NOTE: This story will be updated as events warrant.
By George Slaughter
Mayor Bill Hastings said things in the City of Katy are returning back to normal following the arrival and passage of Hurricane Nicholas early Tuesday morning.
“Together we have survived another weather event,” Hastings said in a statement. “We are thankful for minimal impacts from Tropical Storm-Hurricane Nicholas and will be moving forward today with business as usual.”
Hastings said the city is blessed to have an extraordinary public works department, police department, fire department, office of emergency management and administration. He said the personnel in those departments stand ready to always protect the community.
“Without them, we would not be able to persevere through situations such as Tropical Storm-Hurricane Nicholas,” Hastings said. “We want to thank them for their service and their dedication as well as all employees of the City of Katy who come together and times of crisis.”
The public works department is cleaning debris from city streets due to Nicholas. The department is using its street sweeper to perform this task. To better do the work, the department asks the public not to park their cars in the street. Instead, the public is asked to use garages, driveways, or possibly ask neighbors for permission to park in their driveways.
The Texas Pride garbage service will not run its routes Tuesday, but will pick up trash as part of its Wednesday routes.
The city said all ball fields at Katy city parks are closed until further notice. City crews are assessing and cleaning up debris.
Citizens with questions or concerns are invited to contact the public works department at PublicWorksInfo@cityofkaty.com or 281-391-4820.
Tracking the Storm
The National Weather Service said as of 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nicholas’s location is 29.6° north, 95.3° west, about 10 miles southeast of Houston, and 85 miles west-southwest of Port Arthur. Maximum sustained winds are 45 MPH. The weather service said the storm is moving northeast at 6 MPH.
A storm surge warning is in effect for Port Bolivar to Sabine Pass, including Galveston Bay.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for High Island to Cameron, La.
A storm surge watch is in effect for Sabine Pass to Cameron, La.