Travis County Commissioners Court
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 (Agenda)
Item 6
6 consider and take appropriate action, a an order regarding outdoor burning in the unincorporated areas of Travis County.
mr. Lee.
>> good morning, judge, Commissioners.
herschel lee, Travis County fire marshal.
the current ban will expire tomorrow.
our drought index dropped five points with the rain.
we're down to 781.
our weather pattern is changing, but the long-term forecast is calling for a drier than normal and warmer than normal fall and winter.
I've been doing a little bit of reading and I sent a link this morning about just for my own curiosity I wanted to know how much rain we needed.
and some of the meteorologists are saying to get enough rain to end our drought in one month would take 15 to 18 inches in one month.
>> wow.
>> and if we end this drought in six months, it would take 24 to 28 inches.
and short of a couple of tropical depressions, one right behind the other, that probably is not going to happen.
so the long-term forecast is for it to be drier than normal and warmer than normal.
my recommendation today is to consider a new burn ban, and if you do the expiration date will be October 19th.
>> move approval of the recommendation.
>> second.
>> second.
discussion?
all in favor?
that passes by unanimous vote.
b, additional action to address remaining fire issues or cleanup in Travis County.
>> good morning, pete baldwin, Travis County emergency management coordinator.
we continue to work with the residents of spicewood and steiner and we've also made contact with the residents in Pflugerville where we lost two homes to make sure they are getting registered with fema to see what benefits are eligible on that.
we have also been talking about other areas where we might be able to provide some assistance in there and are looking into each and every one of those.
we just wanted to make sure that everyone knows that the -- there are groups out there that are also providing short-term care.
the voad, volunteer organizations active in disasters, that is all a number of of your faith based groups, they have all come together and are providing excellent resources and assistance for those people that have been affected by the fires.
>> questions, comments?
>> also mr. Baldwin, would you just let the folks know that the telephone numbers and whatnot to get to fema.
fema has been posted on the Travis County website.
>> all of the phone numbers and all the assistance sites have been posted on the Travis County website, but the fema registration number in case they have not received it is 1-800-621-3362.
and that is the fema registration number.
>> and now that fema has moved into the field, red cross has moved out, correct?
>> no, they actually work hand in hand.
in fact, red cross is out in the field today handing out a number of what we call cleanup kits.
>> great.
>> and we'll let you -- make sure you know that we do have the n-95, which are the surgical masks available for all residents out there while they are dealing with cleaning up the ashes and the dust and things.
>> thanks for correcting my misperception.
>> are we able to put that information on channel 17?
>> I don't know if this is on 17.
we can certainly provide it to them and get them to run it.
>> I would go ahead and do it.
Commissioner Huber.
>> there may be some confusion about who actually qualifies for fema.
could you elaborate a little on that as far as registering and --
>> we urge everyone to register whether they had insurance or not because even those who were insured may be eligible for some benefits or some assistance from fema.
so we urge everyone to go through the process and to see -- and it is a lengthy process, but you have to register to start the process.
as you go, depending where you fall and insurance and other requirements is to what level of assistance is available.
but we urge everyone to register to see what assistance is available to them.
it's not just for uninsured.
>> and it's not just for structure fires, right?
I mean if you had damage but your home was not destroyed, you should still register.
>> anyone that suffered any type of damage whether it ranged from houses being destroyed to just perhaps some damage to an outbuilding.
we urge everyone to register.
>> thank you.
>> that number again.
>> the number is 1-800-621-3362.
>> thank you.
>> and then also for individuals who need immediate assistance with sort of the social safety net-type things, you know, there's 211.
>> 211 will get you tied in with united way very quickly.
they are also tied into this voad network and so they can find help there.
we've tried to make sure that that information was put out.
the fema disaster -- or community relations team were actually out in the field going house to house making sure everyone knew what resources were available, how to register.
we set up a disaster relief center last Friday and Saturday in spicewood for a day and a half to allow people to come in and visit with fema representatives, sba representatives and register.
and then also we are working to get a disaster relief center set up in the steiner ranch to make sure we've got everyone covered.
>> thanks.
>> anything else on b?
>> no, sir.
>> c, other emergency measures to respond to exceptional brought conditions.
anything from the parks department new and different?
>> I heard some talk about implementing a smoking ban in our parks, but that was not something that we proposed.
I would be in agreement with it.
>> it's something that's being explored with the parks department, our transportation and natural resources and lcra, but it's not quite ready to bring up at this point.
>> the lcra did indicate they would support it.
>> I saw your email about that.
thank you very much.
that lcra would be supportive of our efforts.
in their -- in the properties that they own and we manage.
>> that would be the seven Lake Travis parks.
>> that would have to be on the court's agenda before we implemented it, right?
>> exactly.
>> anything else on c?
thank you all very much.
we'll have an appropriate item on next week.
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