Post-Harvey: FEMA Guidance on Rumors & Scams /  by Lori Bigler

It was bound to happen. In the wake of Hurricane Harvey there have come to be some rumors and even outright scams with respect to various issues facing people impacted by the storm. Fortunately, FEMA has assembled a web page with some great guidance on these issues.

Here are a couple of key takeaways from this guidance:

Flood Insurance - September 1 Deadline

Rumor: There are reports individuals must file a flood insurance claim before Friday, September 1 because a new Texas law goes into effect that day and all claims filed after Sept. 1 would be negatively impacted.

This rumor is FALSE. (August 30)

Texas State “House Bill 1774,” passed by the 85th Texas Legislature, does not affect flood insurance policies or claims. Flood insurance is provided through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which was created by Congress through the passage of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968. The NFIP is a federal program subject to federal law, so this new Texas state law will have no impact on NFIP policyholders.

Flood Insurance Premiums - Robo-Calls

Rumor: There are reports Texas residents are being told (via robo-call) their flood premiums are past due and in order to have coverage for Hurricane Harvey they need to submit a payment immediately to a website.

This rumor is FALSE. (August 30)

Insurance companies and agents selling flood insurance policies do not use this process to communicate with customers about their flood insurance policies.  In fact, if your payment is past due, your insurance company will send you several pieces of mail 90, 60, and 30 days before the policy expires.

If you receive a call regarding your flood insurance policy:

Hang up the phone. Don't press 1 to speak to a live operator or any other key to take your number off the list. Just hang up.

Then contact your insurance agent or insurance company immediately to verify the information. Or call 1-800-638-6620 if you have a policy with NFIP Direct

Garden Enthusiasts Hosted by Woodland Heights Naturalist /  by Lori Bigler

Members of the Heights Garden Club were guests on July 8 for a garden tour at the home of Carolyn and Richard Hall on Bayland. Richard is a known in Houston and along the Gulf Coast as an artist, author, naturalist and conservationist. He and Carolyn are enthusiastic “urban farmers.”

During their visit, guests were able to experience the “farm” while gaining hands-on learning.

Following are some of the practical lessons and demonstrations Richard shared.

  1. For optimum result, plant those species known thrive in the Gulf Coast climate. For example, the Halls have a Mexican sabal palm in their yard. “This tree is native to the Rio Grande Valley, so it thrives in Houston,” Richard said.
  2. To build soil for your garden, practice the art of composting. Richard uses everything except animal material for composting. “Animal material is a no-no for composting,” he said.  But grass clippings are excellent. Richard picks up bags of freshly mowed grass left by landscapers at large buildings after a mowing session. The grass is bagged and waiting for pickup, he explained, adding  “Sometimes the landscapers help me load it.” To prevent the grass clippings from souring, you should first spread the material out and let it dry. Regularly turn the organic material in your compost pile as you add material. Finally, you sift the composted material.  What comes out of the bottom of the sifter is excellent soil. During this point in the tour, Richard demonstrated how he sifts. The visiting gardeners were invited to put their hands into the newly sifted soil.
  3. To get fresh eggs, use poultry science. Each hen in the Halls’ coop has her own personality. Richard and Carolyn know each hen by name.
  4. Conserve water by collecting condensate to water plants. A typical central a/c system pulls about a barrel of water an hour out of the air. Instead of that resource being wasted, the Halls use the water from their a/c to water their gardens. One of their barrels, which has a capacity of 25 gallons, fills up twice a day.

- Rosie Walker, Woodland Heights resident since 1975.

About the Heights Garden Club

According to its website, “The purpose of the Heights Garden Club is to nurture an active gardening community in the greater Heights area of Houston, to share the love and knowledge of gardening in the peculiarities of our Gulf Coast climate, and to restore, improve, and protect our neighborhood’s environment through educational programs, demonstration gardens, and by promoting the incorporation of organic practices, native plants and edibles into the urban landscape. And have fun doing it.” For more information, visit http://www.heightsgardenclub.com.

About Richard Hall

Richard Hall is a resident artist at The Silos at Sawyer Yards, across I-10 from Woodland Heights. To learn more about his work and background, visit http://www.thesilosonsawyer.com. Then scroll down to #134 (the location of his studio).

Yard-of-the-Month: 402 Euclid /  by Lori Bigler

Yard of the month goes to Mary and Peter at 402 Euclid at the corner of Florence.  Their yard is a beautiful blend of old and new with a mature Yaupon Holly with old fashioned Aspidistra underneath, several blooming crepe myrtle trees, holly ferns, and some great climbing fig ivy.  The wisteria on the front fence is in vibrant bloom which stands out beautifully next to the foliage of their cypress tree.  Looking forward to going back in the fall when the maple tree turns colors along with the red fruit of the nandina.

