Galveston Island's Long Term Community Recovery Committee

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Recovering from Hurricane Ike

At 2:10 a.m. Sept. 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike made landfall on the east end of Galveston Island, leaving behind the damage of 100 mph winds and a storm surge estimated between 17 and 20 feet. More than 75 percent of Galveston Island was left severely damaged. As a result, the city has initiated a Longterm Recovery Committee. This web site will provide regular updates from the committee, as well as information to help with your personal recovery from the storm.

Need assistance? Case managment services? Housing? Help with home repairs? Furniture or household items? Click Here

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Recovery Project Updates from Chair Betty Massey

Click here to read Ms. Massey's memo 10-22-09

Click here to read Ms. Massey's memo 10-20-09

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Recovery Project Update from Chair Betty Massey - Aug. 25, 2009

Click here to read Ms. Massey's memo

Next Recovery Committee Meeting - Formal Project Update

WHEN: Monday, Oct. 5, 2009

6:00 p.m.

WHERE: Ashton Villa

2328 Broadway

Revival & Reflections: Ike Anniversary Activities (updated 8-17-09)

September 8 - 13, 2009

Not since the Great 1900 Storm has Galveston suffered as much destruction and devastation as when Hurricane Ike roared ashore during the early-morning hours of Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008. And once again, Galveston has demonstrated that its citizens’ enviable spirit, dedication and determination to regroup and rebuild – still thrives. To showcase this island community’s incredible resiliency and progress just one year after Hurricane Ike, a series of “Revival and Reflections” events will take place beginning Tuesday, Sept. 8 on the 109th anniversary of the Great 1900 Storm and continue through Sunday, Sept. 13, as Galvestonians, friends, visitors and supporters come together to celebrate “Revival and Reflections… Marking the first anniversary of Hurricane Ike, September 8-13, Galveston Island, Texas.”

Click here for the schedule of Ike Anniversary activities and further information.

Click here to see the Ike Anniversary poster.

Galveston Housing Authority Master Planning Events

July 28, 2009

Plan to participate in these public events:

On-site Design Studio
Tuesday, July 28 and Thursday, July 30

5:30 PM, Oleander Homes Community Room, 5228 Broadway

Public Presentation
Tuesday, August 4

6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., Island Community Center, 4700 Broadway, Suite D100

For more information, click here.

Clean, Green and Smart Galveston

Everyone who is interested in further development of a sustainable clean-up initiative, please join representatives from Clean Galveston, GAIN, and City staff at Moody Mansion on July 30th at 8:00 a.m. for a kick-off meeting. For more information, click here.

Galveston Trees - Update

July 25, 2009

Late this week, FEMA granted the City of Galveston a six month extension for debris removal work, including the removal of trees killed by Ike’s salty storm surge. The City now has until March 13, 2010, to complete these activities. City officials have adjusted the tree removal program and appeals process in light of the new deadline.

For more information, click here.

Update: Memorandum from Chair Betty Massey - June 16, 2009

Click here to read Ms. Massey's memo

Click here for information about RISE Disaster Case Management Services - July 14, 2009

Update: Island Recovery Next Steps - updated May 17, 2009

May 8, 2009 Memo from Chair Betty Massey

Thank you again for all your good work, but, as we have said all along, we are not done! I have been meeting almost daily with Steve LeBlanc to lay out concrete next steps for many of the recovery projects. Right now we are focusing on Phase I Housing projects and on identifying those projects that are destined to become the responsibility of other entities and organizations. When you review the timeline detailed below, I think it will be clear why we need this initial focus. Here is the May schedule:

1. At the May 14th City Council meeting, Steve and I are recommending the following actions:

a. The authorization for staff to develop either a job description or an RFQ for a

Recovery Manager.

b. The approval for action of several of the recovery projects that are to be forwarded to

entities and organizations other than the City of Galveston…for example the

“Galveston Promise” going to the P16 Council; the “Vocational Technical Center” going

to Galveston College, etc.

