Flooding Disaster Within District 5890 - Greater Houston Area

For all of those club members who reside in Houston, we have been consumed with following this historic flooding all around Houston.  Wayne Beaumier volunteers with Disaster Aid USA and is a Rotarian in the Rotary Club of Cypress-Fairbanks.  He says, "Rotarians in Houston and Harris County can call into 311 to report damage or ask  assistance or dial 1-800-451-1954. Ft Bend County has added a support area to their web site. If Rotarians or their families have specific needs, please have them contact me directly to  see if we can help."  Jim Wells, one of our own members,  has opened his home to assist his wife's sister and family after their home in Stablegate was flooded earlier this week.  Jim comments, "This is unparalleled in scope.  So many Houston communities and residents have been affected."   Tiffany Cady, another one of our members, and the Charlesworth's have offered housing to victims of the flooding.  Also, Tiffany has offered to care for pets of those who have been affected by flooding while they are working on home repairs.  Many families are being evacuated by airboats, kayaks or canoes and Red Cross Centers have been organized to assist those who have no where else to go for the time being.  Several Rotarians in Willowbrook Rotary are know to have experienced their homes flooding.   While the freeways have been somewhat open, depending on the part of town you are trying to navigate, the many office buildings on the feeder streets next to the freeways are inaccessible due to extensive flooding of the Cypress Creek and Spring Creek in Northwest Houston.  An estimated 140 billion gallons of water rained over the Cypress Creek, Spring Creek, and Addicks watersheds in just 14 hours ending at 10 a.m. CT, April 18, 2016, according to Jeff Lindner, meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District. Freeways, homes and buildings were flooded, trapping vehicles and triggering gridlock.  Many families have also lost electricity this week.  If you know of someone in need of assistance, please get in touch with Wayne Beaumier (281-923-4085). 

 

A few years ago, our Rotary district held workshops on how to develop a disaster plan for your Rotary club.  It included a telephone pyramid calling list, and how to organize to assist fellow club members in need during a disaster which affected either their home or workplace.  This occurred following a team of volunteers of Rotarians from our district who landed in Haiti shortly before a major earthquake.  While our goal is not to train Rotarians to become First Responders, knowing who are may be helpful information to identify needs in the community.   Rotarians are eager to help others - it's what we do.

 

 

 

 

According to NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, there were 96 days with at least one report of flooding or flash flooding in Harris County from 1996 through 2015. This equates to an average of 4-5 days of flooding each year over that time period.  Of course, not all of these flood events are as severe as April 2016, Memorial Day 2015, or Allison in 2001.  Here is a glimpse into what has paralized the city of Houston and surrounding areas: