More than 200 Bolivar Peninsula residents attended a community meeting March 23 at Crenshaw Elementary and Middle School to gain the latest information on various Hurricane Ike recovery programs.
The meeting, led by Galveston County Judge Jim Yarbrough and County Commissioner Pat Doyle, gave citizens an opportunity to ask questions about the recovery programs and to visit with the elected officials and county staff to address individual concerns.
Judge Yarbrough pointed out that, even though the hurricane made landfall more than 18 months ago, the recovery process remains in full swing and some federal grants are just now becoming available.
When the various grant programs including FEMA, housing repairs, and the buyout program are tallied, approximately $500 million is coming into Galveston County as a result of the hurricane, the county judge said.
He thanked citizens for their patience and encouraged them to persevere while homeowners and government alike wade through the thick layers of red tape to access the funds and make needed repairs.
The large crowd received the most current information on CDBG housing repairs, CDBG infrastructure projects, FEMA trailers, the property buyout, drainage issues, trash issues and evacuation planning.
County Emergency Management Coordinator John Simsen encouraged residents to register for emergency notification, via either the main county website (www.co.galveston.tx.us) or the Galveston County Emergency Management website (www.gcoem.org). If registered, citizens can be contacted by home phone, cell phone, work phone, or email address in times of emergency, including pending evacuations for hurricanes. To sign up, merely click on the box labeled “Click Here for One-Step Notification” and follow the prompts.

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