The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

The Sabine River Authority presented a $10,000 check to the City of Pinehurst Friday, one of a series of seven disaster recovery grants the operator of the Toledo Bend Dam made to small local water districts this week. David Montagne, far right, is SRA general manager, while Pete Runnels, second from right, is Pinehurst mayor.

The Sabine River Authority of Texas (SRA) is providing disaster recovery assistance grant funds to seven small local water districts and municipalities that were damaged by Tropical Storm Harvey.

Friday, SRA presented a $10,000 check each to five of those entities, including the City of Pinehurst, Orange County Water Conservation & Improvement Districts 1 and 2, Mauriceville Municipal Utility District and Orangefield Water Supply Corporation.

Earlier this week, SRA presented a $10,000 check each to South Newton Water Supply and the City of Rose City for assistance.

Tropical Storm Harvey made landfall in Southeast Texas on Wednesday, August 30, 2017. Impacts from the storm included power loss, wind damage, and historical flooding from more than 50” inches of rainfall that fell over a few days. Many communities were left devastated.

Disaster relief assistance funds are part of SRA’s community assistance program approved by the SRA Board of Directors to help promote the quality and quantity of services essential for the development of a viable community. In the aftermath of the storm, SRA reached out to provide emergency assistance funds for some of the small water districts and municipalities that qualify for our program and were damaged by Harvey.

In an initial assessment, SRA identified the seven small entities that needed immediate assistance. Additional entities that qualify for our program will be identified and reviewed in the near future.

“The damage caused by Harvey will go down in history for many communities in East Texas,” said SRA General Manager David Montagne. “Ongoing recovery efforts demonstrate Southeast Texas’ ability to come together in a time of crisis.

“SRA applauds the efforts of the local communities to rebuild and restore the necessary services they provide to their customers,” Montagne added.

Created by the Legislature in 1949, the Sabine River Authority is an official agency of the State of Texas. The Authority was created as a conservation and reclamation district with responsibilities to control, store, preserve, and distribute the waters of the Sabine River and its tributary streams for useful purposes.