Residents press Potter County leaders for clearer communication, debris removal and renter assistance

Several residents used public comment to press county leadership for more direct outreach and clearer lines of contact for survivors. Connie Danner said she had written letters to the city and county and had received little response; she asked the court for a single contact name and number for residents to use for disaster-related questions and complaints. "There's a lot of frustration and a lot of finger pointing from the city to the county, and it's just no there's no responsibility," she said.

Jerry Glover and other residents echoed calls for better proactive communication: Glover said, "We are 4 weeks plus after this disaster...and we are just now having people on the agenda to talk about what could have been done," and urged the court to do more outreach beyond posting resources online to reach elderly and isolated residents. Residents also raised practical recovery concerns: whether the county or city would allow fire victims to dump debris at the municipal landfill at no cost; whether limb piles would be hauled by county crews; and reports of some contractors offering paid services and taking materials from yards before clear vetting.

Commissioners acknowledged communication delays, apologized for confusing information, and said an after-action review and better signage/notification approaches would be part of the recovery plan. Staff and VOAD representatives encouraged residents to complete agency intake forms (TDEM ISTAT and VOAD intake) to be prioritized for case management and assistance.