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Hurricane Harvey

Harvey Recovery Update in The Woodlands

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THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS (Friday, September 1, 2017) The Woodlands Fire Department and emergency officials continue to monitor the effects of Harvey on The Woodlands. Efforts are underway to help The Woodlands get back to normal and to assist those in need.

Please continue to check The Woodlands Township website homepage for the latest information from The Woodlands Township at www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov. Updates are also provided through Facebook and Twitter.

The latest Township information is posted here: https://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/Archive.aspx?AMID=259

GENERAL TOWNSHIP UPDATES
Township offices are open regular business hours and will be closed Labor Day.

Labor Day in The Woodlands event scheduled for this Sunday at Waterway Square has been cancelled.

Trash service resumes normal operations on Monday, including regular Monday pickups. 

The Woodlands Express is operating special service on Friday to the Texas Medical Center ONLY from the Research Forest Park and Ride location ONLY. The other two locations remain closed. The special service is being operated for medical personnel and staff to the Texas Medical Center and patients to the DeBakey VA Hospital in Houston. Service runs from 5:45 a.m. through 5:30 p.m. Full service is expected to begin Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017. Follow on Twitter @TownshipTransit.

Town Center Trolleys are operational.

Lake Woodlands and the boat houses are open Friday.

Parks personnel are working to reopen the pools, spraygrounds and parks, understanding that some parks have sustained damage and may still have standing water and are being repaired as conditions allow. Pools and spraygrounds will open Saturday and recreation programs have resumed at the Recreation Center at Bear Branch Park.

TRASH AND DEBRIS
Waste Management curbside trash and yard waste service has resumed. Most services are on a two-day delay, resuming normal service on Monday, September 4, 2017. There will be no curbside recycling services through Sunday due to flooding at the regional recycling processing facility.

Storm Debris
The Counties of Montgomery and Harris manage all storm debris removal. Waste Management will NOT pick up storm debris. Please place the debris at the curb, but NOT in the street.

Please view guidelines and more information about trash pickup and storm debris removal at this link.

Also view More information about trash and recycling pickup and solid waste tips and solutions during storm events.

Blood Drive
The Woodlands Township will host a blood drive for the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. Times and locations are as follows: Tuesday, September 5, 2017, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at The Recreation Center at Rob Fleming Park, 6464 Creekside Forest Drive, 77389.

MAIL
All mail service is operational and any outgoing mail delivered to the post office will go out.

FEMA
The Township has received notice of the President’s FEMA Declaration for Montgomery and Harris Counties.  This declaration will allow county governments to initiate debris removal programs and provide reimbursement of certain emergency expenses incurred by local government during the emergency and will allow individuals to start filing for emergency assistance.

  • Apply online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov.
  • Constituents may call the registration phone number at 1-800-621-3362; those who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362.
  • For Harris County clean-up assistance, contact CrisisCleanup.org, visit HarrisRecovery.org, or call 1-800-451-1954 to report your need.

SCHOOLS
As of this posting, Conroe ISD, Magnolia ISD, Tomball ISD, will resume on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017. Please check your school district’s web pages, Twitter and Facebook accounts for specific updates.

DRINKING WATER SAFE in The Woodlands, despite rumors
Despite numerous rumors throughout social media, the two major municipal water districts serving residents in The Woodlands report water is safe to drink.

ROAD CONDITIONS
Go to https://mctxoem.org/ or www.HoustonTranstar.org for alerts and advisories including road closures.

SHELTERS
Shelter, volunteer and donation information is changing on an hourly basis. Please visit www.woodlandsinterfaith.org to learn more about shelters in The Woodlands and what you can do to help.

CURFEWS – YES OR NO?
Despite many rumors on Social Media, there is no curfew issued by Montgomery County regarding the storm.

However, both Harris and Montgomery Counties have curfews for under 17 years of age between 12:01 a.m. and 6 a.m. seven days a week. Established by the Harris and Montgomery County Commissioners Courts, the curfew ordinance helps to ensure the safety of our youth and to provide accountability of the youth and their parents for the activities in our community. Each violation of the curfew ordinance is punishable by a fine up to $500.

In addition, it is an offense for an owner, operator or employee of an establishment to allow a minor to remain on the premises of an establishment in violation of the curfew hours.

