I heard about this group in an email I received a couple of days ago. There are many people in need of help and this is just one of the government sponsored programs out there. Also be careful of the scammers out there because this is a free service. Don’t give out any personal information if you haven’t signed up to hear from them. Please spread the word and for more information call 1-888-766-3258.

source

AUSTIN, Texas — Federal help is available for eligible homeowners whose residences suffered roof damage as a result of Hurricane Ike.

Operation Blue Roof, funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.   Under the program authorized for the disaster recovery, Corps contractors install plastic sheeting as a temporary solution that allows individuals to remain in their residence until they can make more permanent repairs.

The property must be a primary residence or a permanently occupied rental property.  Vacation rental properties are not eligible.

“This program is helping some East Texans remain in their homes while they explore permanent repair options,” said State Coordinating Officer Joan Haun.

The number to call is 1-888-ROOF-BLU, 1-888-766-3258. To date, more than 700 Blue Roofs have been installed.

“There is no cost to the homeowner for this program and approved contractors will all have proper identification and paperwork,” said FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Sandy Coachman.  “Unfortunately, we have heard reports that there may be unscrupulous people trying to take advantage.”

Tips for Texans about Operation Blue Roof:

Beware of solicitations. Homeowners need to visit a Right of Entry collection location to sign up. People going door-to-door to damaged homes or phoning victims and claiming they are with Operation Blue Roof could be frauds.  Blue Roof representatives never solicit participation, nor will they ask for Social Security or bank account numbers.

Look for identification. Corps employees who do assessments for Operation Blue Roof carry U.S. government ID cards. If you don’t see it, ask for it. Contractors who install the Blue Roofs will have a copy of signed Right of Entry form.  No additional form is necessary.

If you get a call.  Representatives from Operation Blue Roof may call to clarify information or location, but they will not ask for sensitive information.  You will be expected to post the Right of Entry form and restrain animals so that contractors can access your property.

Don’t pay.  Operation Blue Roof is free to residents.  FEMA never charges applicants for disaster assistance, inspections, or help in filling out applications.  The Corps does not charge, either.

If in doubt. Do not give out information.  Report people claiming to be government workers to local law-enforcement agencies or to the Texas Attorney General Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-621-0508. The FEMA Disaster Fraud Hotline is 1-866-720-5721.

More information about the Hurricane Ike disaster in Texas is available online at www.fema.gov or www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem. Operation Blue Roof information is available at www.swf.usace.army.mil.

FEMA coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

Here’s some information I received in an email from a friend of mine. You can also find some really helpful information on khou.com. My mom is still without power so, I’ve been calling her with updates. Please continue to keep those affected in your thoughts and prayers.

Re-entry Information 9/18/2008

Harris County
The county is open, but residents are not encouraged to return at this time.

Chambers County
Residents returning should be prepared to live without power for some time. Fuel shortages are also reported.

Galveston County
All areas are closed to residents.

Brazoria County
Residents returning should be prepared to live without power for some time.

Ft. Bend County
Residents returning should be prepared to live without power for some time.

Jefferson County
All areas are closed to residents.

Orange County
All areas are closed to residents.

Newton County
Mandatory evacuation still in effect
No electricity

Jasper County
Mandatory evacuation still in effect
No electricity
No Fuel
No Water

Liberty County
No electricity
No telephone service
Cannon Fuel supply store on 321 between Dayton and Cleveland is the only fuel source

Impassable Roads due to flooding:
163 in Tarkington
East River Drive (CR 370)
CR 3709
CR 1413 off 1413 (Dayton area)
CR 470 off 1409
CR 677 off 321

Shelby County
Parts of Center have electricity, rest of county has no electricity
Roads are passable

Angelina County
All roads are passable
Part of the county has electricity

San Jacinto County
Main roads are passable
No electricity
No fuel

Polk County
Major roads are open
FM 942 is not passable due to trees
Jack Station Road is not passable due to trees
Holiday Lake Estates is not passable due to trees

Nacogdoches County
80% of county has no electricity
Fuel stations available within city of Nacogdoches
Many county roads impassable
All State Highways and FM roads are passable

Trinity County
All roads passable
No electricity
No fuel
Boil water notice

Sabine County
All main roads passable
Working to clear all service roads
Partial power in Hemphill

I have family in Houston and so far the best source of information I’ve found is the Houston Chronicle’s Blog at http://blogs.chron.com/hurricanes.

