  Over one-quarter of these fires result from improper maintenance of equipment, specifically the failure to clean the equipment. 

In 2003-2006, the leading factor contributing to home heating fires and deaths was heating equipment too close to things that can burn, such as upholstered furniture, clothing, mattress or bedding.  Many heating fires can be prevented by following basic safety tips when dealing with any heating equipment: 

• Keep or maintain a 3 foot clearance between all heating equipment and anything that can burn.
• Inspect and maintain heating equipment regularly for safety.
• Be sure to have fixed space heaters installed by a qualified technician, according to manufacturer's instructions or applicable codes.  Or, make sure a qualified technician checks to see the unit has been properly installed.
• When buying a new, portable space heather, make sure it has the label showing it is listed by a recognized testing laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL).
• Space heaters should be turned off every time you leave the room and before going to bed.
• Keep space heaters at least 3 feet away from anything that can burn - including furniture, blankets, curtains, and paper products.
• Choose space heaters that turn off automatically if they tip over.
• Never use a space heather to dry clothing.
• Do not use your oven to heat your home.
• Install smoke alarms in ever bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on ever level of the home.  For the best protection, interconnect all smoke alarms throughout the home.  When one sounds, they all sound
• Test smoke alarms monthly.
• Install and maintain carbon monoxide alarms to avoid risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

For more heating fire safety tips, visit the Focus on Fire Safety website. 

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