News & Events

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For Immediate Distribution  |  February 25, 2021  |  (512) 463-1826

Governor Abbott, TDEM Launch Call Center To Assist Texans
With Texas Individual Assistance Reporting Tool

Governor Greg Abbott today announced that the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), with the assistance of the Texas Military Department, launched a call center to assist Texans, who have limited or no internet access, with completing the State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT). Texans can call 844-844-3089 between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM seven days a week to submit their disaster damage information. This call center is specifically for Texans who are unable to submit information through the online iSTAT tool. 

If needed, a state emergency management professional will visit impacted homes to collect photos and documentation of damage for the validation process. 

Texans are urged to fill out the iSTAT, either online or over the phone if internet access is limited, to help the state identify damages across Texas and help emergency management officials gain an understanding of damages that occurred during the recent severe winter weather event. This data is also needed to provide information to FEMA and highlight the need for federal disaster assistance for individuals. 

“The information gleaned from the iSTAT will help us advocate for the support and assistance our communities need to recover from the winter storm,” said Governor Abbott. “This call center is available to help Texans without internet access complete this crucial survey.” 

Visit http://damage.tdem.texas.gov to fill out the iSTAT.

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SouthWest Water Company

2/19 Update – Keeping You Updated Regarding the Freeze

We appreciate your engagement as we work to restore water to our customers throughout Texas. Our field operators and office personnel are your neighbors and are experiencing similar circumstances as you, so we understand. They are working around the clock to the best of their ability to visit our sites throughout the whole state. Again, we appreciate your patience. We are trying to keep our website updated, so we appreciate you commenting and bringing attention to your neighborhood. We are updating based on your feedback. We are also reaching out to our Area Supervisors to keep them updated. They are inundated with requests so they are working through them the best they can.

We are fortunate to have utility experts around the country that we are bringing to Texas to support our field operators in this state of emergency. We do not have all the answers now, as our systems throughout the state were impacted differently. Some areas have water, but water pipes have broken due to the freezing temperatures; so our teams must sort through broken pipes, low pressure, and “no water at all” calls.

We understand you want water, and you want it now. There is not much we could say or do at this point to appease everyone. We are trying our best and utilizing every resource to get all our customers back in water. We see your comments and private messages, and we are reaching out to area supervisors with status updates from your comments. This all takes time, and we are doing what is most crucial, getting the information we see directly to our field teams.

We are not just hanging our hat on “unprecedented times” and “we are in a state of emergency.” Rather, we have mobilized our teams from across the country to support our operations and customers. We appreciate our California and Alabama teams for handling customer calls and sending operators to Texas, as our Texas teams were without power and water themselves for majority of the week trying to figure out how to both help you and stay safe.

Please utilize our Facebook for a means to relay information – neighborhood or area without water, questions about boil water notices (with or without water), brown water due to the water being stagnant in the pipes all week with sediment, and so on. This way, our personnel can immediately notify the area supervisors. We will continue to private message those with questions.

Thank you, we are in this together. #TexasStrong

For updates on your neighborhood, visit the link here.

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SouthWest Water Company

2/18 Update – Keeping You Updated Regarding the Freeze

We acknowledge the frustration that you, our customers, are feeling due to water outages, boil water events, and the limited information on specific system status we’re able to provide. Unfortunately, the extended cold temperatures and frequent power outages have created circumstances making it very difficult to provide service, including:

• Restricted access to facilities:  In many of our areas, icy road conditions persist making it difficult, if not impossible to get out operators on site.  
• Frozen wells, pipes, and tanks:  When power goes out our freeze protection does not work resulting in frozen pipes and equipment.  
• Generator issues:  The cold weather has caused fuel to “gel” and not flow or generators have run out of fuel because road conditions have prevented access. 
• Rolling blackouts:  Even when power is restored to all or part of a community, we may not have power at the well or the treatment plant, which may be located outside the restored area. 

Regardless, we are working to thaw our systems, repair breaks, secure reliable power from electricity suppliers or auxiliary power sources, and find ways to get to inaccessible facilities, among other things, in order to restore your water and/or wastewater services as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, our systems are impacted across all of Texas; and we do not have the ability to provide alternate water supplies via water tanker or bottled water for events of this scale. Out of an abundance of caution, we have issued Boil Water Notices for many of our systems in order to protect customers – it is not lost on us that it can be difficult or impossible to boil water if you do not have power or water.  For greater clarity, a Boil Water Notice does not mean you will have water at that time.  Know that we are making every effort to restore service on a continuous basis.  Also know that we will be crediting customers for the base fee on a prorated basis for outages longer than 24 hours.  Once we get services restored, we will begin that process without you needing to call to ask

.Thank you for your patience as we work to restore these services you want and need.

