Fellowship group for evacuees

A Bible and Prayer Fellowship is offered especially for those affected by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina on Monday's at 10:00am at the offfice of the Ministerial Alliance at 120 W. Third at Madison in Mt. Pleasant. "Our aim will be to listen together to God's Word and to share our understanding of God's Presence and His will in this moment of our lives," says Kathleen Koecher, organizer of the fellowship. "This is not intended to be a teaching, but rather a listening to what God has to say to us now. Our fellowship will be a fellowship of caring and support," says Mrs. Koecher. The readings will be from the Old Testament, including Psalms, and the Epistles and Gospel from the New Testament. All are welcome

The Ministerial Alliance office is on the corner of Third and Madison, one block north of the square in Mt. Pleasant. For further information please call Kathleen Koecher, 903 572-6740.

Continued needs in Winnsboro

Some folks from First United Methodist Church in Pittsburg took food to the evacuee shelter in Winnsboro wednesday evening. Casie Yantis reports that they have a continuing need for help with food over there. If you or your group can help with any meal - breakfast, lunch or dinner - contact Dayne Redding at 903-342-3862.

Wednesday Update

KLTV ran a story last night on a family they identified as living in Camp County and was reporting that this family could get no help. They had applied for food stamps but had not asked for any food assistance from the community council or anyone else that I can find. Had they asked, they would have been helped. Not only have we been providing shelter to those coming in but we have been providing food from both the community council as well as Emmanuel’s food pantries. The food has been provided to folks both inside and outside of Camp County. The money raised and in the account at Pilgrim bank has been used to pay for medications as well as buying fuel for an ambulance that was transferring patients to ETMC.

I contacted KLTV and asked for the contact information for this family; they would not give it to me but said they would give them our contact information. I told the reporter that I believed this story painted our community in an unfair light and that they needed to do a follow up on all that everyone has done during this event.

Now to update

• The evacuees staying at the First United Methodist Church were able to go home yesterday, we closed this shelter
• We received 13 more people from the Vidor area into the shelter at Emmanuel last night, they had seven dogs and the Vet clinic provided cages and other supplies to support these folks
• There are special needs folks staying in the Pittsburg Nursing Center, South Wind Assisted Living Center, and ETMC has received patients from the impacted area
• The Food pantries have been providing food for people living in the County as well as some staying at Bob Sandlin State Park
• Bob Sandlin said they only have 30 evacuees at the park, the local Brownie Troop took some gift cards to these folks
• The hurricane relief fund that the Chamber of Commerce has set up at Pilgrim bank has been used to buy medicines for evacuees and to refuel an ambulance making transfers to ETMC Pittsburg, we need to get this fund up some as there will be more call for financial aid before this is over.

Martin A. Pessink
Chief of Police
Pittsburg Police Department

Additional comments from Richard Heyduck:
The needs will be with us for a while. First United Methodist is helping with the feeding of evacuees in Winnsboro tonight. They've had folks since Katrina, so they've been longer term than others. Since Emmanuel's shelter is till open, it may be worthwhile to check with them and see what support that need from the community.

Monday Update

• The Sate and Federal operations are working to provide aid to the impacted areas. They are airlifting in food, water and other supplies.
• Interstate 45 is open back into Houston and there should be fuel available along this route. Hwy. 59 was closed below lake Livingston but is now open, the reliability of fuel along this route is questionable. The State highways closer to the Texas/LA border (69-96-87) are for the most part impassable and there is probably no fuel available as they are having to either airlift or truck supplies in for the rescue operations and generators to get water systems back on line.
• Areas north and west of IH 45 and IH 10 were opened for re-entry yesterday. Areas south and west of IH45 and IH10 were open today. Areas east of IH 45 and north of IH 10 will be open tomorrow but limited to Liberty and Montgomery counties. Other impact zone areas will not be open for re-entry for at least 5-7 days. There is a re-entry map at http://www.dot.state.tx.us/hcr/goinghome/
• Locally- About 20 folks left Emmanuel and went home to Houston, there are 32 people left from the Port Arthur area and they may be with us a while longer. There are 25 people at the First United Methodist Church from the Baytown area and they should be able to go home Tuesday or Wednesday. The people who were at the First Baptist Church were from Conroe and were able to go home yesterday; we will not re-open here unless some emergency situation dictates doing so.
• FEMA is set up now to provide financial assistance to evacuees but the must be registered to do so. This may be done by going on-line at www.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362
• Unless there is significant information to pass along I will not be sending further posts on a routine basis. I want to again thank everyone who has been working during this event to help.

Martin A. Pessink
Chief of Police
Pittsburg Police Department

Noon Saturday Update

• State is in full gear with response to impact areas.
• No news yet on re-entry to coastal yet. The priority is search and rescue as well as supplies to affected areas. They have worked with fuel producers so they can get folks back in.
• I updated the Tyler emergency ops center with our shelter status and they have not asked for further assistance.
• The rain and winds that we are receiving now is what the National Weather Service has told us to expect through tomorrow. There have already been tree/limbs down in the County and a few in the City. Crews are working to clear that now.
• If some are reading the forecasts from the national weather service and concerned because Camp is listed in the header don’t be, these are all of the counties in the Shreveport reporting area. The most severe weather will be sustained about 100 miles south of here and then east into LA. There will be stronger winds around the Longview and Marshall areas. I know there are still concerns about Tornados locally. This IS NOT predicted for our area.