Action Taken: Council Hands off 19 Recovery Projects

Click here to see the project list and organizations they are assigned to.

City staff will continue to develop the remaining recovery projects in conjunction with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) recovery fund programs and upcoming council budget workshops.

c. The request that the GCRC plan a Hurricane Ike one year anniversary commemoration event on behalf of the City of Galveston.

2. On May 21st Council will workshop the Phase I Housing projects. The City is issuing an RFP seeking a company to manage the massive housing projects. The Housing RFP includes immediate action on the Housing Needs Assessment and the development of infill guidelines; two recovery projects that are particularly time sensitive. Representatives from the Housing work group and project teams will meet with City staff to review the projects on Monday.

3. On May 28th Council will be asked for action on Phase I Housing projects. These are projects funded from the first round of CDBG disaster monies and the application absolutely has to be completed on May 29th.

4. Brandon Wade is working on the RFP for Infrastructure and non-housing project management. That application deadline has been extended to June 28th. Brandon will be briefing the Infrastructure and any other appropriate work groups and project teams in late May or early June.

City of Galveston Hurricane Preparedness Town Hall Meeting

WHEN: Wednesday, June 3, 2009

6:00 p.m.

WHERE: Galveston Island Convention Center

5600 Seawall Boulevard

Like in year’s past, exhibits will open to the public at 6:00 p.m. that evening. Elected officials, National Weather Service personnel, and representatives from the State of Texas’ Division of Emergency Management will make informative presentations. The evening will also include a community Q&A session. Free hot dogs, cake, and drinks will be provided that evening to all attendees.

Information on hurricane preparedness is currently available on the City of Galveston’s website, www.cityofgalveston.org.

Hurricane Ike One-Year Anniversary Event Planning

Memo from Recovery Committee Chair Betty Massey

May 21, 2009

At last Thursday’s meeting, City Council asked the Recovery Committee to plan an event or series of events to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Ike. I would like to invite any of you interested in participating on that work group to a meeting.

WHEN: Thursday, June 4, 2009, 4 p.m.

WHERE: Moody Mansion, 2618 Broadway

We will need to post that as a Recovery Committee meeting, but it would be helpful to have an RSVP. Thanks for considering taking on this additional responsibility. Please RSVP to k.nelms@northenendowment.org

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Island Recovery Next Steps: City Council to Meet in May

April 23, 2009

The Galveston City Council concluded their review of the 42-project Long-Term Recovery Plan presented by the Galveston Community Recovery Committee on April 23.

At their next regular meeting, Thursday, May 14th, the City Council will select a workshop date to further discuss, analyze, and evaluate Galveston’s Long-term Recovery Plan. In the mean time, City staff will meet the with team leaders from the Galveston Community Recovery Committee to further define the next steps for each of the projects. Additionally, the Planning Department will create a matrix of information to be used as a decision-making tool in the deliberation process.

“There is an opportunity to keep citizens engaged in the projects,” stated Betty Massey, Galveston Community Recovery Chairwoman. “There needs to be a dialogue between City staff and community members before the Council reviews the matrix.”

City Manager Steve LeBlanc concurred with Massey’s suggestion and thanked the committee for their hard work. He noted, “I’m very impressed with the caliber of the committee’s work.” “We will honor the committee’s requests, the champions will continue to be involved in the process, and all projects will move forward.”

Roadmap to Recovery: City Council Unanimously Accepts 42-Project Community Recovery Plan (Updated April 15)

The Galveston City Council unanimously voted to accept the Galveston Community Recovery Committee’s 42-project long-term recovery plan on April 9. The Council held a workshop on Friday, April 17th and the plan was discussed in greater detail.

More than 300 Galvestonians spent 6,000 hours creating a 42-project plan to jump-start Galveston's recovery from Hurricane Ike. Click here to read the plan. (Please note, this is a very large document and it may take several minutes for the file to completely download.)

