name: Dancy Building - Cameron County Courthouse -> Cameron County Courthouse, Dancy Building

status: Closed -> Standby
areas_served: -> Cameron County, TX

name: Dancy Building - Cameron County Courthouse (Command Center) -> Dancy Building - Cameron County Courthouse
notes: August 19, 2007 - 11:24PM County continues hurricane planning By ALLEN ESSEX/VALLEY MORNING STAR BROWNSVILLE — As Hurricane Dean steamed on across the Caribbean Sea Sunday morning toward a more southerly landfall than first predicted, Cameron County officials met with leaders of cities, small towns and school districts to push forward with emergency planning. County Judge Carlos Cascos said government and emergency agencies must continue to protect the public. “At this point, we’re going to continue with the voluntary evacuation,” he said. “We do intend to continue with the mandatory evacuation of the Laguna Madre area,” he said, referring to South Padre Island, Port Isabel, Laguna Heights, Laguna Vista and Arroyo City. “We’re not going to stand down,” the judge said. “We’re just going to stand by. Everyone still needs to be vigilant, everyone needs to stay on top of it. These hurricanes are individuals; a degree northward or southward is going to change the trajectory of the storm. So it’s important that we be ever vigilant.” A plan for a voluntary evacuation of “special needs” residents in Cameron County was at first scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. today. But after a 4 p.m. Sunday conference call between county, city and state officials, the voluntary evacuation was rescheduled to start tentatively at noon today, Harlingen Emergency Management Coordinator and Fire Chief Michael Rinaldi said. “Military assistance teams are on the ground (in Cameron County),” Rinaldi said. Because of revised storm predictions that put landfall probabilities farther south in Mexico, only rain bands and light winds were expected in the Rio Grande Valley on Wednesday, the fire chief said. Special needs persons are those who do not have a car, cannot drive or who are not able to evacuate on their own, Cascos said. A list of city and county pickup points is included in this issue of the Valley Morning Star. School buses will transport voluntary evacuees to Cameron County’s annex building (the former Levi’s factory) in San Benito, at the intersection of the northbound Expressway 77/83 frontage road and Oscar Williams Road. Evacuees should not drive to or be dropped off at the San Benito annex, but should report to the nearest pick-up point, Cascos said. He asked that school districts and city police provide security for cars left at school or city parking lots. At San Benito, Texas National Guard soldiers will organize evacuees, check their identification and place a wristband on them, Cascos said. “There will be no citizenship check,” the county judge said. “The wristband is your round-trip ticket, to make sure that we get you back here.” National Guard soldiers will enter into a computer database names of everyone boarding one of the large buses provided by the state, “so there will be no displaced persons, like we had during Katrina,” Cascos said. The first 5,000 evacuees will be taken to shelters in Laredo, Cascos said. After that, busloads of evacuees will be taken to San Antonio. Elderly, ill and disabled people who are unable to stand a six-hour or longer bus ride to Laredo or San Antonio or other safe area will be taken to Valley International Airport in Harlingen and transported on a C-130 military transport plane, Cascos said. A second C-130 is standing by in Brownsville, Rinaldi said late Sunday. Although people will be allowed to take pets with them on the buses, those animals must be compatible with a long bus ride, and owners must be able to hold them in their laps, the judge said. “If someone tries to get on a bus with a boa constrictor around their neck,” they won’t be let on the bus, he said. “If it’s a pit bull, and it has a muzzle, that’s OK. But we can’t take Great Danes or Shetland ponies. Tell your people to use their common sense. Every dog has to have a muzzle.” The county has a command center set up in the courthouse (Dancy Building) in downtown Brownsville, but also has a back-up center in the 1970s-era courthouse (judicial building) on Harrison Street a few blocks away because air conditioning equipment is in the basement of the Dancy Building, which could flood, Cascos said. Although weather experts said that Dean will most likely make landfall at Tampico, Mexico, there are still some computer models showing Brownsville as the target, state officials said on the conference call. Live weather reports Sunday morning showed Dean’s likely target to be Tampico. County, city and school district leaders participated in a conference call with state emergency officials and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials who explained details of the evacuation plan. Commissioners Edna Tamayo of Harlingen and David Garza of San Benito said county Public Works crews have been working hard to distribute sandbags and provide for the needs of citizens. ->