Martin A. Pessink
Chief of Police
Pittsburg Police Department

Rita's Path

Rita's projected path (and time-table) have changed considerably in the past 24 hours.

Friday night update

• Weather predictions for our area have not changed
• The State already has search and rescue teams pre deployed to the Astrodome to respond to the impact area. Food, water, ice etc will be en route to the impact zone Saturday
• Task force of TXDOT-DPS-Ntl Guard, and DOD will be deployed Saturday morning to clear roadways
• The State has coordinated with the gasoline producers to ensure supplies are available for reentry

LOCAL

• Evacuees are in shelters at Emmanuel, First Baptist and the Methodist Church. Other churches are supporting these as well as other volunteers. If there are evacuees that need shelter please tell people to coordinate that with me. We have had some instances of people working outside the system and not associated with the shelters here trying to send evacuees in when we already had folks on the way and this causes problems.
• At 9pm I called Mt. Pleasant PD and was told there was still space available there as well. MPPD is point of contact 903-575-4004
• Again, although the weather is supposed to be moderate for our area we will continue to monitor the situation.

Martin A. Pessink
Chief of Police
Pittsburg Police Department

Friday Afternoon Update

IT APPEARS WE HAVE BEEN SPARED FROM THE SEVERE WEATHER

Rainfall Predictions for our area

• Friday 7pm to Saturday 7pm 1-2 Inches
• Saturday 7pm to Sunday 7pm 1-2 Inches

Winds

• Tonight 10-20 mph gusts to 30mph
• Saturday Same
• Potential for minor tree damage

Most of the severe weather will be far east of us and into Louisiana if the storm stays on the current track. We will stay on top of this and monitor any changes

LOCAL SHELTERING

• There are 58 people in Emmanuel Church this is their care capacity
• There are 31 people in First Baptist this is their care capacity
• First United Methodist Church is in the process of setting up a shelter at their location for 20 and will probably get someone.
• At this time there are no local shelters selected for opening.

STATE

• Everything is staged for a response to the impact area.
• The State is still working on getting folks out of the impact zone
• Evacuees have been airlifted to point as far as El Paso, Lubbock, and Amarillo
• The primary afternoon report was weather as they have response activities underway and needed to get back to these.

Martin A. Pessink
Chief of Police
Pittsburg Police Department

Mid-Friday Update

• Rita is still on track for landfall at the upper Texas Coast, Jefferson County/Beaumont area. The storm will track northward up Hwy 69 corridor and begin slowing on this inland path. It will track towards Lufkin and the slightly east and stalling short of the Tyler/Longview area. Areas west of Interstate 45 have been taken out of the severe weather area.
• I called national Weather in Shreveport for our forecast. Tropical wind watches for south of the Interstate 20 area, not Tyler/Longview but more towards Lufkin. Here if the storm stalls ESE of us as predicted, rainfall will begin tomorrow mid afternoon with occasional showers before then. Expect 2-4” of rain for Saturday. Another 2-4” of rain Saturday night through Sunday. This is a good sign and the rain that we need. There is still a flash flood possibility. If the storm stalls then we can expect more rain and heavier accumulations for Monday and Tuesday. SUSTAINED WINDS- sat. morning 15-20 mph with gusts 35-40, Late afternoon and evening 20-30mph and dropping off during the night. Tornados are only expected on the far eastern areas of the State and not here if we remain on the left side of the storm.
• I will be on another conference with weather service this afternoon as well as State EOC updates.
• City, County, Fire, EMS, and School Officials met this morning to go over final preparations.
• Emmanuel is full with 58 people, city staff will be serving supper tonight.
• First Baptist is set up and may be receiving overflow from Lufkin today as well as any self evacuees coming in.
• FUMC is still ready to set up if needed, I have asked the state to let us know if that is need before we do so.

Again, thanks to everyone for your efforts in all of this. More later


Martin A. Pessink
Chief of Police
Pittsburg Police Department

Radio for News & Updates

Local (Mt. Pleasant) Radio stations:  97.7 and 96.9
105.7 in Longview also does a good job of reporting updates.

WSJ Storm News Tracker

The Wall Street Journal is offering its Storm News Tracker for free.

Storm Track as of 4 am

It looks like the forecast for Rita includes more slowing and a slight jog to the east from Camp County. Of course all this is only educated speculation.

Late Thursday Update

The weather reaching us here may not be as severe as they first predicted.

• We may see some relief from the first predictions of severe weather. National weather service Shreveport.


• Friday Night wind NE 10-15


• Saturday Winds picking up 15-20 mph in the morning, 30-35 by Saturday afternoon gusts to 55, Saturday night 35-40 mph gusts 50-55


• Sunday still windy but no predicted estimates yet


• Rain beginning Saturday with trace amounts in the morning and picking up in the afternoon. Up to an inch of rain which can be exceed by isolated thunder storms. Rain throughout Saturday night. The storm will have stalled south of us by now and there will be sustained rainfall up and until Monday or longer. Total accumulations are now predicted at 4-6 inches instead of the earlier 8-12 inches. We can still see localized flooding in low lying areas.


