Update from City Manager on Hurricane Zeta Recovery
PRESS RELEASE
City of Diamondhead: Hurricane Zeta delivered a hit to the city on Wednesday night. After two full days of clean up and recovery, below is an update on the progress for our residents.
Halloween – Due to the unsafe conditions on our streets, the City of Diamondhead is recommending that residents do NOT participate in Trick or Treating tonight. There are still parts of the city without electricity and there are power lines still on the ground in some area. In addition, there is debris piles everywhere. It is unsafe for kids and families to be walking the streets at night! There is a community Halloween event on Coleman Avenue in Waveland that was already planned, but they did make the start time at 4pm. There is also a trunk or treat event at the Kiln Sports Complex that was organized to provide something for the children.
Electricity – Coast electric has restored much of the city in a very short time. They are working daily until 9pm to get our power restored to all homes and businesses. This should be accomplished by Saturday or Sunday.
Water and Sewerage Services – the DWSD never lost power or any services to the community. Their equipment always remained operational. As power is restored, the equipment moves from operations on diesel to regular power. In addition, the staff at the DWSD did amazing work for this community. They not only kept our water and sewerage operations, but they were also clearing streets as well. We need to thank their team!
Medicine – Both pharmacies in Diamondhead reopened for their customers.
Gas Stations – All three gas stations are operational for customers.
Restaurants – Most restaurants are reopened (except Lazy Gator, but I hear they are trying to get at lease the bottom part of the restaurant operational shortly).
Grocery Store – Rouses opened on Thursday morning at 7am. Their staff has been amazing and very helpful to our recovery after this storm.
Debris – We have a large amount of debris in our city. Residents are asked to put their debris on the roadside or in the medians. The City Council will have to hire a company to pick up the debris and we must follow purchasing guidelines by required by FEMA to be reimburses for this extraordinary and large expense. If we follow the rules, the city may only be responsible for paying 12.5% of the total cost to remove the debris. If we do not follow their rules, the city would have to pay 100% of the cost. Residents are asked to be patient as we begin advertising for these services. It will take several weeks to get this contract awarded.
Damage to Property – If you have damage to your property, residents are asked to self-report this damage through the MEMA Crisis Track Application. Below is the link. This allows MEMA and local officials to understand the extend of the damages so they can effectively and efficiently deploy resources to the community in need.
https://www.crisistrack.com/public/hancockMS/request.html
MEMA DOD (Point of Distribution) – There is a new POD that is opening today at noon at the Hancock Area on Kiln Road (across from east Hancock Elementary). They will be distributing tarps, water and MREs (food).
Free Tarps – The City of Diamondhead has free tarps available for residents. These can be picked up from the Fire Station on Kalani Drive. There is a limited number at this location.
Public Works Department – Our public work staff has worked hard to open all roads by clearing debris from the streets. All roads are open for regular traffic. If you see something that needs attention, please use the following form to submit your work request: https://diamondhead.ms.gov/publicworks/webform/submit-work-request
Or, you can email the city manager at mreso@diamondhead.ms.gov.
On behalf of our mayor and city council, I would like to thank our residents for begin patient and working so hard to clean up the city. It is amazing how much work has been done in only 2 days. But, we still have a long way to go. Each day will be better!
Michael Reso
City Manager, City of Diamondhead
