Report to the Community: December 2017
From Coast to Coast, a Community Comes to the Aid of CCISD Families After Hurricane Harvey
Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey made repeated landfalls along the Texas coast and the Bay Area Houston region beginning on August 25, severely impacting families living in each of Clear Creek ISD's 13 cities the district spans.
 
More than 2,000 CCISD families were displaced from their homes by the record flooding. Thousands more experienced some form of damage to their property and/or vehicles.
 
Although most residents agree the storm's severity could not have been predicted, even less foreseeable was the unprecedented level of support Clear Creek ISD and thousands of families received from their neighbors, whether from a friend next door or a stranger thousands of miles away.
CCISD Cares Intake & Recovery Center

 
CCISD Cares is the District's 501(c)3 support organization formed to assist Clear Creek ISD families and staff with basic needs in times of crisis such as a major hurricane. CCISD Cares serves as the gathering and distribution point for community support, in the form of both monetary and material donations.
 
   
By August 31,
the District had fully activated the CCISD Cares support resources, opening an Intake & Recovery Center at the centrally-located McWhirter Elementary School.

With the help of more than 500 volunteers over the 3-week period of operation, 1,256 families and 4,017 individuals who were directly impacted by the storm were served at the Recovery Center. CCISD support staff and volunteers provided help distributing clothing, food, cleaning supplies, toiletries and school supplies. CCISD staff and counselors also connected displaced families to district, local and federal recovery resources.
Loyalsock Township School District in Williamsport Pennsylvania sent supplies and collected $3,556.53 in funds for CCISD families, just one example of support received from afar. 

The District was overwhelmed with the amount of donations that poured into the Recovery Center as well as satellite support centers set up at several CCISD campuses. Donations came by way of personal delivery, U.S. mail and 18-wheelers from as far as Virginia and Pennsylvania. Individuals, faith communities and countless businesses and non-profit organizations rose to the unprecedented challenge
that Hurricane Harvey inflicted on the area.

The students of every Clear Creek ISD stepped up in meaningful ways, helping their neighbors in need. Take a look at how one high school came together to make a difference after Hurricane Harvey.

 

Clear Springs High School - Hurricane Harvey Response
Clear Springs High School - Hurricane Harvey Response

"Everyone deserves to be emotionally and physically safe."
CCISD Belief Statement
Making Donations Count: Supporting the Basic Needs of Our Families

Through the CCISD Cares donation site alone (www.ccisd.net/donate), more than $36,682 was contributed by individuals, businesses, school districts and others. In-state and out-of-state individuals and organizations contributed an additional $62,293 in cash and checks intended for families hardest hit by Hurricane Harvey. Additionally, CCISD Cares received hundreds of gift cards and in-kind donations from generous citizens that helped flood victims meet their family's most immediate needs of food and clothing.
 
With the goal of being good stewards of the community's trust and donations, the CCISD At Risk Services Department and campus counselors work together closely to gather and monitor data on families displaced from their homes, or who are otherwise impacted, as well as specific information on their most critical needs.
 
CCISD Cares collects and distributes the funds and donation items contributed by hundreds of individuals, businesses, school districts and others, to ensure that basic needs of impacted families are being met.
 
For families of CCISD students who formally register with the District indicating they have been impacted or displaced, the donations received are typically processed and applied in one of two ways:
  • Donations are turned around and used to purchase the actual items in need, such as shoes and underwear. The items are then supplied to the family.

or

  • Donations are converted into gift cards to Wal-Mart to purchase food, clothing and essential supplies. Counselors record and distribute the gift cards directly to the registered family.
Eye on Long-Term Needs

Lasting Impacts
Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey are far from this community's collective rearview mirror. It is estimated that from one CCISD elementary school alone, there are 261 homes with no functional kitchen. 

Emotional & Mental Health
Clear Creek ISD has added extra counseling and psychological support at campuses to further support students, restore a sense of security and a return to normalcy.
 
With many families still living on their second floor or with family, it is clear the historic storm's impacts will be felt for months, and even years, to come.

 !  Other Storm Impact Facts  !

Number of CCISD School Buses Used as Evacuation Vehicles: 10

 
Number of CCISD Schools Used as Shelters: 6

 
Number of School Days Missed: 10 

 
CCISD Campuses Impacted by Hurricane Harvey:
44 out of 45
 
CCISD Facility-Related Damages Cost: $19,476,533
 
Estimated Insurance Reimbursement: $8,685,558
 
Estimated FEMA Reimbursement: $9,711,878
 
Estimated Out of Pocket Expense for CCISD: $1,079,970

Joining school superintendents from the gulf coast area, CCISD Superintendent Dr. Greg Smith recently had the opportunity to testify to the Texas Senate Education Committee on the impacts and continuing needs among CCISD schools and students. Dr. Smith's recommendations for the committee included the request to do whatever they can to expedite district access to funds from FEMA, that they pursue and support the construction of a coastal spine or barrier to protect not only lives and homes but also the oil and gas industry, and that they take steps to support better coordination with the Red Cross.



For individuals or organizations interested in making a donation to support CCISD families for the holidays and through the long-term recovery needs, please visit
 

thankyou_charity_box_hdr.jpg
The Clear Creek Independent School District extends heartfelt thanks to every individual and organization who supported their schools and cared for affected families throughout Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts.
Clear Creek Independent School District | 281-284-0000 | [email protected] | www.ccisd.net