For more information, check out The Woodlands Township website at: https://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/952

Information from San Jacinto River Authority on Friday, September 1, 2017
The Spring Creek watershed is not affected by any releases from the Lake Conroe dam except for the limited area where Spring Creek joins the San Jacinto River, which is known as the confluence. Also, the elevation difference between The Woodlands and the confluence of Spring Creek with the river is 40 feet, so water being released that ultimately ends up in Lake Houston doesn’t affect the Spring Creek levels in The Woodlands area or cause backup in those creeks.

The Woodlands area directly affected by the Lake Conroe dam releases is Harper’s Landing. Our area received approximately 29.5 inches of rainfall that exacerbated the amount of water flowing south from the dam ultimately to Lake Houston.

In The Woodlands, SJRA Plant 3, Harper’s Landing, was out of service for a time. Eight lift stations in the area were under water, but only two stopped functioning for a short period of time.

At its peak, Spring Creek was flowing at a rate of 82,100 cubic feet per second (cfs).

At its peak, inflow into Lake Conroe was 130,000 cfs. The peak release rate from the dam was 79,141 cfs. The gates were opened to 14 feet during this time to keep the water contained within the dam to avoid spillage over the gates. Lake Conroe received about 22.4 inches of rainfall.

At its peak, the estimated inflow into Lake Houston was about 400,000 cfs.

Regarding pre-release:

To release water at a rate that will not flood areas downstream, it would take several weeks at a very slow release rate.

As of Friday, over 14 feet of lake level has flowed out of the dam from the four day event.

To pre-release enough water to account for the amount of rain that the dam received without exceeding the six-foot maximum level that the lake is permitted to rise, the pre-release would have had to release 8 feet of water, which would have taken a months and would have taken the dam to drought levels.

In addition, lowering the dam level too quickly can alter the saturation of the soils that make up the embankment of the dam. Much like taking too much water out of a pool, if too much water is taken out of the dam too quickly, it can have a negative impact on the structure of the dam.

Jace Houston of SJRA will be sharing a video that provides more information in the coming days. FAQs can be found on: https://www.sjra.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/FAQs-Related-to-Harvey-and-Lake-Conroe-Dam.pdf

POWER
Please visit www.entergystormcenter.com for power outage updates in the Entergy-served area, and CenterPoint Energy website for updates for areas served by CenterPoint Energy.

Due to danger to residents and the public presented by electrical distribution facilities impacted by flood waters, electric service is subject to being disconnected in flooded areas until flood waters recede to the point this danger no longer exists. Affected residents are to be notified by the power companies prior to a disconnect. When the hazard is mitigated, power companies will restore power to these homes as soon as possible.

The public is urged to follow these important electric and natural gas safety tips:

Electric

  • Stay away from downed power lines. Be especially mindful of downed lines that could be hidden in flood waters and treat all downed lines as if they are energized.
  • Once away from the area, call CenterPoint Energy and we will respond as soon as it is safe to do so.
  • When possible, we recommend that you contact a licensed electrician to advise and assist during flood conditions in turning power off at the breaker box and back on. If it appears that water will get as high as the outlets in your house, we recommend that you cut off power at the breaker box only if you are able to do so safely and without standing in water.
  • If you experienced flooding above the electrical outlets in your home, contact a licensed electrician before turning on the main circuit breaker or trying to restore power.
  • All electrical appliances and electronic equipment that have been submerged in water need to dry thoroughly for at least one week. Then, have them checked by a qualified repair person before turning them on. Attempting to repair a flood-damaged appliance could result in electrical shock or death. Attempting to restart it could result in further damage and costly repairs.
  • If the outside unit of an air conditioning system has been under water, mud and water may have accumulated in the controls. Have the unit checked by a qualified air conditioning technician.

Natural Gas

  • Do not turn off your natural gas service at the meter; doing so could allow water to enter the natural gas lines.
  • Be alert for the smell of natural gas. If you smell gas, leave the area immediately on foot and tell others to leave, too.
  • If you smell gas, do not turn the lights on or off, smoke, strike a match, use a cell phone or operate anything that might cause a spark, including a flashlight or a generator.
  • Do not attempt to turn natural gas valves on or off. Once safely away from the area, call 888-876-5786 and once it is safe, CenterPoint Energy will send a trained service technician.

MORE INFORMATION
For additional information, please visit www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov and follow the Harvey Recovery Updates. You can also keep up through the Township’s Facebook and Twitter channels.

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