client_contact_name: ->
client_contact_address: ->
client_contact_phone: ->
client_contact_email: ->
areas_served: ->
eligibility: ->
payment_forms: ->
temp_perm: -> Temporary
fee_is_for: ->
mission: ->
cat_notes: -> Removed old notes 7/23/08 LTel: August 19, 2007 - 11:24PM County continues hurricane planning By ALLEN ESSEX/VALLEY MORNING STAR BROWNSVILLE ? As Hurricane Dean steamed on across the Caribbean Sea Sunday morning toward a more southerly landfall than first predicted, Cameron County officials met with leaders of cities, small towns and school districts to push forward with emergency planning. County Judge Carlos Cascos said government and emergency agencies must continue to protect the public. ?At this point, we?re going to continue with the voluntary evacuation,? he said. ?We do intend to continue with the mandatory evacuation of the Laguna Madre area,? he said, referring to South Padre Island, Port Isabel, Laguna Heights, Laguna Vista and Arroyo City. ?We?re not going to stand down,? the judge said. ?We?re just going to stand by. Everyone still needs to be vigilant, everyone needs to stay on top of it. These hurricanes are individuals; a degree northward or southward is going to change the trajectory of the storm. So it?s important that we be ever vigilant.? A plan for a voluntary evacuation of ?special needs? residents in Cameron County was at first scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. today. But after a 4 p.m. Sunday conference call between county, city and state officials, the voluntary evacuation was rescheduled to start tentatively at noon today, Harlingen Emergency Management Coordinator and Fire Chief Michael Rinaldi said. ?Military assistance teams are on the ground (in Cameron County),? Rinaldi said. Because of revised storm predictions that put landfall probabilities farther south in Mexico, only rain bands and light winds were expected in the Rio Grande Valley on Wednesday, the fire chief said. Special needs persons are those who do not have a car, cannot drive or who are not able to evacuate on their own, Cascos said. A list of city and county pickup points is included in this issue of the Valley Morning Star. School buses will transport voluntary evacuees to Cameron County?s annex building (the former Levi?s factory) in San Benito, at the intersection of the northbound Expressway 77/83 frontage road and Oscar Williams Road. Evacuees should not drive to or be dropped off at the San Benito annex, but should report to the nearest pick-up point, Cascos said. He asked that school districts and city police provide security for cars left at school or city parking lots. At San Benito, Texas National Guard soldiers will organize evacuees, check their identification and place a wristband on them, Cascos said. ?There will be no citizenship check,? the county judge said. ?The wristband is your round-trip ticket, to make sure that we get you back here.? National Guard soldiers will enter into a computer database names of everyone boarding one of the large buses provided by the state, ?so there will be no displaced persons, like we had during Katrina,? Cascos said. The first 5,000 evacuees will be taken to shelters in Laredo, Cascos said. After that, busloads of evacuees will be taken to San Antonio. Elderly, ill and disabled people who are unable to stand a six-hour or longer bus ride to Laredo or San Antonio or other safe area will be taken to Valley International Airport in Harlingen and transported on a C-130 military transport plane, Cascos said. A second C-130 is standing by in Brownsville, Rinaldi said late Sunday. Although people will be allowed to take pets with them on the buses, those animals must be compatible with a long bus ride, and owners must be able to hold them in their laps, the judge said. ?If someone tries to get on a bus with a boa constrictor around their neck,? they won?t be let on the bus, he said. ?If it?s a pit bull, and it has a muzzle, that?s OK. But we can?t take Great Danes or Shetland ponies. Tell your people to use their common sense. Every dog has to have a muzzle.? The county has a command center set up in the courthouse (Dancy Building) in downtown Brownsville, but also has a back-up center in the 1970s-era courthouse (judicial building) on Harrison Street a few blocks away because air conditioning equipment is in the basement of the Dancy Building, which could flood, Cascos said. Although weather experts said that Dean will most likely make landfall at Tampico, Mexico, there are still some computer models showing Brownsville as the target, state officials said on the conference call. Live weather reports Sunday morning showed Dean?s likely target to be Tampico. County, city and school district leaders participated in a conference call with state emergency officials and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials who explained details of the evacuation plan. Commissioners Edna Tamayo of Harlingen and David Garza of San Benito said county Public Works crews have been working hard to distribute sandbags and provide for the needs of citizens.