Click here to read Chair Betty Massey's remarks to City Council as she presented the document on April 9th.

Official Workshop Agenda April 17 (posted 4/16/09)

Memo from GCRC Chair Betty Massey 4/16/09

Memo from GCRC Chair Betty Massey 4/14/09

Recovery Committee's Presentation to Council (Posted April 9)

The Galveston Recovery Committee presented its 42-project proposal to Galveston City Council on THURSDAY, APRIL 9th at 5:30 p.m., at City Hall.

Click here to Chair Betty Massey's remarks to City Council as she presented the document.

PROPOSED PROJECTS UPDATE - APRIL 8, 2009

Recovery Projects Ranked

Recovery Projects Ranked by Sector

April 9th - City Council Meeting Notes from Betty Massey

Click here for an Explanation of Priority Ranking

Click here for NEXT STEPS

GALVESTON COMMUNITY RECOVERY COMMITTEE PRESENTED PROPOSED PROJECTS AT OPEN HOUSE, SATURDAY, MARCH 28th

On Saturday, March 28, the Galveston Community Recovery Committee hosted an open house and presented to the community a 42-project plan created to propel Galveston on its road to recovery. These projects are the result of almost four months of meetings, surveys, public forums, research, and input from the community as to what should – and must be done – to further Galveston’s recovery following Hurricane “Ike”, and to ensure that Galveston and its citizens be better prepared for the next hurricane.

At the open house, project team leaders wer available at each booth to answer questions and to discuss their project and its role in Galveston’s recovery/redevelopment. Each project was presented in a “Science-Fair” format – i.e. tables were positioned around the perimeter of the cafeteria. Comment cards were available for each project and the public was encouraged to provide input. Each comment card is being reviewed by the GCRC chairman, Betty Massey, as well as individual project leader(s) and will be incorporated into the Committee’s final project presentation that will be made to City Council on April 9th.

Click here for Project Summaries.

Click here for Project Drafts Part I.

Click here for Project Drafts Part II.

Click here for Project Drafts Part III.

Click here for Project Drafts Part IV.

Click here for Project Drafts Part V.

Explained GCRC chair person Betty Massey: "The Galveston Community Recovery Committee has been working for several months to develop a vision, goals and projects that will move Galveston along the road to full recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Ike. The committee quickly agreed that it was not good enough to develop a plan that returned this community to the same place it was on September 10th. These projects demonstrate that commitment to a better Galveston."

The forty-two proposed projects and team leaders are:

Downtown Redevelopment Plan - Barbara Crews
East End Lagoon Nature Park -Mort Voller
BusinessIncubator/Bio Tech Committee -Jeff Sjostrom
Galveston Business Incubator - Jayson Levy
Port Expansion Committee - Bernie Curran
Seawall development master plan - Jeri Kinnear
Casino gambling feasibility study - Barney Rapp
Tourism Master Plan Committee - Maureen Patton
Sustainable Neighborhoods - Shirlyn Thomas
Galveston National Register Historic District - Dwayne Jones
Historic Preservation Partnership GHA/GHF Committee - Margaret Doran and Cornelia Harris Banks
Elevation Design Guidelines - Dwayne Jones
Facade Restoration Program - Dwayne Jones
Preservation/Conservation Institute Committee - Mardi Mitchell
Housing Market Study -Ray Lewis
Housing Rehabilitation/Infill Program Committee - Shane McDermott, Ray Lewis and Chula Sanchez, Sally Abston
Rent-to-Own/Work-to-Own Homes - Ray Lewis
Emergency Operation Center -Carol Holloway
Sanitary Sewer Improvements -Bill Hand
Stormwater Master Drainage Plan Implementation - Brenda Lee
Hazard Mitigation Plan - Carol Holloway
Multi-modal Thoroughfares, Bridges Committee - Lesley Sommer
Take a Seat Committee Cindy - Roberts Gray
Water Systems Improvements - Mike Shriner
Ike Dike Committee - Marty Bilek
Galveston Levee System - Bill Kiene
Desalination Plant Committee - John Machol/Wayne O’Quin
Galveston Houston Rail Committee - Adrienne and Michael Culpepper
Pedestrian/Bike Trails (Stroll & Roll) - John Koloen and Terry Conrad
Smart Street Design Guidelines - David Casale
Underground Utilities Committee - Justin Owens
Health Impact Needs Assessment - Ellie Hanley
Community Learning Center - Sheila Lidstone
Sports and Arts Complex - Johnny Smecca
Vocational-Technical Center - Myles Shelton
Galveston Promise Committee - Bowen Loftin
UTMB Public Information Project Committee - Ellie Hanley
Clean Green & Smart Galveston Project Committee - Sheryl Rozier
Habitat Eco System Restoration Committee - Karla Klay
West Galveston Bay Preserve Committee - Alice Ann O’Donnell and Norma Rubin
Land Use Policy Revisions Committee - Bill Broussard
Beautification Plan Committee - Susanne Sullivan

