It got a bit rough at times last night, but overall Bellaire fared pretty well. Tropical Storm Nicholas, a Category 1 hurricane at landfall, was for us a wind event more than anything else. City crews have been out this morning conducting their initial damage assessments and assisting residents as needed.While the majority of Bellaire did not lose power, we do have some isolated outages, apparently resulting from fallen trees. CenterPoint reports some 440,000 customers are without power across its service area, and that the restoration process is already underway. The natural gas distribution system is functioning normally, although residents with uprooted trees should check to ensure their underground gas lines were not affected.
Solid waste and recycling collection and other non-essential services remain suspended today, and city offices are closed. We should be back to business as usual tomorrow. For the latest updates please check our emergency alert page, and keep an eye out for further announcements by Notify Me.
On the whole Nicholas could have been much worse for us. We’re thankful for that, but also stand ready to help our neighbors who weren’t as fortunate. We also appreciate, as always, the dedicated professionals in our Bellaire Emergency Operations Center, which include not only our first responders and Public Works crews, but employees from all departments who step up to keep us safe through extreme weather events like this. When you see them out on the street today, be sure to say thanks for all they do for us.
