Travel Journal

From the Daily Sentinel in Nac.

Recovery progress slow, steady

By EMILY TARAVELLA, The Daily Sentinel

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Progress was slow but steady Monday as roads were cleared, power was restored and water flowed from taps – at least in some parts of Nacogdoches County.

It will still be a while before life returns to normal in the city of Nacogdoches and the rest of the county.

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“All the county roads are passable,” Sheriff Thomas Kerss said. “People still need to use caution if they’re trying to get out and drive. In many areas, trees have only been cleared to the ditch line, so there are still stumps and large sections of tree trunk adjacent to the roadway.”

Chireno was without electricity and water Monday afternoon. Although power was restored Monday afternoon in Garrison and some in Appleby, much of the outlying area was without power, and electrical power was spotty from Timpson to Central Heights, Nacogdoches County Commissioner Tom Bush said. While Appleby did have water, the system was working on a generator.

Steven Standley, postmaster at the Chireno Post Office, said he had been told that it could be anywhere from two days to three weeks before power and water are restored there.

As of Monday, the only power in Chireno was “coming from generators that I know of, and they are being used to keep freezers cold.”

A shipment of ice had arrived Monday, he said. Non-potable ice, that is, ice that can only be used for cooling, not for drinks, was being distributed from a Pilgrim’s Pride truck at the Nacogdoches Courthouse on Monday, Bush said.

The sheriff’s office was trying to make arrangements and provisions “to sustain local residents, as well as those in shelters, with necessities such as potable water and ice,” Kerss said.

“We’ve coordinated with some of the volunteers who helped us during the shuttle, from the New York Fire Department and New York Police Department, a Michigan sheriff’s department and an Oklahoma City firefighter group. Within a couple of days they should be here to help us.”

In the meantime, Kerss said county officials are pooling resources from throughout the community.

“We’ve had donations from people, and state and federal agencies have aided with some supplies,” he said. “Shipments of ice and food have been distributed at the soccer complex, and the word we’re getting is that these will be daily shipments.”

County Emergency Coordinator Bob Hurst said the county is working out procedures and figuring the logistics of moving more water and ice to rural areas of Nacogdoches County.

The county has also instructed local water providers to make a list of what they need to get waterlines functional.

“We are proactively working with Nacogdoches County EMS to find critical-needs problems such as people who may be more susceptible to heat stroke and dehydration. And we are working hard to get more commodities ready to go into the county that can help these people,” Hurst said.

Deputy City Manager Victoria LaFollett said between, 3,500 and 4,000 evacuees are being sheltered in Nacogdoches, including nine city shelters and several other “spontaneous” shelters. About 450 evacuees in rural shelters had been relocated to Sacred Heart Catholic Church and Fredonia Hill Baptist Church, Kerss said.

There has been no official word as to when evacuees can return home, and although there was a traffic management plan in effect when evacuees left their homes, LaFollett said there is no traffic management plan to get them back.

“We heard that Jasper was going to be closed to people returning home, because it got so much damage,” she said.”We still don’t know how long they will be here. It could be up to a week.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency arrived Monday with two truck loads of ice, two truck loads of water and one truck load containing 5,400 meals ready to eat, which will be distributed daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

LaFollett said the city is working with limited staff that is working around the clock.

“They’re holding up pretty good,” she said. “FEMA wanted to know our needs, and we told them that our people can only maintain for so long. But you couldn’t ask for better. Our staff is the best of the best, but they need relief. They need downtime. A lot of us have damage to our own property that we haven’t been able to assess.”

City officials are in the process of assessing damage, which will likely take several days, she said.

“One thing that will help us, is our hazard mitigation action plan,” she said. “That plan identifies costs associated with properties. We can look at percent damages to help determine the costs. It’s a down-and-dirty way of getting figures rapidly.”

For those who did not put their garbage on the curb Monday due to misinformation published in Monday’s newspaper, pick-up can be arranged by calling the city phone bank at 559-2510.

Garbage that wasn’t picked up Monday can also be taken to the city landfill free of charge.

City Hall will be closed Tuesday, as will the Nacogdoches County Courthouse.

Chireno residents may contact the Chireno VFD for assistance at 362-9100. Appleby residents should contact the main emergency numbers if they need assistance, or a local volunteer fire department.

Emily Taravella’s e-mail address is etaravella@coxnews.com. April Barbe contributed to this story.