Editor’s Note: The State Bar of Texas is providing a daily collection of important links, blog posts, and media stories to keep its members and the public informed of the latest news and resources related to Hurricane Harvey relief and recovery efforts.
Important Harvey Links
If you are an attorney who has been adversely affected or wish to assist a colleague, please take a moment to complete the State Bar of Texas’ Hurricane Harvey assistance survey.
If you would like to donate money to the hurricane relief effort in Texas, you can give through the Texas Bar Foundation by clicking here.
If you are an attorney who wants to help by giving brief advice, limited-scope service, or full representation to Harvey survivors, please complete the form at texasbar.com/attorneyvolunteer.
State Bar Disaster Resources for Attorneys — Information on this page includes recovery plans, court closures, court orders, and other items.
State Bar Disaster Resources the Public — The State Bar of Texas legal hotline — (800) 504-7030 — helps people find answers to basic legal questions and connects them with local legal aid providers following declared disasters.
Latest Harvey News
Thousands are still living in Houston’s biggest shelters — Thousands of people are still living in Houston’s two biggest shelters. The Red Cross is trying to trim the number of people staying at the George R. Brown Convention Center, while the NRG Center is getting more people made homeless by the storm. — Houston Public Media
Houston nonprofit searches for Texas who vanished during Harvey — Texas Center for the Missing, a Houston nonprofit, is helping to track down the Texans who vanished during Harvey, a ferocious storm that killed more than 70 people. — Houston Press
Criminal courts move out of criminal courthouse — Houston’s lawyers and judges compared it to the first day of college, with people looking for their courtrooms – which were spread out across at least five county buildings, like classrooms scattered across a small campus. — Houston Chronicle
In hurricane season, worries rise that graves will be unearthed — Hurricane Harvey floodwaters exposed dozens of caskets at swamped cemeteries in Texas and Louisiana last month, the grim result of shallow graves set in spongy soil, and a scene that may reappear as Florida cleans up after Hurricane Irma this week. — The Dallas Morning News
Mayor seeks temporary property tax hike for Harvey recovery — Mayor Sylvester Turner will ask City Council to approve an 8.9 percent hike in the city’s property tax rate this fall to help Houston recover from Hurricane Harvey. — Houston Chronicle
For many in Houston without flood insurance, SBA loans offer a lifeline — For the victims of Hurricane Harvey without flood insurance, which experts have estimated is as much as 80 percent of Houston homeowners, long-term relief will not come without a price. — Houston Press
Emmett: All options on table to improve flood control after Harvey — As the Houston area continues the process of recovery from Tropical Storm Harvey’s widespread destruction, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett on Monday called for a sweeping reexamination of the region’s flood control strategy. — Houston Chronicle
Texas GOP leaders pushing for high-dollar, long-delayed flood infrastructure projects — Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and other state leaders are eyeing a long-delayed reservoir project experts say would’ve saved thousands of Houston homes from flooding. — The Texas Tribune
At long last, students return to school in Houston ISD, other area districts — Ten of the Houston area’s largest school districts reopened Monday after a two-week delay caused by Hurricane Harvey, returning a sense of routine to a community still reeling from massive flooding. — Houston Chronicle
All but two SE Texas refineries restarting — Gasoline prices are starting to fall after peaking late last week as temporary shortages caused by Hurricane Harvey begin to ease. — Beaumont Enterprise
Texas congressman concerned about Beaumont prisoners after Harvey — U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, an Austin Democrat, is asking about prisoner safety in Beaumont after Hurricane Harvey. Inmates stayed put at state and federal prisons while the city lost its water supply for about a week. — The Texas Tribune
Mexico drops Harvey aid to Texas, citing its own natural disasters — Mexico said Monday it is withholding its promised Hurricane Harvey assistance to Texas, citing its own series of natural disasters, from a hurricane to the most powerful earthquake to hit the nation in a century. — The Dallas Morning News
Opinion: Swanburg: Hurricane Irma advice from a planner who survived Harvey — With Irma razing Florida, it is inevitable that misfortune will multiply. These are times when people need financial planners the most. — Bank Investment Consultant