clients_must_bring: ->
fee_explanation: ->
temp_perm_explanation: ->
waiting_list_explanation: ->

notes: August 19, 2007 - 11:24PM County continues hurricane planning By ALLEN ESSEX/VALLEY MORNING STAR BROWNSVILLE — As Hurricane Dean steamed on across the Caribbean Sea Sunday morning toward a more southerly landfall than first predicted, Cameron County officials met with leaders of cities, small towns and school districts to push forward with emergency planning. County Judge Carlos Cascos said government and emergency agencies must continue to protect the public. “At this point, we’re going to continue with the voluntary evacuation,” he said. “We do intend to continue with the mandatory evacuation of the Laguna Madre area,” he said, referring to South Padre Island, Port Isabel, Laguna Heights, Laguna Vista and Arroyo City. “We’re not going to stand down,” the judge said. “We’re just going to stand by. Everyone still needs to be vigilant, everyone needs to stay on top of it. These hurricanes are individuals; a degree northward or southward is going to change the trajectory of the storm. So it’s important that we be ever vigilant.” A plan for a voluntary evacuation of “special needs” residents in Cameron County was at first scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. today. But after a 4 p.m. Sunday conference call between county, city and state officials, the voluntary evacuation was rescheduled to start tentatively at noon today, Harlingen Emergency Management Coordinator and Fire Chief Michael Rinaldi said. “Military assistance teams are on the ground (in Cameron County),” Rinaldi said. Because of revised storm predictions that put landfall probabilities farther south in Mexico, only rain bands and light winds were expected in the Rio Grande Valley on Wednesday, the fire chief said. Special needs persons are those who do not have a car, cannot drive or who are not able to evacuate on their own, Cascos said. A list of city and county pickup points is included in this issue of the Valley Morning Star. School buses will transport voluntary evacuees to Cameron County’s annex building (the former Levi’s factory) in San Benito, at the intersection of the northbound Expressway 77/83 frontage road and Oscar Williams Road. Evacuees should not drive to or be dropped off at the San Benito annex, but should report to the nearest pick-up point, Cascos said. He asked that school districts and city police provide security for cars left at school or city parking lots. At San Benito, Texas National Guard soldiers will organize evacuees, check their identification and place a wristband on them, Cascos said. “There will be no citizenship check,” the county judge said. “The wristband is your round-trip ticket, to make sure that we get you back here.” National Guard soldiers will enter into a computer database names of everyone boarding one of the large buses provided by the state, “so there will be no displaced persons, like we had during Katrina,” Cascos said. The first 5,000 evacuees will be taken to shelters in Laredo, Cascos said. After that, busloads of evacuees will be taken to San Antonio. Elderly, ill and disabled people who are unable to stand a six-hour or longer bus ride to Laredo or San Antonio or other safe area will be taken to Valley International Airport in Harlingen and transported on a C-130 military transport plane, Cascos said. A second C-130 is standing by in Brownsville, Rinaldi said late Sunday. Although people will be allowed to take pets with them on the buses, those animals must be compatible with a long bus ride, and owners must be able to hold them in their laps, the judge said. “If someone tries to get on a bus with a boa constrictor around their neck,” they won’t be let on the bus, he said. “If it’s a pit bull, and it has a muzzle, that’s OK. But we can’t take Great Danes or Shetland ponies. Tell your people to use their common sense. Every dog has to have a muzzle.” The county has a command center set up in the courthouse (Dancy Building) in downtown Brownsville, but also has a back-up center in the 1970s-era courthouse (judicial building) on Harrison Street a few blocks away because air conditioning equipment is in the basement of the Dancy Building, which could flood, Cascos said. Although weather experts said that Dean will most likely make landfall at Tampico, Mexico, there are still some computer models showing Brownsville as the target, state officials said on the conference call. Live weather reports Sunday morning showed Dean’s likely target to be Tampico. County, city and school district leaders participated in a conference call with state emergency officials and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials who explained details of the evacuation plan. Commissioners Edna Tamayo of Harlingen and David Garza of San Benito said county Public Works crews have been working hard to distribute sandbags