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Lakewood rebuilding begins
  
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By JOSH HARDWICK
On this day a month ago there were few in the area who were concerned about Hurricane Ike, which at the time seemed to be zeroing in on Texas’ southern coast near Corpus Christi.
Of course, Ike had other plans.
Residents of Baytown’s devastated Lakewood subdivision took the first steps toward restoring their neighborhood the night of Oct. 6, in a meeting with city officials intended to shed some light on the long recovery process ahead.
There was applause from the audience as Baytown Mayor Stephen DonCarlos congratulated his employees for working hard to restore essential city functions in Ike’s immediate aftermath, even when many lines of communication were unavailable.
DonCarlos agreed with many others who said that Ike’s impact on the city eclipsed that of even Hurricane Alicia, which struck roughly the same area as a Category 3 hurricane in 1983.
At last estimate, officials said 80 single-family homes and 850 multi-family units in Baytown were destroyed by the storm. Ike also left behind over 1 million cubic yards of debris in the form of downed trees, power lines and building materials that city contractors will spend at least the next month picking up.
“Thank you for your patience and spirit. Most of you have never had to deal with something like this before, but your response was light years ahead of other cities,” said DonCarlos. “I have never been more proud.”
However, the mayor also pledged to make improvements in Baytown’s disaster response plan, particularly in the way it communicates messages to the public amidst large-scale power outages.
Although the city claims to have submitted several advisories and news releases to broadcast stations after the storm, much of the news never made it to the airwaves, said DonCarlos.
“We will work to get information to you better,” he said.
Discussions turned from an evaluation of the city’s response to its efforts to streamline the recovery process.
At the last meeting of city council, several ordinances were passed to protect citizens as they go about repairs and reconstruction.
One such ordinance requires that contractors working within the city limits purchase a permit that designates them as a credible operation.
The ordinance was passed amid reports that the storm’s aftermath had attracted hundreds of fly-by-night contractors from outside the state of Texas, many of whom often demand payment in advance for services their clients never receive.
DonCarlos warned residents looking to make speedy roof or home repairs to request a copy of this permit from their contractor before allowing them to work on their home.
“If there are crooks working in the city, we want to know who they are and where we can find them,” he said.
Displaced residents who wish to live on their property while home repairs are made can now purchase special permits that will allow them to live out of a trailer or recreational vehicle.
The permits, which cost $50 per property, are good for six months and can be renewed for up to 18 months.
However, City Manager Gary Brumback insisted that the ordinance will be flexible in deference to residents whose recovery efforts may take longer, so long as they seem to be making a legitimate effort to rebuild.
“We’re not going to come on that 61st day and throw you out. We just don’t want to start a trailer park,” he said. “We want to work with you, not make things more difficult than they are.”
Rebuilding could very well be problematic for homeowners along Burnett Street in Lakewood, where storm surges pushed as much as five feet of water into houses situated along the bay.
City engineers have determined that any homes that suffered, “substantial damages” in excess of 50 percent of their total cost will have to be raised to meet current specifications for the flood plain in that area.
City Engineer Kevin Byal said that floor plans for such homes must be raised at least 18 inches above the flood plain in their area, which for much of the devastated Lakewood area is 12 to 18 feet.
Properties in some areas will also be unable to simply use fill dirt to raise their elevations, said Byal, which will leave some owners with the much more expensive option of raising their homes upon piers or pilings.
The cost for raising a house onto piers can range anywhere from $160 to $200 per square foot.
However, Brumback assured residents that the city would work to keep them informed of whatever new regulations they may face as they go about rebuilding.
“We’re going to be as accommodating and reasonable as possible with those that truly want to rebuild. We hope that everyone has the ability to recreate Lakewood and we want to be part of the solution, not the problem,” he said.
Updated flood plain and zoning maps are available on the City of Baytown’s website at www.baytown.org
Of course, Ike had other plans.
Residents of Baytown’s devastated Lakewood subdivision took the first steps toward restoring their neighborhood the night of Oct. 6, in a meeting with city officials intended to shed some light on the long recovery process ahead.
There was applause from the audience as Baytown Mayor Stephen DonCarlos congratulated his employees for working hard to restore essential city functions in Ike’s immediate aftermath, even when many lines of communication were unavailable.
DonCarlos agreed with many others who said that Ike’s impact on the city eclipsed that of even Hurricane Alicia, which struck roughly the same area as a Category 3 hurricane in 1983.
At last estimate, officials said 80 single-family homes and 850 multi-family units in Baytown were destroyed by the storm. Ike also left behind over 1 million cubic yards of debris in the form of downed trees, power lines and building materials that city contractors will spend at least the next month picking up.
“Thank you for your patience and spirit. Most of you have never had to deal with something like this before, but your response was light years ahead of other cities,” said DonCarlos. “I have never been more proud.”
However, the mayor also pledged to make improvements in Baytown’s disaster response plan, particularly in the way it communicates messages to the public amidst large-scale power outages.
Although the city claims to have submitted several advisories and news releases to broadcast stations after the storm, much of the news never made it to the airwaves, said DonCarlos.
“We will work to get information to you better,” he said.
Discussions turned from an evaluation of the city’s response to its efforts to streamline the recovery process.
At the last meeting of city council, several ordinances were passed to protect citizens as they go about repairs and reconstruction.
One such ordinance requires that contractors working within the city limits purchase a permit that designates them as a credible operation.
The ordinance was passed amid reports that the storm’s aftermath had attracted hundreds of fly-by-night contractors from outside the state of Texas, many of whom often demand payment in advance for services their clients never receive.
DonCarlos warned residents looking to make speedy roof or home repairs to request a copy of this permit from their contractor before allowing them to work on their home.
“If there are crooks working in the city, we want to know who they are and where we can find them,” he said.
Displaced residents who wish to live on their property while home repairs are made can now purchase special permits that will allow them to live out of a trailer or recreational vehicle.
The permits, which cost $50 per property, are good for six months and can be renewed for up to 18 months.
However, City Manager Gary Brumback insisted that the ordinance will be flexible in deference to residents whose recovery efforts may take longer, so long as they seem to be making a legitimate effort to rebuild.
“We’re not going to come on that 61st day and throw you out. We just don’t want to start a trailer park,” he said. “We want to work with you, not make things more difficult than they are.”
Rebuilding could very well be problematic for homeowners along Burnett Street in Lakewood, where storm surges pushed as much as five feet of water into houses situated along the bay.
City engineers have determined that any homes that suffered, “substantial damages” in excess of 50 percent of their total cost will have to be raised to meet current specifications for the flood plain in that area.
City Engineer Kevin Byal said that floor plans for such homes must be raised at least 18 inches above the flood plain in their area, which for much of the devastated Lakewood area is 12 to 18 feet.
Properties in some areas will also be unable to simply use fill dirt to raise their elevations, said Byal, which will leave some owners with the much more expensive option of raising their homes upon piers or pilings.
The cost for raising a house onto piers can range anywhere from $160 to $200 per square foot.
However, Brumback assured residents that the city would work to keep them informed of whatever new regulations they may face as they go about rebuilding.
“We’re going to be as accommodating and reasonable as possible with those that truly want to rebuild. We hope that everyone has the ability to recreate Lakewood and we want to be part of the solution, not the problem,” he said.
Updated flood plain and zoning maps are available on the City of Baytown’s website at www.baytown.org
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