We should all be taking this storm seriously, but as of now there’s no reason to panic. The most likely scenario is localized street flooding—remember, our streets are designed to hold excess water during periods of intense rainfall—and there’s no indication of widespread structural flooding in our area at this time. Conditions can change rapidly, though, so we mustn’t let our guards down. Today you should be finishing up your preparations if you haven’t already, ahead of the heavy rains expected later tonight and into tomorrow.
Planning for the storm’s impacts has been somewhat of a challenge over the past few days, with divergent models pointing to markedly different outcomes. The Bellaire Emergency Operations Center has been monitoring the forecasts all weekend and has begun implementing our emergency management plan. This morning the EOC will transition to a Level II—High Readiness activation, and then we expect by this evening to be at Level I—Maximum Readiness.
City services, including solid waste collection, are proceeding as normal today, at least through the early afternoon. So if today is your trash day (outside the Loop) you can go ahead and put it out. Tomorrow and Wednesday, however, are looking doubtful. Please be sure to bring in any uncollected trash bags and other loose items, to keep them out of the storm drains. Report any blocked inlets to Public Works at (713) 662-8170.
While the worst of Nicholas isn’t expected to reach us until the overnight hours, this evening’s City Council meeting is being canceled as a precaution, and to help keep people off the roads. The City Council is next regularly scheduled to meet a week from tonight, September 20.
Stay tuned to city communications for updates on facility closures and service interruptions. We’ll be posting information as it becomes available on our Tropical Storm Nicholas emergency alert page, and will send out mass notifications as necessary through PrepareBellaire and Notify Me. Above all else, please be safe.
Planning for the storm’s impacts has been somewhat of a challenge over the past few days, with divergent models pointing to markedly different outcomes. The Bellaire Emergency Operations Center has been monitoring the forecasts all weekend and has begun implementing our emergency management plan. This morning the EOC will transition to a Level II—High Readiness activation, and then we expect by this evening to be at Level I—Maximum Readiness.
City services, including solid waste collection, are proceeding as normal today, at least through the early afternoon. So if today is your trash day (outside the Loop) you can go ahead and put it out. Tomorrow and Wednesday, however, are looking doubtful. Please be sure to bring in any uncollected trash bags and other loose items, to keep them out of the storm drains. Report any blocked inlets to Public Works at (713) 662-8170.
While the worst of Nicholas isn’t expected to reach us until the overnight hours, this evening’s City Council meeting is being canceled as a precaution, and to help keep people off the roads. The City Council is next regularly scheduled to meet a week from tonight, September 20.
Stay tuned to city communications for updates on facility closures and service interruptions. We’ll be posting information as it becomes available on our Tropical Storm Nicholas emergency alert page, and will send out mass notifications as necessary through PrepareBellaire and Notify Me. Above all else, please be safe.
