BELL COUNTY, Texas — More than a week after severe storms and tornadoes tore through Bell County, County Judge David Blackburn said they have moved from responding to the immediate needs to now addressing recovery needs, a phase that Bell County will be in for some time going forward.
"Patience and diligence are going to be the words of the day for the next several days and weeks as we go forward following this event," Blackburn said.
Blackburn provided an update on the county's response to the storms and also answered questions from local media at the Bell County Courthouse on Thursday, May 30. Blackburn said they are still collecting and assessing property damages, but he believes that property damage to both private and public property will be in the millions of dollars.
Blackburn also described the amount of brush, from damaged trees and other vegetation, as "unprecedented." He said that based on the equipment and manpower Bell County currently has, it's estimated that it will take about six months to clear it.
"I will be the first to say that that is not acceptable," Blackburn added. "We are currently working with the state and federal agencies to bring more resources to Bell County to help with debris and brush removal. I'm optimistic that within the next few days, we will have substantially more resources on hand and we'll be able to bring that six months time estimate down dramatically."
The county judge told 6 News that so far there have been 205 truckloads of debris and brush that have been hauled off to a location in the county for disposal. Blackburn said the county is looking into working with some contractors to leverage the resources of both pickup and disposal of the debris and brush. He added that some Bell County cities may piggyback off the additional resources.
Blackburn also took the time to share some information about FEMA, now that the agency has officially issued an individual assistance declaration for Bell County.
"FEMA will be the sole agency determining eligibility, as well as any level of assistance that might be offered -- that will not be a state function, or a county function or a city function," Blackburn said. "FEMA individuals that we've talked to stress using the online services as opposed to the in-person services."
Bell County could potentially also be included in the public assistance category by FEMA, but Blackburn said $1.7 million worth of eligible damages needs to be reported. He encourages Bell County property and business owners to fill out the iSTAT Damage Survey.
There is a hotline with Crisis Cleanup that's been set up to match people with needs to organizations that can help meet those needs. That number is 512-201-4814.
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