• The land fall prediction for Rita at the coast has moved further east to the Jefferson County, Beaumont area in this will cause an earlier inland stall.There are 58 people in the Emmanuel Shelter. First Baptist will be ready in the Morning if needed. The state has not directed anyone here, we have been receiving self evacuees and they may be more. Busses were directed from Lufkin to Tyler tonight.

Martin A. Pessink
Chief of Police
Pittsburg Police Department

Evening Rita Update

State Call

• Not able to get a weather update, the call was dominated by Houston area as there are stranded vehicles blocking the highways (IH45 and 59) they are out of fuel and they need water to these folks. Houston wants military assets sent to take care of the situation. State has already been refueling vehicles and providing aid and are sending more resources to address the problem.


• Next update from the State at 10:30 tonight

Local Efforts

• Emmanuel has received evacuees and is expected to be at capacity soon.


• First Baptist Church is setting up as the First overflow site and are preparing


• First United Methodist is the second overflow and is preparing


• In addition there are shelters open in the immediate area to assist as well


• South Jefferson Baptist Church primary and overflow sites being developed. Contact point for Mt. Pleasant will be the Mount Pleasant Police Department.


• Maude Cobb is up and running in Longview and is a red cross facility


• The alert academy has 400 spaces available in Upshur County. Camp Gilmont and First United Methodist were making preparations.


• Texarkana Shelter open


• I had each advised to evaluate needs for supplies and such and notify if they need assistance. At this time no requests have been made. I do know that there are no cots and such available from the State right now and in each area this will be a local effort.


• Currently all of the evacuees coming in have been self-evacuees, they have their own transportation.


• Our local motels are full as well as the Bed and Breakfasts. I have not checked the State parks as they are out of our area of responsibility. The Fire Chief in Mt. Pleasant called and told me their motels were full as well.


• We have received or will receive evacuees at ETMC as well as Pittsburg nursing center.

 FUEL PROBLEMS HAVE SURFACED
There are a lot of people making runs on the local gas stations and it is causing shortages. The shortages are not because there was not or is not any fuel available but because of the number of people buying gas. Brookshire’s had to shut down, other stations are still up but may have some problems with re-supply as their regularly scheduled trucks may not be in until the first of next week. A few have told us that they will be getting re-supply tonight. May be a good idea to call before you go.
 This weekend may be hectic but now is the time for calm resolve and not panic. There are a lot of people working on a local level to ensure that the needs of this community are met and we need the support and cooperation of everyone here.
 A big THANKS goes out to all of you working the shelters and making preparation.
 Martin A. Pessink
Chief of Police
Pittsburg Police Department

How to Shelter-in-Place

Before I spoke of sheltering in place in the event of a larges storm. Here are some guidelines from the Red Cross. Pleas pass this information along. Given the circumstances sheltering in place at home is probably the best option we have right now.
How to Shelter-in-Place
At Home:

• Close and lock all windows and exterior doors.


• If you are told there is danger of explosion, close the window shades, blinds, or curtains.


• Turn off all fans, heating and air conditioning systems.


• Close the fireplace damper.


• Get your family disaster supplies kit and make sure the radio is working.


• Go to an interior room without windows that's above ground level.


• Bring your pets with you, and be sure to bring additional food and water supplies for them.


• It is ideal to have a hard-wired telephone in the room you select. Call your emergency contact and have the phone available if you need to report a life-threatening condition. Cellular telephone equipment may be overwhelmed or damaged during an emergency.


• Keep listening to your radio or television until you are told all is safe or you are told to evacuate. Local officials may call for evacuation in specific areas at greatest risk in your community.

http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/beprepared/shelterinplace.html
 Martin A. Pessink
Chief of Police
Pittsburg Police Department

Rita Update

Summary of this morning’s conference plus local update

• Yes, Rita does appear to be on a path this way.


• Tropical storm winds to hit the coast Friday 10 am


• Hurricane landfall into Jefferson and Chambers Counties Saturday between 5:30 and 10:00 am


• Shreveport weather service said that Rita will remain a category one storm up and into Lufkin and will move into Longview by midnight Saturday night and then into Pittsburg by 7am Sunday morning as a tropical storm. There will be 50-60 MPH winds along the Interstate 20 corridor areas north of that can expect 30-40 MPH winds with stronger gusts. One prediction had 3-5” of rain while the next had 8-12” rain in our area with possibilities for more from Saturday until early Monday morning.


• This means possible flooding and trees down. The City and County are prepared to deal with these issues and have resources in place to do so.

 Locally

• I have received calls regarding local tornado shelters, EVERYONE NEEDS TO SHELTER IN PLACE, that means stay at home and be prepared with water, food, medications, etc. If a severe storm strikes we will come to those in need of aid. There is no one safe place for folks to go to. There is also no place to evacuate to since the shelters are filling up and hotels are full up to Oklahoma and Arkansas due to Katrina and now Rita.


• We should not panic over the threat of this weather, this type of thing has occurred before and we will respond to as planned.