Central City Co-op: An Alternative Shopping Experience /  by Lori Bigler

I get overwhelmed with the number of choices there are these days for eating healthy. Prepared meals in the supermarket, delivery services of prepped ingredients, personal shoppers who will go by your list and either have it ready for pickup or deliver it to the house…  So many options!  But we keep returning to an old favorite each Wednesday afternoon- Central City Co-op- in their current home inside Kindred Church in Montrose at 2515 Waugh Drive.

Order pick up is available currently at 6 different locations each Wednesday, including EQ Coffee on Heights Boulevard and Heights of Health on Frazier.  Travis Elementary parents can also pick up in the Community Room during the school year.  This gives Woodland Heights households a lot of options.  Our family still prefers to go to the Waugh storefront, where the kids can learn from the volunteers and maybe meet a farmer, and the adults can ask about recipes or share stories with old and new friends. 

Central City began in Houston in 2001 when a group of friends, led by local vegan food pioneer Pat Greer, decided to order boxes of organic produce from a local distributor and a small farm in Wharton (Gundermann Farms), dividing up the bounty on the front porch of Pat’s house.  

One of the best things for our own family has been the flexibility of the Co-op.  For our annual membership fee of $60 (which you can earn in sweat equity by volunteering), we have access to the weekly share of farm produce in 3 different sizes, plus 2 different sizes of fruit share.  The “share” is the portion of the weekly buy that Co-op staff put together each week.  They work with 12 different local farms plus a supplier of national organic produce.  Each week, they select for seasonality and freshness.  Sometimes that means a lot of eggplant and greens, but the national supplier is a great source of things that don’t tolerate July in Texas.  

Because the shares come in different sizes and we are not obligated to purchase every week, it’s easy to tailor our purchase to our family’s needs.  More fruit for lunchboxes for school and work when we need them, and a smaller share when we travel or know we will eat out a lot.
In recent years, the Co-op has added locally sourced meats, farm eggs and cheeses from the Houston Dairymaids.  Seasonally, they also have fresh bread baked by the volunteers at Kindred Church.  Co-op volunteers also make jams from unsold fruit.  Jars of fig, muscadine grape, citrus and strawberry come and go with the seasons.  Volunteers also staff the co-op.  I served on the board and worked in operations for many years, though now I serve primarily as a jam making volunteer.

Being members of Central City Co-op has provided our family with food and friendship for 15 years.  Our children have learned to eat a wide variety of vegetables, and appreciate freshness and seasonality.  I have learned to cook things I had never seen before, and learned so much about our local farmers and food entrepreneurs.  We encourage you to visit the co-op either in person on Wednesdays from 9 to 6 at 2515 Waugh street inside the fellowship hall at Kindred Church, or any time online at www.centralcityco-op.com

- Tiffany Tyler, Woodland Heights resident since 1997

METRONext Community Open House Thursday, August 17, 2017 /  by Lori Bigler

METRO will be hosting a METRONext Community Open House meeting on Thursday, August 17, 2017 at Montie Beach Community Center from 6:00PM – 8:00PM. We want to hear from you!

A Critical Plan for a Changing Region

Population in the greater Houston region will increase from 6 million today to nearly 10 million in the next 20 years. That raises a lot of questions about how we will live our lives and get to places we need to go. METRO wants to plan now for a transportation system that meets the needs of our continually evolving, dynamic and diverse region.

As we embark on the creation of METRONext, the new regional transit plan, we want to know what kind of transit system would best meet the needs of you and your family. Whether you currently use public transportation or not, we want to work with you to find solutions that best serve residents, communities, businesses and visitors. Imagine the future with METRONext.

Opera invites one and all to visit them at Lambert Hall on August 19th /  by Lori Bigler

Opera in the Heights will host its first Open House in historic Lambert on August 19th from 9:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Lambert Hall is located at Heights Blvd. at 17th Street.

It will also include free live opera performances every 20 minutes, plus a chance to meet Opera in the Heights singers.

The event is free to the public. The Open House will be a chance to experience firsthand the behind-the-scenes magic of Opera in the Heights.

Highlights for the event include giveaways, popcorn, face-painting, social media contest, opera costume dress-up station and photo op, an opera coloring sheet station, as well as breakfast bites from neighborhood eateries. Opera subscriptions and ticket discounts can be purchased during the event. For more information, visit http://www.operaintheheights.org/open-house-2017.

Lambert Hall was formerly the sanctuary for Heights Christian Church, now located on northern portion of block of Heights Blvd. between 17th and 18th Streets.