If you have any other sources or additional information you’d like to share, feel free to post it in the comments area. I’ll keep this post at the top until the threat is over.

Updates:

• It looks like my mom and brother are going to stick it out. Fort Bend County hasn’t issued an evacuation and are asking people to keep the roads clear for those neededing to evacuate. As a kid, we’ve road out some tough hurricanes before. I pray this one won’t be as bad as they think it’ll be.
• Another really good storm tracking website. http://www.stormpulse.com/fullscreen/hurricane-ike-2008
• Another sent to me from my mom http://www.houstonhidefromthewind.org
• I saw this site being used on CNN http://hurricanetrack.com
• You can watch a simulcast of the news in Houston (KHOU-TV) on C-SPAN
• I’ve also been following the Dallas Weather Blog at http://weatherblog.dallasnews.com

I had to give a shout out to this brotha because he is the perfect person to get into blogging. You’ve heard him before on the podcast and I’m sure he’ll continue to bring the real in his blog. I can honestly say, he’s never at a loss for words and that’s what makes him a fun guy to hang around. Real talk is what you’ll get when you enter his realm and I’m sure he’d be glad to get the same from you.

You can find him blogging on the websites below. TheGoodDoctor is now in. Hope you enjoy.

TheGoodDoctor

Ghetto Geekin’

The Center for Emerging Media

There’s been a lot of debate over Sarah Palin and whether she can “do it all” as a Vice Presidential mom. It’s become a hot topic over the last couple of days, but it’s nothing we haven’t heard before. My wife works and she has had this same discussion with other moms many times. Being the soft-spoken, politically-correct Democrat that I am, I tend to keep my mouth shut regarding the subject. But I do have my own opinion and after seeing Sarah’s speech I was inspired to write this little post.

Being raised in a Christian household, I was taught the Bible has the answer to any situation you can face. While it may not always give you the exact answer, through prayer and studying there’s enough to get you on the right path.

Here’s a post from gotquestions.org regarding women in the workplace. I heard a similar response in a family ministry Bible study my wife and I attended a couple of years ago:

(more…)

This wasn’t a planned post, but fellow blogger Vanessa Byers is asking for prayer on her blog and I felt it necessary to let the readers of this blog know also. I’m a strong believer in the power of prayer and have seen what it can do. My dad passed away in 2001, but 15 years before that, the doctors didn’t give him much more time due to a brain stem stroke. My mom told as many people as possible and asked all who had it in their heart to pray for him. He’s not here now, but he did get 15 more years the doctors said he wouldn’t have. Because of the prayers from others, he got to see me graduate from high school, college and get married.

So when you get a chance, check out her blog post and pray for Vanessa and her family. God gives us prayer for a reason.

Request for Prayer for Healing, Uplift and Strength

You soon won’t be able to turn around without hearing about “digital television” and its potential impact on you. Even though there is still a limited (but growing) universe of true high definition programming available over the air, Channel 8 and every other TV station in North Texas is sending out a digital signal right alongside its traditional “analog” transmission.

But all those analog signals will be switched off permanently on Feb. 17, 2009 by government mandate. That means if you’re watching Channel 8 on an older TV set and you get your picture with an off-air antenna, you’ll see nothing but snow starting on that date.

You should know, however, that old TVs can be used for years into the future with the help of a friendly little box to convert the new digital channels into an analog-friendly signal. While these converter boxes are expected to cost about $60 each, every family in the U.S. is entitled to receive up to two coupons with a value of $40 each that can be used to buy the adapters. You can sign up for the coupons starting Jan. 1, 2008.

Check out the WFAA.com DTV 2009 Countdown section for answers to questions. Don’t go into debt trying to buy a television you can’t afford. For now just use the coupon and apply for it as soon as you can. It’s been in the making for a while, so I didn’t think they would pass it and get it going as soon as they did. But the time to convert is coming and I want you to be prepared. Here are some other documents that may help also.