• The shelter at Emmanuel will be full by this afternoon. Pastors, we may need to start putting folks into the other sites as discussed, I will be in contact.


• The local motels are full, the Bed and Breakfasts are full, and traffic is still coming through.


• Longview has reopened their shelter; there is still room in Winnsboro. We do not know what Mt. Pleasant will be doing yet.


• If any evacuees show up needing shelter I need to be contacted, we are registering folks as part of the emergency contact protocol and assessing individual needs.

Martin A. Pessink
Chief of Police
Pittsburg Police Department

ETMC receiving Evacuated Patients

Jerry Massey reports that the ETMC hospital system, at least as far north as Pittsburg, has been receiving patients evacuated from further south. Be praying for these people, their families, and the health care workers who will be serving them.

Keep Praying

From this map it looks like Rita will be HERE in Pittsburg Sunday morning. I confess I had other things planned for that time. At least praying was already on my agenda.

Memorandum on Rita from Bo Pilgrim

September 22, 2005


TO: All Partners of Pilgrim’s Pride
FROM: Bo, O.B., Clint and All Executive Management
SUBJECT: Storm Rita

Texas Governor Rick Perry called me on my cell phone yesterday to discuss the worst category 5 monster/hurricane storm which is headed toward Texas and what we can do to be prepared.

Our conclusion was that we should turn to our Lord and Savior in prayer because this storm appears to be beyond man’s capacity to quiet or manage.

Therefore, O.B., Clint and I and all the executive management are declaring a state of emergency here in our Texas operations and surrounding states.

Citing the storm Rita as an emergency and the help of the Lord and prayer as the most effective resource to deal with the crisis:

• Please read first Proverbs 24:10 (Good News Bible)


• Jonah 1:1-17, 2:1-10, 3:1-10 (GNB)


• Mark 4:35-41 (GNB)


• We are asking for a time of prayer throughout the company


• Thursday 3:00 pm Central Time


• Friday 3:00 pm Central Time


• Saturday 10:00 am Central Time


• Sunday 11:00 am Central Time

God we need your help. Please intervene, bless and protect Pilgrim’s Pride, bless our partners, growers and all their families and any and all effected, regardless of their location or residence, by Hurricane Rita.

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Hanson - Sewell Center Open House Rescheduled

Because of the oncoming Hurricane, the open house at NTCC's Hanson - Sewell Center in Pittsburg has been postponed from this Sunday to next Sunday (October 2) at 2 p.m.

Wednesday Night Update

Currently there is an evacuation under way of 1.5 million people off the Texas bay coast area.

• DPS Troopers will be going to every identified special needs facility in the impact zone to make sure they have been evacuated.


• The State will move every available State vehicle to the Houston area tomorrow.


• The Impact zone has shifted East to the Freeport area. This will put much of the damaging winds and flooding into the Houston/Galveston area and there is a lot of devastation to these areas predicted if land fall is in this zone.


• Even though there have been contrary reports by the National Media, the National Weather service report at this time is that Rita will make landfall as a category five hurricane. The State is calling it a “Strong Category Five” now with sustained winds at 175 mph. The eye wall diameter has been modeled to be 130 miles in diameter. There are hurricane force winds predicted for areas as far inland as Brian/College Station. Tropical storm winds will affect an area up to 370 miles wide.


• Storm surge possibilities in the impact area are projected to be 20 -25 feet.


• 8-12” rain predicted for the Upper Texas coast.


• 5-10” rain for East Texas


• Category F4 and F5 Tornados can spin off the Hurricane


• The hub shelter areas are filling and there are still people trying to get out. Evacuation will take place up and until impact.We need to individually be prepared for severe weather. Check your emergency preparedness kit, food, water, medicines, radio batteries etc.

 
Martin A. Pessink
Chief of Police
Pittsburg Police Department

Afternoon Rita Update

This afternoon’s call:

• Hurricane upgraded to category five. From the reports this will be an unprecedented event and the largest Hurricane to hit the coast if it keeps growing. In the Houston area there is a 20+ foot surge expected in the bays. This storm surge will be at the 10+ foot range on the far east and west reaches of the Texas coast line. The storm surge is expected Friday ahead of the main body.
• The Hurricane is expected to produce an eye wall that will be between 70-90 miles wide and will be producing sustained winds in excess of 195 mph. Everything within the eye wall is expected to be destroyed.
• They are still trying to evacuate special needs folks (hospitals, nursing homes, State hospitals, correctional facilities). A valiant effort is under way and there will more than likely be helicopter evacuations involved tomorrow. The Texas Department of Health services representative came in to town today and told me that Pittsburg Nursing Center is already expecting to receive from sister facilities. The South Wind assisted living center (Old Moore’s nursing home) was asked to sign a memorandum of understanding so they could help as well.
• The bulk of this afternoons call was the coordination of transportation, evacuation routes etc on the gulf coast.
• Here locally, the City and County are communicating and coordinating efforts in anticipation of a severe weather event that may strike our area.
• To reiterate an earlier post. The Division of Emergency management in Tyler does know that we still have a shelter standing ready at Emmanuel church. In addition I have notified them of the other sites designated in our emergency plan. I have contacted the ministerial staff at each of the churches listed on the plan and made them aware of the situation. I have recommended to the state that we utilize the shelter at Emmanuel first and the others only if needed so that we may better support the situation. We already have folks in the area or will have that are self-evacuating. Most of these will be staying with family, there are ten self evacuees heading towards the Emmanuel shelter.
• There is no need at this time for supplies or donations of goods, please do not take anything to the shelter site or other locations in town.

