5 TIPS FOR HURRICANE SEASON

Hurricane season officially kicks off each year in June, but as most Houstonians know, the activity we see in our region picks up in August and September. We have compiled 5 useful tips to prepare your family and your home in case a hurricane makes landfall in our area.

1. Make an Emergency Plan

Before a disaster strikes, prepare for what you and your family will do in such an emergency. Ready.gov is a useful resource to start your plan. You can download an emergency communication plan and fill it out with your families’ specific needs including deciding on an emergency meeting place and saving important contact numbers. Store this information in a place that all family members have access and know what to do in case you need to use it.

2. Stock Up

Stock up for your family and furry friends before a storm hits. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recommends having enough supplies to last a minimum of three days. Items like medicine, baby formula and diapers, food and water, pet food and supplies, and a full tank of gas are recommended to be in supply not only for the storm but also for the potential aftermath when supplies may be scarce or limited. For a full list of recommended supplies visit Ready.gov.

3. Find Your Evacuation Route

Keep yourself informed on mandatory or suggested evacuations with your favorite local news source before a storm hits. View the Texas Department of Transportation’s official evacuation route map for more information.

If you decide to shelter in place, but need to evacuate afterwards do your best to tune into the news to understand any potential road closures or updated routes. Your best option may be to find a local shelter. Visit the Houston Office of Emergency Management site for details after the storm or download the FEMA app for a list of shelters.

4. Prepare Your Home

Each storm has a unique footprint. Some are wind events and others bring in large amounts of rain. Either way, you can help minimize damage to your home and surrounding community by doing the following:

• Bring in outdoor plants and furniture
• De-clutter drains and gutters
• Park your vehicles off the street or in a garage
• Tie down trampolines or other large structures that cannot be easily taken indoors
• Unplug electronics to prevent surge-related damage
• Trim trees and shrubs especially if they are close to your home or roof
• Stay tuned to local weather for additional tips based on the type of weather event expected

5. Charge Your Electronics

Keep your cell phone charged when a threat of a hurricane becomes imminent. Power outages will be common and your cell phone could be a lifeline to important information including evacuation notices or directions to the nearest shelter.

In case of a severe weather event that affects your clean drinking water or sewer system, the board approved an emergency communications alert plan earlier this year. All accounts were automatically enrolled in our text message alert system. This will allow us to communicate to you should a power outage prevent you from receiving alerts from our website or via email. An example of an alert is a boil water notice.

Have questions or concerns about Greenwood UD’s emergency text alert communication plan?

Contact us with your concerns. Public comments are taken at the beginning of each monthly meeting held on the third Wednesday at 6:30PM. Check out the schedule if you prefer to make your comments to the board in person.

We hope you will take the time to review the trash survey results and read about the updates to the Wastewater Treatment Plant. We wish you and your families a safe and happy summer.

Greenwood Board of Directors

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Upcoming Meetings

Join us for our monthly meetings on the third Wednesday of each month. Never been to a meeting? Public comments are taken at the beginning. Arrive early and voice your concerns or ask questions about your water, sewer and trash services.

View Schedule

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Trash Collection Survey Results

Last quarter Greenwood UD conducted a survey amongst homeowners and renters in regard to trash collection services.

View The Results

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READ THE LATEST NEWS FROM GREENWOOD UD

Wastewater Treatment Plant Update

As of May, the wastewater treatment plant is on schedule. For a full overview of the progress and pictures visit the latest post.

Read More

OFS SANITATION SURVEY RESULTS

In February, Greenwood UD sent its first quarterly newsletter that contained a survey in regards to the district’s trash collection provider, OFS Sanitation. The results of the survey were discussed at the March monthly meeting, and the board is happy to share the results below.

The general findings of the survey are as follows:

• Residents are most concerned about the cost of services (32%) quickly followed by their own comments which include treatment of personal property (trash cans), timeliness, truck maintenance and heavy trash.
• A majority contend that OFS does not provide a good value for the cost (39%) while 32% of those agree that they do.
• Its reported that that the residents are satisfied with the collection days being Wednesday and Saturday (71%).
• Everyone is either extremely satisfied (25%), satisfied (61%) or has no opinion (14%) on the number of days the trash is collected.
• 61% of all those who answered the survey agree that OFS regularly picks up their trash at scheduled times (7 AM – 7 PM) while 28% disagree.
• When asked if residents feel the OFS vehicles are kept in good repair and sanitary conditions a majority had no opinion (41%) followed by those who disagree with the statement (32%). 25% do agree with the statement.
• With an almost even split between no opinion (36%), disagree (36%) and agree (29%), there is no strong opinion on whether OFS trucks have clear identification and a phone number visible.
• Most people disagree (47%) that OFS picks up trash within 24 hours if there is a delay due to inclement weather or other unforeseen issue.
• Almost half of respondents (47%) do agree that they are satisfied with overall services conducted by OFS.
• Three quarters (75%) of respondents are interested in recycling services. To answer asked by several respondents the current proposal by OFS would not include a bin.
• 82% of respondents are interested in adding a 96 gallon trash bin to their service which would result in a higher fee. It was noted that several respondents thought this would be for recycling, so that is taken into consideration.

Along with the survey, residents were able to add comments which resulted in several common themes. Of concern are collection days, heavy trash pick up, trash can handling, recycling, inconsistent pick up times, trash being left behind, cost of services, and truck maintenance/leaking.

Upon review of the results of the survey and in consideration of all comments from the residents the board decided to request bids from trash companies to investigate how the resident’s services can be best met. This is not a final decision to move services.

Have questions or concerns about trash collection?

Visit the trash faq or contact Greenwood UD with your concerns. Public comments are taken at the beginning of each monthly meeting held on the third Wednesday at 6:30PM. Check out the schedule if you prefer to make your comments to the board in person.