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Recovery Efforts Continue throughout the County
FORT BEND COUNTY, TX –

Power Outages

CenterPoint reports that currently 46,699 or 24% of the entire County is still without power.  The outages range from Stafford with 38% outage, to Missouri City with 32.7% outage, to Meadows Place with 94 customers without power.

POD Locations

Sugar Land POD is now closed due to reduced traffic and will not reopen.

Stafford will continue to run 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Saturday/Sunday.

School Closures

Fort Bend ISD will resume classes on Monday, September 22, 2008

Katy ISD will resume classes on Monday, September 22, 2008

Lamar Consolidated ISD will resume classes on Monday, September 22, 2008

Stafford Municipal ISD will reopen on Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Active Emergency Operation Centers

Fort Bend County will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.  The phone number is 281-342-6185.

Missouri City Phone Bank will be open on Saturday from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. The number is 281-403-4885.

Sugar Land Phone Bank will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.  The number is 281-275-2700.

Stafford inquiries can be made to 281-261-3950

Fort Bend County Tax Assessor/Collector – Patsy Schultz

The Texas Property Tax Code allows citizens in declared disaster areas to pay their residence homestead 2008 property tax payments in installments.  This applies only to a taxpayer’s RESIDENCE HOMESTEAD located in the disaster area.  Taxpayers must notify the tax office in writing of their intention to pay their tax payments in installments due to disaster declaration of their area.

Written notification to the tax office and the first Installment payment must be submitted by January 31, 2009 to qualify.

  • The installment payment must be at least 1/4th of the 2008 total tax amount due.
  • The 2nd 3rd and 4th installment payments are due as follows:
  • 2nd installment due by March31, 2009
  • 3rd installment due by May 31, 2009
  • 4th installment due by July, 31, 2009
  • If the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th installment is paid after the required date the installment amount is considered delinquent and accrues penalty and interest.

Fort Bend County Clerk – Dianne Wilson

In order to apply for any government assistance, you will be required to show proof of identity. A certified copy of a birth certificate will help in proving identity.  To obtain a birth certificate of any TEXAS birth, the following persons are eligible to purchase a copy:

  • Only a qualified applicant may obtain a copy of a birth or death certificate.
  • The registrant – the person named in the record.
  • The parent, child, brother, sister, spouse, grandparent, legal guardian or managing conservator of the registrant.
  • Legal representative, agent or other person acting under contract for the registrant.
  • The cost per birth certificate is $23.00 by cash, credit card and money order. (see below)

If you have some proof that you reside in the following counties: Galveston, Chambers and Brazoria counties or other coastal counties where the courthouse is not open for business due to the devastation of Hurricane Ike, then the fee will be waived for one copy of the birth record.

Please bring anything you have to prove your identity. We will attempt to work with everyone who has lost all forms of identification. Even bringing with you a family member who has valid photo identification will speed up the process.

FEMA Inspectors Clarification

A previous article sent out by the County was a warning to the public not to be scammed by an individual presenting themselves as a FEMA Inspection and asking for some type of payment.  FEMA does not send Inspectors out unless you are already registered for FEMA Assistance.  To registered for FEMA Assistance call 1-800-621-3362 or go online http://www.fema.gov

Small Business Administration

Low-interest disaster loans are now available to Texas residents as a result of President Bush’s Federal Disaster Declaration for Fort Bend County.  Interests rates can be as low as 2.875% for Residential and 4% for Commercial for up to 30 years for qualified applicants.

  • Residential Repairs/Replacement – loans up to $200,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate
  • Residential Personal Property – loans up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property
  • Business – $2 million to repair/replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery, equipment, inventory and other assets.

To be considered for all forms of disaster assistance, call FEMA 1-800-621-3362.  As soon as a State Disaster Recovery Centers are opened in the County, SBA will provide one-on-one assistance to disaster loan applicants.

Continue to monitor this website for information on the opening of State Disaster Recovery Centers.

 

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