Martin A. Pessink
Chief of Police
Pittsburg Police Department

Latest on Texas' Preparation for Rita

Here’s the summary from this morning’s call plus subsequent preparations. I will also be trying to set up a meeting with representatives of identified shelter sites sometime this afternoon.

• Mandatory evacuation is in process for Galveston and Brazoria Counties. Special needs facilities (Nursing homes, hospitals, state schools, correctional facilities etc) began the process yesterday.
• Federal resources (FEMA) are in place along with the State in planning and response capabilities.
• Main Shelter Hubs have been opened in Lufkin, Austin, Huntsville, Bryan/College Station, and San Antonio. Other over flow sites are being identified and are supposed to be announced later today.
• Although the evacuees from Louisiana have been transferred from the major shelters there are still approx 375,000 out of state evacuees in Texas. These folks are in hotel/motels and housing.
• At 10 am the eye of the Hurricane was 755 miles ESE of Corpus Christi and moving in a westerly direction with sustained winds of 140 mph. Rita is a category four and expected to increase to a category five before landfall. The model predicts wind and rain bands extending 140 to 200 miles from the eye of the storm. Rita is expected to make a northerly turn and landfall between Beaumont and Corpus Christi.

• Tropical storm winds are expected on the coast as early as 10 am Friday with the Hurricane making land fall early on Saturday morning. This will result in heavy rains and possible tornado activity across much of the State and we can expect heavy rains and wind here as well. If we get several inches of rain quickly here, we can expect some localized flooding and high winds can produce power outages.

What are we doing locally?

• We are preparing a local governmental response in the event of severe weather.
• I have notified the Tyler DPS Division of Emergency Management of our sheltering capabilities and am awaiting further instruction.
• I will be meeting with local shelter contacts so we can prepare.
• We are trying to locate areas where we can house pets besides the Vet Clinic and Agg. Building as evacuees have been allowed to bring their pets when they evacuate.

I can not say when or even if we will see evacuees coming into town. We should be prepared to do so as well as be prepared to deal with severe weather on a local basis. As I know more I will pass it along. The next conference call is at 4:30 this afternoon followed by one at 10:30pm. I will try to post afterwards.
Martin A. Pessink
Chief of Police
Pittsburg Police Department

Kid's Soccer Coach Needed

Pittsburg Youth Soccer Association needs a coach for 6 & 7 year olds (mixed boys & girls) Games are Monday nights. The season lasts about 7 seven weeks, usually one practice a week – decided by the coach. No experience necessary. Main objective – a good time for the kids. Contact Christian Yantis for info (work)903-856-6525, (cell) 903 -855-6525.

Continued needs at Winnsboro shelter

Dayne Redding, a leader from the Winnsboro shelter, has expressed a big need for help with feeding & security for evacuees (they have about 22 now). Their biggest need for food help is on Wednesday nights when churches are off doing there own thing.

If you might be able to help with security - they need a male and female to work 8 hour shifts - give Dayne Redding a call at 903-342-3862. This is not "be a big guy and carry a gun security.

Rita Evacuation Update

Summary From the 10am conference call

• Tropical storm winds are predicted to arrive on the Texas Coast Friday AM hours
• Rita is being plotted as a category 4 Hurricane and the current model predictions show landfall on the Texas coast somewhere between Beaumont and Corpus Christi during the AM hours Saturday
• The hurricane will not only cause significant storm damage if it makes landfall but will also produce severe flooding in the Houston metro area as well as the Texas hill country.
• The State is at a Level one Emergency Response Level (Highest) and allocating the State’s fullest resources to deal with this situation. Search and rescue personnel have been recalled from the Katrina sites and the State is staging relief supplies to be directed to the Texas coast. By noon Thursday a complete logistical network will be in place.
• Today there will be an emergency pre-disaster proclamation from the Governor and an official request for the same from the President.
• There is a process under way to airlift Katrina evacuees from Houston, San Antonio and other areas to military bases out of state. There is a quick movement to reduce the number of out of state evacuees to make room for Texas residents.
• Special needs individuals ( Nursing home, hospitals etc.) are being evacuated now to nursing homes and other medical facilities in other areas such as Austin, Dallas/Ft. Worth etc.
• The State is procuring busses and other means of transportation to take care of those who do not have their own means of travel.
• As for sheltering, as David pointed out before there is a tried and true method for hurricane evacuations and pre-determined routes. That is one reason Katrina evacuees are being moved as they are in these shelter sites. On the conference call I heard Huntsville was already set up as were other South east Texas shelters out of the storm impact area.