After the public has reviewed the proposed projects and completed their comment cards, a special “thank you” gift will be given to each attendee. The Texas Forestry Service and the National Arbor Day Foundation, in conjunction with the City of Galveston, are providing tree seedlings, approximately 18”-24” in size. This gift is part of a larger effort to reforest Galveston and includes planting of oak trees that same day throughout the city. For more information, contact Betty Massey at 409-765-9770 or visit the Recovery Committee website at www.recoverygalveston.org or the City of Galveston’s website at www.cityofgalveston.org.

The open house is free to the public and all Galveston residents and property owners are encouraged to attend. Ball High School is located at 41st & Avenue O.

This open house will be the final public meeting prior to the projects being presented to City Council.

On going development of the Island's recovery plan

WHAT:	Galveston's Community Recovery Committee ON GOING DEVELOPMENT OF THE ISLAND'S RECOVERY PLAN
WHEN:	Monday, February 2nd Monday, February 9th Monday, February 16th Monday, February 23rd Monday, March 2nd Monday, March 23rd Monday, March 30th - tentative All workshops are from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m at the Galveston Island Convention Center, 5600 Seawall Blvd. COMMUNITY MEETING Saturday, March 28th 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Ball High School Cafeteria 41st Street and Avenue O WORKSHOP POSTINGS & HANDOUTS Monday, February 2nd- Workshop I - Visioning Official agenda February 2 Meeting Agenda February 2 Visioning Introduction Visioning Worksheet Open House Survey Reports Open House Survey Response Total Workgroup Topic Areas Ideas Workshop Org Chart - Final Meeting Schedule Post-It Notes Goals Monday, February 9th - Workshop II - Goals Official Agenda February 9 Meeting Agenda February 9 DRAFT - Vision Goals Worksheet Ideas from Open Houses Ideas from Open Houses - Sorted DRAFT of committee vision statements MEMO from LTRC Chair Betty Massey Recovery Plan Goals February 9 Workshop Notes - Updated Monday, February 16th - Workshop III - Project Identification Official Agenda February 16 Meeting Agenda February 16 Worksheet I - Criteria Worksheet II - Project Identification Example - Plans Focus Area Goals Monday, February 23rd - Workshop IV Agenda Top Five Projects Parking Lot Projects Texas A & M Coastal Atlas Monday, March 2nd - Workshop V Agenda Aligned Projects Meeting Follow-up Memo #1 Project Teams List - Preliminary Project Development Guide & Template Meeting Follow Up Memo #2 - IMPORTANT! Project Team List - March 5 All project groups should continue to work with their FEMA ESF 14 liaison to complete descriptions by the deadline. Please note: all GCRC group leaders may not be included on Project Team List. If you have not been assigned to a project team, please contact recovery@cityofgalveston.org Project Deadlines: Reminder from LTRC Chair Betty Massey - March 11 Friday, March 13, Noon - Project descriptions should be e-mailed to recovery@cityofgalveston.org Note about project graphics: Please forward any graphics or photographs you wish to have included in the final project description format. 1 – 2 per project are encouraged; but not more than 5. A jpg format is best. If you have any questions, please e-mail recovery@cityofgalveston.org March 16 Memo from LTRC Chair Betty Massey - Important! Thursday, March 19, Noon – Project text from project team due to recovery@cityofgalveston.org Friday, March 20 – Completed projects distributed to committee (print your own copy for the next workshop) Monday, March 23rd - Workshop VI Meeting Agenda March 23 MEMO from GCRC Betty Massey Monday, March 30th – Workshop VII - tentative
WHERE:	Galveston Island Convention Center 5600 Seawall Boulevard
DETAILS:	The public is encouraged to attend and participate in the process. For workgroup topics, please click here
For more information, please contact the Office of the City Secretary at (409) 797-3510.

