September 23rd. According to climatology, no hurricane has ever hit the Texas coast after September 23rd. That’s thanks to cold fronts moving in, cooling down the region and steering hurricanes away.
Typically, here in Southeast Texas, our active time period runs from the beginning of August through the end of September. We’re now in the most active part of hurricane season, but it’s important to remember the season doesn’t end until November 30th.
Over the past year, we continue to make progress in the recovery effort. From September 2017 to August 31, 2018, BakerRipley has:
• Completed 430 home repair assessments and of that total, 263 have completed home repairs.
• Closed 1,600 cases in disaster case management meaning those households have met the elements in their recovery plan and are back to their new normal.
• Distributed basic needs to 16,207 households from our six Neighborhood Restoration Centers.
• Received additional funding from the JJ Watt Foundation. In the first 30 days, BakerRipley has spent $157,661.72 from the JJ Watt Foundation donation which has helped 117 families and individuals in their recovery.
• Applied for American Red Cross and Salvation Army of Greater Houston funding available to Hurricane Harvey survivors. Our disaster case managers have been advocating on the neighbors’ behalf to further assist in their recovery. To date, 271 BakerRipley neighbors have received assistance from the American Red Cross ($2,000 per household) for homes that sustained major damage or were destroyed. In addition, 365 BakerRipley neighbors have received assistance from the Salvation Army of Greater Houston ($2,000 per household).
• Executed an agreement with Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston to provide the first public funding to our disaster recovery efforts under a federally-funded FEMA grant. This public funding will support 28 disaster case managers and up to almost 1,000 households.
• Received over $3 million through a grant from the American Red Cross. The grant includes $2,288,000 for our Unmet Needs, $500,000 to support our Home Restoration program and $250,000 to support the outreach to seniors impacted by Hurricane Harvey.
We are only taking on new clients as our current neighbors complete their services. If you have damage related to Harvey and are in need of assistance, we urge people to call the 2-1-1 Texas/United Way HELPLINE for disaster recovery assistance.
Visit our Get Connected Disaster Recovery Services page and learn other ways we are rebuilding communities post Harvey.
