County: Criteria not met for disaster assistance

July 05--It's been nearly three weeks since hail stones assaulted the Odessa area and while insurance companies estimated $480 million worth of damage, county officials said they don't believe they meet the criteria for disaster assistance.

Ector County Emergency Management Coordinator Rickey George said they have only had two people claim they met the criteria for individual assistance. The state requires at least 25 homes with major damage, to the point where it is uninhabitable, that are uninsured for a county to qualify for individual assistance.

"I don't think we'll get anywhere close to the 25," Ector County Judge Ron Eckert said.

As for the two residents who believed they met the criteria for individual assistance, Eckert and George both said they're not sure if any agencies have reached out to them. George said they do not ask the individuals for any personal information, just if they felt they met the criteria for assistance.

The deadline to declare a disaster for individual assistance is Saturday . County and city officials asked individuals to complete on online survey by midnight June 28 if they felt they met the criteria.

Insurance Council of Texas trade association spokesman Mark Hanna said Monday they still believe about $480 million worth of damage was caused by the storm, although claims may still be coming in.

"The claims process in Odessa is still going strong," Hanna said.

The association may be able to zero in on a more accurate figure in a week to 10 days, he said. While glass, auto body shops and roofers may be overwhelmed with work right now, Hanna encouraged residents to use local businesses who have been established in the area for many years.

"People need to be careful at this point in time," Hanna said. "Just be patient."

George also asked people to be careful who they contract for storm-related repairs.

The City of Odessa and Ector County are continuing to calculate the cost of damages and response to the storm.

"I don't feel like we're anywhere close on the public side either," George said of obtaining public disaster assistance.

With the criteria so specific, George said he's pretty certain they are below the requirement. Although the area may not meet criteria for any kind of assistance though, officials said they will continue to determine what the cost of the storm was for the county.

"I think we're going to go ahead and finish internal examination to figure out what the damages are," Eckert said. "Even if we don't qualify, this is preparation for the next one."

Although the county judge said he hopes something like this never happens again, the county has gained valuable insight and experience working together through the process.

"I think our primary goal is to improve our process," George said. "So when it does happen, then we'll be a little bit more familiar with the accounting process and more efficient."

Eckert said he was impressed with the coordination of various team members, especially in dealing with the heat wave following the storm while there were a number of people who didn't have electricity due to mass power outages. Working with first responders, churches and the American Red Cross, they were able to help people get access to a cool place when temperatures reached double digits.

"When you have a true emergency, how do you make sure everyone knows where the shelters are? I think the media did a great job of publicizing the shelters," Eckert said. "One issue as we go forward that we've been discussing is when you have power outages, events where people don't have access to normal media channels, how those people get contacted and if they are aware of availability of shelters and things like that."

George said while disasters in the area are rare, if they do have another event like this they will be better prepared to handle it next time.

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