The Aftermath: Trying to self assess damage after historic winter storm

By: Taylor Kaluza

Multimedia Journalist

After the winter storm that occurred the week of Feb.15, many people were left with damage to their homes due to no power or heat, rolling blackouts, bursting pipes and overall destruction of their property by the elements.

While some people are fortunate enough to know how to fix these issues, many people are unable to fix things, let alone pay a sum of cash to have it looked at and repaired by a professional. Thankfully, many people in Stephenville have come to the aid of others and helped with all of the issues after the storm.

Now that the weather has returned to normal and people are able to look at the damages, many are asking the question of what to do now. Texan News looked into finding information on who you can contact and what you can do as far as assessing the damage.

The Chamber of Commerce released a newsletter in regard to the weather and who you could contact about the damages. It discussed city and county officials who helped with crises and services you could contact to help with damage to get repairs. You can visit www.stephenvilletexas.org for more information.

Along with services you can contact, the newsletter also listed a damage survey that Texans can take. Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Division of Emergency Management created a self-reporting damage survey to help with finding out how much damage there was across the state. It is a voluntary survey in which you can include pictures of the damage and provides information on how many individuals need federal disaster assistance. The form can be found at https://tdem.texas.gov/warming-center/ in both English and Spanish.

Following the winter storm, the mayor of Stephenville waived the fees for citizens if plumbers come to inspect busted pipes or systems. In the press release, city officials said that requirements for on site inspection will be waived and plumbers will send pictures of the damage for approval of the assessment.

Lastly, Texan News was able to contact Harold Sandel, who is a building official for the city.

When asked about who you can contact, Sandel talked about how you can reach out to city officials who can help or that you can contact him when it comes to damage to structures. You can reach out to Sandel for any needs regarding damage to the storm at hsandel@stephenvilletx.gov or go to www.stephenvilletx.gov for more information on those who can be of service.