San Angelo officials outline rescue efforts, urge damage reports as debris contracts move forward

City and county officials in San Angelo and Tom Green County on July 5 summarized the emergency response to flash flooding over the July 4 weekend, reported preliminary service and casualty figures, and urged residents to submit damage assessments so state and federal aid can be pursued.

"The state of Texas is with you," said Drew Darby, a state official, who reiterated that Texas Department of Emergency Management staff were assisting local leaders and urged residents to register damage to help make recovery funding claims. "I would urge folks to register your damages."

Mayor Tom Thompson said the city had provided services to 658 people and had temporarily housed 115 families in hotels. Chief Griffin described a sustained rescue effort: "We were able to conduct 16 lifesaving events," he said, and noted that 12 people were transported to area hospitals. Officials said nearly 1,500 calls for service came in during the event and that mutual-aid partners, including task force and neighboring departments, supported the operations.

Jose Rivera, the city and county emergency management coordinator, outlined the damage-assessment process and the ISTAT survey used by state and local teams. Rivera said teams will photograph exterior damage from the street (they will not enter private property) and that partial survey submissions can be updated later: "The survey is always open, 24/7. We're hoping to get all this data within this week," he said. He gave the disaster resource center address as Paul Ann Baptist Church, 2531 Smith Boulevard, open 12:00–18:00 Monday–Friday to help residents complete assessments.

Shane Kelton, the city public-works director, said the city will ask council to approve a debris-removal task order with a not-to-exceed amount of $1,000,000 and a FEMA-required monitoring contract not to exceed $350,000. He provided preliminary cost estimates for city equipment and labor tied to the response (about $150,000 equipment and approximately $375,000 labor so far) and said curbside debris pickup will begin in the most affected areas starting Monday, July 20. Recycling service is suspended and bulk pickup is paused this week; the landfill will reopen to the public at 7:00 a.m. with normal business hours.

Officials said the initial debris-collection phase is expected to take about 90–120 days, though they acknowledged recovery for many households will extend longer. On the question of federal aid, Rivera said a presidential disaster declaration requires damage documentation and that the ISTAT submissions are the core evidence used when seeking federal assistance.

Local nonprofit and philanthropic channels were encouraged for donations. Drew Darby and others directed monetary contributions to the San Angelo Area Foundation disaster fund rather than unsolicited physical donations; officials asked people not to send used clothing at this time and recommended coordination of volunteers and corporate offers through United Way and the local COAD to avoid duplication.

Officials also announced training for nonprofits and government staff to conduct damage assessments, with a session scheduled at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow at the United Way office, 955 Turner Street. They set a tentative follow-up press conference for Wednesday and asked residents to avoid affected neighborhoods so first responders can operate.

The city and county noted continuing flood watches and cautioned drivers not to cross water over roadways. Next procedural steps are: compile ISTAT survey results this week, pursue state and federal aid as appropriate, begin contracted debris removal starting in the heaviest-affected neighborhoods and continue to provide sheltering and social services to displaced residents.