Things Are Going Swimmingly: Beach Patrol Lifts Swimming Ban

from Galveston’s West End Beaches

March 11, 2009

Today the Galveston Island Beach Patrol officially lifted the advisory against swimming on Galveston’s west end. In the last six weeks, debris removal crews have made remarkable progress clearing items left behind by Ike from the Island’s western gulf shoreline.

Additionally, some of the pre-Ike hazards, such as old house posts, have also been removed. Swimmers, surfers, fishermen, and beachgoers visiting the Island can now safely enter the water anywhere from the San Luis Pass to the west end of the Seawall.

Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas officially lifted the order that previously prohibited access to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico in front of Galveston’s Seawall back in October 2008.

Standard safety warnings and advisories are still in effect.

Stay over 100 feet from piers and jetties. Remember there may not yet be signage in place warning of the dangers.
Remember there may be submerged obstacles or dropoffs. Wear protective footwear when swimming and don’t dive in head first. Be alert to sudden changes in water depth in unusual areas.
Check the Galveston County Health District’s website to monitor daily water quality and related advisories.
When surfing, remember to be cautious of submerged obstacles, particularly near the rock jetties.

Regents resolve to rebuild UTMB on the island

Read the account from the March 11, 2009 edition of the Galveston Daily News

Galveston County Recovery Guide - Revised 5/13/09

Galveston County Disaster Assistance Recovery Guide

The purpose of this is to offer information for both survivors and assistance workers after Hurricane Ike. It lists information on many assistance programs and agencies along with services provided. Updates and verification will be on-going.

Galveston Business Recovery Fund - 5/12/09

This Recovery Fund provides low interest loans to viable businesses that were located in Galveston prior to Ike.

Click here for more information about the fund.

Click here for an application.

Click here for a news release.

Convention and Visitor's Bureau - List of Venues Open for Business - March 25

Click here for the most recent list of venues open in Galveston

Galveston County Restore and Rebuild - updated 5/11/09

Helps Rebuild Homes and Lives after Ike

Read about this organization, who they assist and how - in English.

Read about this organization, who they assist and how - in Vietnamese.

Help Improve Disaster Planning

JRegistry to Share Your Experiences

The USA Center for Rural Public Health Preparedness at the School of Rural Public Health at Texas A&M Health Science Center is creating a registry of individuals who were affected by Hurricane Ike.

Registry participants will be contacted over the next five years for activities and research studies to learn about their Hurricane Ike evacuation, sheltering and recovery experiences.

Registry results will be used to help improve planning for and response to future natural disasters. If you are interested in joining the registry please visit www.rural-preparedness.org/hiker.

Citizens Packed the Convention Center

for First Recovery Committee Meeting

Betty Massey chaired a meeting of more than 300 citizens on January 15, 2009 at the Galveston Island Convention Center to discuss the process that the Galveston Community Recovery Committee will follow during the next several months.