For updates on your neighborhood, visit the link here.

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Update: 5 PM – 2/16/2021

Charmaine and Galahad Dams will remain open tonight (Tuesday, February 16, 2021). We are not supposed to get precipitation until the early hours tomorrow. The crew is out spreading sand on the dams and on key areas where we have had the most problems. The back gate will also remain open.

It will be freezing once again tonight and there are still patches of ice that have not melted.

PLEASE USE EXTREME CAUTION AS YOU TRAVEL THE ROADS AND MOST EXPECIALLY AS YOU GO ACROSS THE DAMS.

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The City of Ivanhoe has reopened gates
at Charmaine Dam, and Galahad Dam.

The City of Ivanhoe has reopened gates at Charmaine Dam, and Galahad Dam. Camelot Dam remains closed to traffic due to ice. Travel is possible on the back side of Lake Camelot using Lakeview Circle and Lake Camelot Circle. There are locations on streets that are very treacherous and may not thaw out today. The roadway conditions across Charmaine and Galahad Dam will be evaluated this afternoon and notice will be posted if the dams will be closed to traffic overnight Tuesday. Tolar Road access is currently open and will remain open in the event the dams are closed this evening. Travel continues to be risky due to the patchy ice and residents are urged to delay travel unless necessary.

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TEXAS DEPT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
8:57 AM – 2/16/2021

STATEWIDE CURRENT SITUATION: Texas continues experiencing large numbers of rolling power outages across the state to help reduce the burden on the power grid. Currently there are more than 3.1 million customers without power in Texas.

On February 15, Governor Abbott announced that the State of Texas is deploying maximum resources to local officials throughout the state to respond to severe winter weather and to restore power to our communities. State agencies are sending resources and personnel to help local officials clear roadways and to assist essential workers, such as healthcare professionals and power grid workers, in carrying out their essential duties.

Furthermore, Governor Abbott and the Texas Military Department have deployed the National Guard across Texas to conduct welfare checks and to assist local authorities in transitioning Texans in need to one of the 135 local warming centers that the state has helped establish across Texas.

On Sunday, Governor Abbott sought and received a waiver from the U.S. Department of Energy that allows Texas power generators to increase production. Unfortunately, some of those generators are unable to increase production at this time because their operations have been frozen by weather conditions. They are working to get their power production back on line.

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 ATTENTION!!

We are going to be closing Charmaine, Galahad
and Camelot dams at 5:15 PM.

The conditions have worsened and it is beyond our capbility to maintain the safety of our residents. If someone were to skid off the side of one of the dams and into the water we could not rescue them in time. 

Also, we cannot risk the safety of our Public Works crew.

Anyone who finds themselves outside of Ivanhoe and not able to get home in time will have to either walk the rest of the way home or arrange for someone to pick them up at the other side of the dam.

PLEASE PLAN ON STAYING IN THE SAFETY OF YOUR HOME. THE FORECAST NOW IS FOR A LOW OF 4 DEGREES BY TOMORROW MORNING.  

PLEASE CHECK THIS WEBSITE OR THE CITY FACEBOOK PAGE FOR UPDATES, ON WHEN THE DAMS WILL REOPEN.

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PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
CITY OF IVANHOE
TEXAS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM

The City of Ivanhoe will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. on Monday, January 26, 2021, at the Ivanhoe Civic Hall, located at 870 Charmaine Drive East, Woodville, Texas, regarding the submission of an application to the Texas Department of Agriculture for a Texas Community Development Block Grant Program (TxCDBG) grant.

The purpose of this meeting is to allow citizens an opportunity to discuss the citizen participation plan, the development of local housing and community development needs, the amount of TxCDBG funding available, all eligible TxCDBG activities, and the use of past TxCDBG funds. The City encourages citizens to participate in the development of this TxCDBG application and to make their views known at this public hearing. Citizens unable to attend this meeting may submit their views and proposals to C.D. Woodrome at cityofivanhoe@gmail.com. 

Persons with disabilities that wish to attend this meeting should contact City Hall to arrange for assistance.  Individuals who require auxiliary aids or services for this meeting should contact the City at least two days before the meeting so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Para obtener información en español, póngase en contacto con C.D. Woodrome al 409-283-3299 o envíe un correo electrónico a: Cityofivanhoe@gmail.com.