I am waiting on a call from David Abernathy and will send another update soon there after.
Martin A. Pessink
Chief of Police
Pittsburg Police Department

Camp County Responds to Rita

   Rita is growing.  The latest information from the State Operations Center is for Rita to dramatically increase to a potentially catastrophic category 4 or 5 hurricane (5 is the highest on the scale - massive damage).  Further, it has a high probability of striking the Texas Coast by Saturday.
    The 1,700 responders from Texas (state agency personnel and national guard aircraft) currently in Louisiana are being recalled to Texas.
    Evacuations from the impacted areas will be inevitable.  Due to the timelines associated with evacuating thousands of people, this will no doubt be in high gear by Wednesday. 
    If the storm continues on its predicted path, Camp County will likely receive evacuees from the Texas Coast.  We are in an unprecedented situation, considering that we have about 400,000 evacuees already in the state from Hurricane Katrina.  This is a serious situation as a great number of motels/hotels are full with Katrina evacuees awaiting temporary housing in rental properties.
    I have spoken with Mrs. Hawkins about our Shelter and Mass-Care Annex (Attached).  I have spoken, or left messages, with local officials about this situation.  
    I have been called to the State Operations Center in Austin to help with the preparations for the state's response.  I will have to leave this afternoon.  I will be available via cell phone (903.856.8030), e-mail and telephone at 512-424-2208 (ask for the Texas Forest Service desk) while there.  I will remain in contact with our local officials by these means, and will be providing updates to all of you via e-mail.  In my absence, Pittsburg Police Chief Martin Pessink will fill in for me.  He can be reached at 903-856-7201 or 856-3330.  Please copy me in on all e-mail correspondence.
 -DavidDavid AbernathyFire ChiefCity of PittsburgEmergency Management CoordinatorCamp County / City of Pittsburg

Tropical Storm Rita

As we discussed several times, we are still very much in the Hurricane Season. Tropical Storm Rita is expected to strengthen and many of the forecast models are indicating that it will strike the Texas Coast, at Hurricane-level. The model that the State of Texas is looking at will make landfall somewhere between Galveston and Houston on Saturday AM, but it is still very early to determine anything exact. To plan for that area, however, would be prudent, given the time required for evacuations.

The State of Texas Emergency Management Council and State Operations Center, of the Governor's Division of Emergency Management, will be fully operational beginning tomorrow, September 20, at 8:00 AM. The Texas Forest Service's Incident Management Team is being recalled from Louisiana where they will transition their current role over to the Louisiana National Guard.

Local entities along the coast are being advised to begin making plans and taking action. Their Emergency Management Plans will guide their operations. Should their be a need for assistance from state and federal agencies, and/or from local government entities from outside of the affected areas, THIS WILL BE COORDINATED THROUGH THE GOVERNOR'S DIVISION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, THROUGH A TRIED AND TRUE SYSTEM.

I will keep you informed on what I learn. You can help by continuing to monitor the National Weather Service television and Internet reports on this storm. WE ALL KNOW TOO WELL HOW RUMOR MILLS CAN GENERATE REPORTS. TOGETHER, WE CAN HELP KEEP THE FACTS IN THE FOREFRONT.

-David Abernathy
Fire ChiefCity of PittsburgEmergency Management Coordinator
Camp County / City of Pittsburg

Update on Shelter Needs

SHELTERING INFO
It is the intent for all shelters (other than those operated by the American Red Cross - ARC) to be closed very soon and the evacuees placed in either motels, hotels, or temporary housing (rental property or apartments). The state of Texas and the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced yesterday that funding was being released for ALL evacuees of Hurricane Katrina to immediately receive $2,000.00 in federal assistance, plus free transportation to anyplace in the nation. The transportation is to all them to re-locate with family, friends, or just re-locate to another area. Many have already taken advantage of this. Additionally, until the temporary housing can be acquired, or the evacuees can return to their own communities, the federal government will pay for their lodging in hotels/motels. For the latter to occur, a host city or county government will confirm and authorize the payment. The $2,000.00 can be used for anything the evacuees choose - fuel, meals, clothing, etc.

The process can be done easily by registering via a toll-free number or on-line. There are 29,000 telephone operators on duty now, with that number growing to 49,000 by this weekend. Some folks, with a direct deposit account set up at a local bank, have received their money in less than 24 hours of registering. Shelters are being closed across the state on a daily basis as the evacuees are taking advantage of the above-mentioned opportunities.

The American Red Cross shelters (all support functions are furnished by the ARC) will be closing after the other shelters have been closed. Census counts in practically all shelters are lowering.

LOCALLY
Locally, some of us met at the Emmanuel Church yesterday afternoon. The shelter accommodations there will remain intact for a while longer. It must be remembered that we are still in hurricane season and potentially evacuations could be associated with another storm. There are four tropical systems in place right now. I just completed a conference call, which included a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, and the current models show for Ophelia to have a really low percentage to come into the Gulf. However, there is a system currently in the western Gulf. It doesn't have much structure but will remain in place for some time to come. The NWS will be monitoring all of these systems very closely.

Thanks so much for your concern and efforts. Once again, Camp County is much better prepared than we were. More of our community is understanding that a plan is in place and that it is structured along the same pattern as those of all other jurisdictions in the state.