and provide for the needs of citizens. -> August 19, 2007 - 11:24PM County continues hurricane planning By ALLEN ESSEX/VALLEY MORNING STAR BROWNSVILLE — As Hurricane Dean steamed on across the Caribbean Sea Sunday morning toward a more southerly landfall than first predicted, Cameron County officials met with leaders of cities, small towns and school districts to push forward with emergency planning. County Judge Carlos Cascos said government and emergency agencies must continue to protect the public. “At this point, we’re going to continue with the voluntary evacuation,” he said. “We do intend to continue with the mandatory evacuation of the Laguna Madre area,” he said, referring to South Padre Island, Port Isabel, Laguna Heights, Laguna Vista and Arroyo City. “We’re not going to stand down,” the judge said. “We’re just going to stand by. Everyone still needs to be vigilant, everyone needs to stay on top of it. These hurricanes are individuals; a degree northward or southward is going to change the trajectory of the storm. So it’s important that we be ever vigilant.” A plan for a voluntary evacuation of “special needs” residents in Cameron County was at first scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. today. But after a 4 p.m. Sunday conference call between county, city and state officials, the voluntary evacuation was rescheduled to start tentatively at noon today, Harlingen Emergency Management Coordinator and Fire Chief Michael Rinaldi said. “Military assistance teams are on the ground (in Cameron County),” Rinaldi said. Because of revised storm predictions that put landfall probabilities farther south in Mexico, only rain bands and light winds were expected in the Rio Grande Valley on Wednesday, the fire chief said. Special needs persons are those who do not have a car, cannot drive or who are not able to evacuate on their own, Cascos said. A list of city and county pickup points is included in this issue of the Valley Morning Star. School buses will transport voluntary evacuees to Cameron County’s annex building (the former Levi’s factory) in San Benito, at the intersection of the northbound Expressway 77/83 frontage road and Oscar Williams Road. Evacuees should not drive to or be dropped off at the San Benito annex, but should report to the nearest pick-up point, Cascos said. He asked that school districts and city police provide security for cars left at school or city parking lots. At San Benito, Texas National Guard soldiers will organize evacuees, check their identification and place a wristband on them, Cascos said. “There will be no citizenship check,” the county judge said. “The wristband is your round-trip ticket, to make sure that we get you back here.” National Guard soldiers will enter into a computer database names of everyone boarding one of the large buses provided by the state, “so there will be no displaced persons, like we had during Katrina,” Cascos said. The first 5,000 evacuees will be taken to shelters in Laredo, Cascos said. After that, busloads of evacuees will be taken to San Antonio. Elderly, ill and disabled people who are unable to stand a six-hour or longer bus ride to Laredo or San Antonio or other safe area will be taken to Valley International Airport in Harlingen and transported on a C-130 military transport plane, Cascos said. A second C-130 is standing by in Brownsville, Rinaldi said late Sunday. Although people will be allowed to take pets with them on the buses, those animals must be compatible with a long bus ride, and owners must be able to hold them in their laps, the judge said. “If someone tries to get on a bus with a boa constrictor around their neck,” they won’t be let on the bus, he said. “If it’s a pit bull, and it has a muzzle, that’s OK. But we can’t take Great Danes or Shetland ponies. Tell your people to use their common sense. Every dog has to have a muzzle.” The county has a command center set up in the courthouse (Dancy Building) in downtown Brownsville, but also has a back-up center in the 1970s-era courthouse (judicial building) on Harrison Street a few blocks away because air conditioning equipment is in the basement of the Dancy Building, which could flood, Cascos said. Although weather experts said that Dean will most likely make landfall at Tampico, Mexico, there are still some computer models showing Brownsville as the target, state officials said on the conference call. Live weather reports Sunday morning showed Dean’s likely target to be Tampico. County, city and school district leaders participated in a conference call with state emergency officials and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials who explained details of the evacuation plan. Commissioners Edna Tamayo of Harlingen and David Garza of San Benito said county Public Works crews have been working hard to distribute sandbags and provide for the needs of citizens.
status: Open -> Closed