Digital TV Fact Sheet Contract

Preparing For The Digital TV Transition

I’m in, are you? I just signed up for the Blogging While Brown Conference in Atlanta, GA July 25-27, 2008. According to the website, the most important purpose of the conference is to share knowledge. The conference will promote intellectual, social, and cultural development of the blogging community by bringing bloggers of color together. Blogging While Brown is an opportunity to meet other bloggers and blog readers of color for the first time, discuss current issues of interest to bloggers of color, network with individuals and organizations interested in leveraging online activity with offline results, and learn about the latest technology that will assist bloggers with publishing their work and improving their readers experience by fully engaging in the newest media technology.

I’m excited because I’ll finally get the chance to meet some of the bloggers I read on a regular basis. In a way, you sort of connect with the author after reading their blog for a while, so it’ll be nice to meet them face-to-face. I also hope to learn more about blogging and ways we can all work together to benefit our communities. Since I’m not sure all who’s attending, I thought I’d call out just a few of the bloggers I want to see. If you’re registered, let me know. If not then register here. Hope to see you there.

• Angela & Markus
• Benin
• blackgivesback
• JD
• JW
• Kanute
• Marty
• Paula
• Shawn
• Vanessa
• Wayne
• Yobachi

Today is World AIDS Day, which reminds us of the impact of HIV/AIDS on the world’s health. In preparing this post I wanted to gather as much information as I could because AIDS is a serious epidemic in the black and international community. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

Of all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, HIV and AIDS have hit African Americans the hardest. The reasons are not directly related to race or ethnicity, but rather to some of the barriers faced by many African Americans. These barriers can include poverty (being poor), sexually transmitted diseases, and stigma (negative attitudes, beliefs, and actions directed at people living with HIV/AIDS or directed at people who do things that might put them at risk for HIV).

When we look at HIV/AIDS by race and ethnicity, we see that African Americans have

• More illness. Even though blacks (including African Americans) account for about 13% of the US population, they account for about half (49%) of the people who get HIV and AIDS.
• Shorter survival times. Blacks with AIDS often don’t live as long as people of other races and ethnic groups with AIDS. This is due to the barriers mentioned above.
• More deaths. For African Americans and other blacks, HIV/AIDS is a leading cause of death.

As alarming as these statistics may be, early detection through testing is the best way to control this disease that kills millions of people around the world. I’ve heard people say, “If I have it, I don’t want to know”. To them, I urge to change their mindset. Don’t be selfish. Take the test and take control. Be responsible because you’re not just putting your life on the line. You’re also affecting the lives of everyone who you’ve had unprotected sex with. The sooner you get tested, the sooner you can get help.

If you don’t know where to go for testing, you can use you cell phone to text message your zip code to 566948 or visit www.hivtest.org.

You have the power to control this. The ball is in your court. All you have to do is shoot. Please take the time to review the links I’ve provided. It’s some important information and you might learn something that will save your or someone else’s life. Let’s spread the word and take control.

The Basics on HIV Infection and AIDS

How to keep from getting AIDS

Rapid HIV Testing Podcast (1 minute)

Rapid HIV Testing Transcript

HIV Transmission: Questions and Answers

African Americans & AIDS

HIV/AIDS among African Americans - Fact Sheet

2007 AIDS Epidemic Update

Fact Sheet - Key Facts by Region

Black AIDS Institute

It looks like they are trying to crack down on illegal immigration in Irving, Texas by racially profiling people in order to stop them and verify their immigration paperwork. The first time I heard of this happening was when Irving police arrested several Hispanic men in an apartment complex for public intoxication. Since then, if you looked like you were breaking the law, you would go to jail. The police department has been enforcing a program which allows jailers to identify suspected illegal immigrants and refer them to immigration authorities. The police chief says they aren’t targeting specific groups of people because the identification of suspected immigrants is happening at the jail, not on the streets.

Racial profiling has always been an issue in the black community and it’s sad to see it being used in this manner. Where there’s a will, there’s a way and since the federal government has been silent on the issue, this is an example of how city officials are going to crack down on illegal immigration. Some of the people who were arrested were there for minor offenses which probably would have been overlooked any other time. While I agree everyone who enters this country should come here through the proper channels, those who have bypassed it and are working to feed their families should be allowed to stay. All they are trying to do is have a better way of life and earn a living. If it means having to illegally cross the border to do so, then so be it. We’re mad at the wrong people. I’d do the same thing for my family if I were in that position. Would you?

Hundreds protest Irving’s rise in deportations
Irving’s Illegal Immigrant Crackdown Sparks Debate