WILDFIRE DANGER
On another note, after we conferred about the local drought situation, County Judge Combest issued a Ban on Outdoor Burning beginning today for an indefinite period. Wildfires are becoming difficult to control and, according to fire behavior specialists with the Texas Forest Service, we are as dry now as we have been all summer. Local and state fire personnel fought a wildfire east of Pittsburg on Monday for over five hours. Another fire occurred north of Pittsburg while that one was on-going. The vegetation and ground moisture are so dry that root systems are burning deep into the ground making extinguishment difficult and a lengthy process.

-David Abernathy
Fire Chief
City of Pittsburg

Update from David Abernathy

Search and Rescue Teams are being demobilized today.  The efforts will shift to "recovery" and Department of Defense teams will be in charge of this gruesome task.
 
FEMA is to make a decision very soon (could be this evening) about a direct billing account to be established for motels that are housing evacuees.  I have made contact with a state employee that is sitting next to the FEMA rep and he is to call me as soon at this information is confirmed.
 
I have attached information on hiring evacuees and food bank information. 
 
Shelters in the region are taking volunteer workers.  There will be an orientation process and possibly a background check.  Our nearest occupied shelters are in Longview, Texarkana and Sulphur Springs.
 
PLEASE NOTE:  It is imperative that I be kept in-the-loop on activities associated with anything that might be associated with the relief effort, if it involves, or could involve, the Emergency Management System.  The shelter that has been established at the Emmanuel Baptist Church is in the database as being capable of receiving 50 people.  The State Operations Center and FEMA have this information.  If there is any expectation of recouping costs associated with this effort, I need to have knowledge of it.  I continue to receive information second-hand and third-hand.  I hope you understand that it is difficult to work that way.
 
Officials are worried about another tropical storm striking the Gulf.  If it should come into the Texas coast, some of those evacuees (and/or Texas citizens fleeing) may need to come to our shelter.  Remember, we are just reaching the peak of Hurricane season.
 
Thanks again for your compassion and support.  With the planning and your efforts that have already taken place, Camp County and Pittsburg will be far better off in the event a local disaster should occur.  I am proud of each one of you.
 
-DavidDavid AbernathyFire ChiefCity of PittsburgEmergency Management CoordinatorCamp County / City of Pittsburg903.856.6392 (Administration)903.856.2097 (Direct)903.856.2187 (Fax)

Shelter in Winnsboro

They have opened the Winnsboro Shelter in the old nursing home at 402 S. Chestnut Street.

The phone numbers are:  903-342-3496 or 903-342-3862.

They need volunteers for shifts to answer the phones, etc.
They would like any counselors who can volunteer some time to them.
They would also like nurses, health care people, for blood pressure checks, etc.

Volunteers Needed Friday in New Boston Shelter

Tapp Memorial UMC in New Boston is looking for volunteers for Friday.

They need 5 per shift from 9 am - 7pm.  It would be a 4 hour shift per
group.

If you can help out, call Linda King on her cell at 903-277-0908 or call Jeff Hastings at 903-628-2381.

Ministry Opportunities

Here is some information on available ministry sites.

Trinity Baptist Church in Mt. Pleasant is feeding evacuees. Their number is (903) 572-1959
Wesley United Methodist Church in Sulphur Springs is hosting evacuees and needs volunteers. You can sign up online at their website.
In New Boston, First Baptist Church (903-628-2531) and Tapp United Methodist Church (903-628-2381) are both hosting evacuees. Westside Missionary Baptist (903-628-3526) is feeding evacuees.

I will post other opportunities as I learn of them. If you know of more, please leave the information in the comments.

Update from David Abernathy - Stand Down (for now)

 I just completed a conference call with state and federal officials.  Apparently, the in-flow to Texas has tapered significantly.  Texas is providing shelters to 70,000+ individuals, with many more that are not in shelters but are being assisted in some way (meals, travel expenses, etc.).  There are 172 shelters opened in Texas, some of which have never received any evacuees.
 
    On today's call we were told that Texas will not be receiving any more bus loads of evacuees from Louisiana, and no aircraft are scheduled, in-bound for Texas, in the immediate future.
 
    There is still a significant sheltering capacity in many of the shelters that are currently occupied, and as stated above, some had never received any evacuees.  Therefore, the Governor's Division of Emergency Management told the entities with shelters (statewide), who had never received any evacuees, that they could shut down.  Locally, Texarkana has additional capacity now for a few hundred.  The number sheltered in Sulphur Springs has decreased as well, and they now have additional capacity. 
 
    It was also stated that there are individuals in motels or staying with relatives or other families that might need support of one type or another (meals, transportation, lodging, jobs, etc.).  Locally, this is the situation in Pittsburg and Mt. Pleasant.  Additionally, there could potentially still be some evacuees arriving by personal vehicle or "rogue bus," as the term has been applied.  With this in mind, I would recommend that we leave everything in place in Pittsburg for at least the remainder of this week and then re-evaluate the situation.  I will be receiving additional reports daily from the state level.
 
    A toll free number is now up for evacuees to register themselves (to let family and friends know their status) or for those individuals looking for evacuees.  It is 877-568-3317.
 
