With the punishing storm Thursday May 16, many in our community have a road ahead of recovery. There are many resources publicly available, information for which has been provided by City/County/Federal officials — here is a collection of this information for your reference, should it be helpful to you:
Home Repair/Permitting:
The Permitting Center and Planning Department are expediting permitting and plan review to help our community repair property without further delay. The expedited permits include: weatherheads for restoring power, roof repairs for re-roofing or overlays, and MEP (minor structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) repairs.
Customers should submit their applications through iPermits and contact Permitting to provide their eight-digit project number and project address. Permitting can be reached at 832-394-8899.
It’s important for residents to know that not all structural repairs require permits, including:
- Tarping
- Replacing wooden and metal fences less than 8-feet-high.
- Painting, replacing tiles, cabinets, counter tops and similar finishing work.
- Replacing drywall or sheetrock that is not part of fire-rated assembly and does not exceed an aggregate of 100 square feet.
- Replacing exterior wood fascia, trim and soffits that do not exceed an aggregate of 128 square feet.
- Roof covering that does not exceed an aggregate of 100 square feet.
Please note the Lazybrook Civic Club’s Architectural committee does not need to review anything for fence repairs/replacements, roofing material selection, or replacement and/or repainting of damaged existing brick or siding. Our restrictions in Lazybrook primarily govern the story/height of buildings, building location and property use, and material selection of exterior facades.
Debris Removal and Solid Waste Collection:
The Solid Waste Department remains hard at work, managing debris removal citywide. They deployed over 60 trucks staring last week to service an estimated 1 million cubic yards of storm debris. Please help ensure a smooth storm debris collection, as the department cannot service unseparated debris.
Debris serviced should be separated as follows:
- Vegetative debris (leaves, logs, plants, branches)
- Construction and demolition debris (materials, drywall, furniture, lumber, plumbing, mattresses)
- Appliances and white goods (air conditioners, refrigerators, dishwashers)
- Electronics (computers, radios, televisions)
- Household hazardous waste (cleaning supplies, batteries, lawn chemicals, paints)
Please be patient with the crews as they are passing through your neighborhood. The department may operate heavy machinery to remove debris. Please know Solid Waste anticipates conducting multiple passes of neighborhoods to clear all debris, but you can also bring your debris to any of the 6 city depositories. You can also report storm debris by filing a 311 report; visit houstontx.gov/311
Federal Help & Resources:
Harris County residents can now apply for individual assistance from FEMA.
- Visit DisasterAssistance.gov or download the FEMA smartphone application at www.fema.gov
- Call 1-800-621-3362 (TTY: 800-462-7585) or 1-800-621-3362 for Video Relay Service
In the wake of disaster, property damage and lost resources takes a toll. When applying for federal assistance, accurately and thoroughly documenting the damage is critical to receiving the assistance you need. Take plenty of photos and videos, as well as file a claim with your insurance company immediately.
Federal Assistance Options
- FEMA Assistance – This weather event is a federally declared disaster. You can now apply for Federal Disaster Assistance with FEMA. For more information, visit: http://fema.gov/disaster/4781
- SBA Loans – The US Small Business Administration offers low-interest disaster loans to residents in major disaster areas. You do not need to own a business to apply. You can apply online, or visit an SBA Business Resource Center in Houston for in-person assistance. Apply here: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance
- IHP Assistance – Under the Individual and Households Program, FEMA may provide those eligible with financial and/or direct assistance to address housing-related needs. You can apply: Online, at https://www.disasterassistance.gov/ or Phone, by calling 1-800-621-3362
Property Tax Update:
The Texas Tax Code allows a qualified property that is at least 15 percent damaged by a disaster in a governor-declared disaster area to receive a temporary exemption of a portion of the appraised value of the property. Qualified property includes real property such as homes and buildings, certain manufactured homes and tangible personal property used for the production of income for a business.
The property owner must apply for the temporary exemption no later than 105 days after the governor declares a disaster area. Texas Governor Greg Abbott amended the previous declaration naming the county a disaster area on May 20, so the temporary disaster exemption application must be filed no later than September 3, which is extended because of the Labor Day holiday.
The disaster application form can be found online at www.hcad.org under FORMS > ALL FORMS > General Information > Form 50-312, Temporary Exemption for Property Damaged by a Disaster. The form should be mailed to the address in the top left of the form, which is Harris Central Appraisal District, Information and Assistance Division, P.O. Box 922012, Houston, Texas 77292-2012. For further information, contact the HCAD’s information center at 713.957.7800 or by using the web form under ABOUT > CONTACT US > ACCOUNT QUESTIONS.