    Universally accepted debit cards are being finalized by the US Treasury Department.  These will be issued to evacuees to cover expenses.  Details on this will be forthcoming, hopefully by tomorrow.
 
    In addition, the federal government has a contract travel agency in place that evacuees can call for ground, rail or air travel arrangements to take them to relatives or friends virtually anywhere they need to go.  This will be referred to as "Self-Evacuation."  Access will be via a toll free number that will be released later today.  I will pass this along as soon as I receive it.

Revised Press Release

The Camp County / City of Pittsburg Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has activated our Emergency Management Plan which involves Sheltering and Mass-Care Support for receiving evacuees from Hurricane Katrina.  City and County officials, Pittsburg Independent School District, Camp County Chamber of Commerce, local Churches, Camp County Emergency Medical Service, Camp Shiloh Lutheran Retreat, and local business leaders have met and made plans to receive up to fifty victims into the Emmanuel Baptist Church Grace Building, in Pittsburg.  

The local OEM has contacted the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management (GDEM) to make them aware of the shelter being available.  GDEM will divert evacuees to Pittsburg as the need arises.  When this occurs, the entire community will be needed to support this effort.

Texas has received approximately 62,000 evacuees into shelters across the state.  Other states are receiving evacuees as well.

An account called “The Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund” has been established at Pilgrim Bank in Pittsburg for monetary donations to assist relief efforts at a local level.  Monetary donations are requested in lieu of material items.  This will allow shelter managers to purchase exactly what is needed and not have to devote efforts and personnel to sorting and finding places to store items that may not be applicable to this effort.  Balances left over from what is required locally will be forwarded to the national relief effort.

If you wish to volunteer or assist locally in these efforts, it will be beneficial to coordinate this through your local church, business or organization instead of multiple individual calls.  For additional information you may contact the Emmanuel Baptist Church at (903)856-3508.

Texas Information

Here's a paragraph from Chief Pessink's report:

If you are interested in the daily situation reports from the Texas Division of Emergency Management their web site is http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/click the link "Texas Situation Reports". (These reports are in pdf format so you'll need the (free) adobe acrobat reader to read them.

Some have asked why allow only 50 people, we could put them up in abandoned schools and other buildings or camps. The main reason is because we can not muster the man power, volunteer or otherwise, to care for these sites. We could not expect for example to draw security personnel from surrounding communities because they are having to deal with the same situation as we are.

The local effort has gone through the proper channels to abide by the emergency operations plan, this allows us to draw resources from the State and Federal governments. Had we done other wise we would have been burdened with a long term operation that the Local community would have to bear.

If we receive evacuees we want this to be as short a time as possible that they will need to stay in the shelter. To accomplish this we will need jobs for those able to work, housing for those who will stay, transportation. The state is allowing children to enroll in school as homeless (school supplies have already been taken care of), there is an opportunity for the realtors and/or rental property owners to help as well as the car dealers.

Some promising sites?

Here are a couple of sites that sound promising. I know nothing about the people involved, so proceed with caution.

Hurricane Housing
Share Your Home

There are lots of people offering help. There are likely also many out there trying to make a quick buck. Pray alot and seek discernment.

Meal Schedule

Here's the preliminary plan for feeding the evacuees:

Breakfast: Emmanuel will provide cereal.
Lunch: Sandwich fixings
Dinner: Groups around town will be responsible for a different day of the week.

Monday - Shiloh Lutheran Retreat Center
Tuesday - First Baptist Church
Wednesday - Emmanuel Baptist Church
Thursday - First United Methodist Church
Friday - unknown
Saturday - unknown
Sunday - Eileen Jesmore will be coordinating area restaurants

If your group can help out, drop us a message. Emmanuel Baptist can also use monetary support for the breakfast and lunch items.

CAMP COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TEAM PRESS RELEASE

The Camp County Emergency Management Team has made preparations to accept up to fifty Hurricane Katrina evacuees. As this number may seem small we hope that this is a start. With accumulative efforts of the Pittsburg Police Department, City of Pittsburg, Pittsburg Independent School District, Camp County Sheriff’s Department, Camp County Emergency Medical Services, Camp County Chamber of Commerce, Emmanuel Baptist Church, First Baptist Church, First United Methodist Church, Camp Shiloh Lutheran Retreat and local business leaders, efforts were made to organize receipt of these victims into the Emmanuel Baptist Church Grace Building.

An account has been established at Pilgrim Bank in Pittsburg for monetary donations to assist relief efforts at a local level. Donations may be made to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund.

If you wish to volunteer or assist in these efforts, you may contact your local church or the Pittsburg Police Department. Please visit pittsburgcares.blogspot.com for current information, updates and needs for victims.

Current Needs

Since the people we will be sheltering have not arrived yet, we don't know the precise needs yet. Emmanuel Baptist appears to have the beds they'll need. Other needs will be posted here as we learn them.

In the meantime, a special account - "Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund" - has been set up at Pilgrim bank to help with expenses. All of us in Pittsburg are in this together.

Emmanuel Baptist to host PIttsburg Shelter

Emmanuel Baptist Church will be the host site for the Pittsburg shelter. Other churches and organizations around town will be helping out by providing resources and people.