Hi all, Steve here again with another update from our branch manager for Texas City and LaPorte branches. Tonie reports: Texas City:

• All power lines down around building
• Flag pole bent in half
• Neighbors fence in back of building all down
• Advised by police not to return to Texas City today

LaPorte:

• Windows and doors blown into the building the branch is in.

This is the latest from the City of Lake Jackson Emergency Management Office:

Lake Jackson experienced hurricane force winds for several hours. Lake Jackson has significant damage to trees and power lines. Many roads are impassable. All power is out to the city. For any updated information please call 979-415-2400. This will be a recorded update. Please be patient because we will only have a handful of people answering the calls. Please understand that immediate re-entry to the city is not possible. We need to get a handle on the damage to the city and when we can expect power may be restored and other essential services back up and running. Everyone please be safe and thank you for your patience and understanding. We are doing our best to protect our community.

We have a new traffic update: I-10 in Sequin heading east is running about 30 miles per hour. There are lots of military and emergency vehicles on the road. If you can, stay where you're at. Try not to travel on I-10 east between San Antonio and Houston.

It's Steve again.  We are now getting some updates from the city and county after they have started assessing the damage. The city of Lake Jackson will not allow citizens re-entry at this time, the earliest date will be Monday, September 15th.  The Lake Jackson streets are fairly impassable; there are downed trees and hot power lines on the roads that are not marked.  This is a dangerous situation, and there is no medical care or emergency services available for citizens.  Power is not expected to be restored until after Tuesday, September 16th at the earliest. There are downed power lines throughout the county that are not marked, as well as trees covering roads.  All Texas-New Mexico power to the county is down.

Hi Everyone, Steve here.  Our first updates are starting to roll in.  So far we can consider ourselves very fortunate. Lake Jackson Branch

• No apparent structural damage to main building or the call center. Can't get in the buildings to determine leaks. Most of the small trees around the call center have been up rooted.
• Brazos Square is fully intact, even the awnings are in place. All windows intact to our facilities.
• A team will be sent in as soon as possible to further assess the possible damage.

Brazoria Branch

• Police won't let us up Hwy 36 due to downed power lines, but they report our building is fine. Will try to get more information later.

Angleton Branch

• No apparent structural damage. Minor shingles blown off drive thru and ceiling tile fell down in one of the drive thru lanes next to main building.
• Can't get in to determine water damage.

Freeport Branch

• No visual report at this time. But all indications are good that the branch did not flood based on the reporters running up and down Brazosport Blvd.

Texas City/LaPorte Branches

• No report at this time.

Houston Branch

• No report at this time.

I will continue to keep everyone updated as more details become available. Also go to http://tdecu.org/locations/BranchStatus.aspx for information on the status of all the branches.  Feel free to post a comment here or submit a blog post to me or Trey (treeme at tdecu dot org). Even though the storm has passed, please continue to keep yourselves and your families safe!

Highlights from The Facts blog and reporters who are on the streets in south Brazoria County:

• In Angleton there were signs of damaged roofs, though these appeared mostly to just have had shingles torn loose and not structural, and tree limbs strewn around the town.
• In Lake Jackson, lumber looked to be the main issue with both trees and wooden fencing strewn about. Lake Jackson and Clute look to have survived Ike with minimal structural damage. 
• No deep standing water was seen in Lake Jackson or Clute, but in Clute a damage assessment was under way, and media members were being turned away at all the entrances to the city by emergency crews until it could be completed.
• Dow Texas Operations looked largely unscathed saved for some downed power lines, which were a problem throughout southern and central Brazoria County. Trucks from Texas-New Mexico Power and CenterPoint could be seen rumbling through the area as electricity remained out.
• According to reports, "Lake Jackson police don't want people to try to come back or even call to inquire about that until noon."

We don't know the full extent of the damage in our communities yet, but we have a plan and commitment for helping our members rebuild. From the Victoria Advocate this morning:

TDECU assists members in weathering Ike TDECU wants to reassure its more than 125,000 members that there is no cause to worry financially. Whether their situation finds them unable to make a loan payment or in need of an emergency loan to make post-hurricane repairs, TDECU has them covered.

“First and foremost, we want our members, which also includes our employees, to stop and take a deep breath. The last thing they need to be concerned about right now is a pending loan payment or what affect a missed payment will have on their credit score,” said Edward C. Speed, President and CEO of TDECU.

During its 54-year history, TDECU has seen its members through a number of emergency situations, including the devastation wrecked by Hurricane Carla in 1961 and Hurricane Rita in 2005. As a result, TDECU has deep experience in assisting members in such heightened states of alarm.

“We helped our great-grandparents, grandparents and parents get through Hurricane Carla, and we’ll all get through Ike together,” said Speed. “We’ve done it before and we’ll do it again.”

First, while in evacuation mode, TDECU members can access their funds from any of the credit union’s 32,000 surcharge-free Allpoint™ ATMs and are able to withdraw up to $1,000 in available funds daily and can make up to $5,000 in purchases. Members can also request an increase in their line of credit. As members return home and assess damage, they can turn to TDECU for a loan for cash for living expenses, to repair homes, to replace vehicles, to replace the destroyed contents of their business or for other immediate financial needs.

TDECU also wants to reassure its members that have existing loans not to worry about making or missing a payment. TDECU has activated its Universal Skip-a-Payment program, allowing its members to skip their next regular loan payment to TDECU.

“In the past, we have deferred loan payments due to fires, plant shutdowns and other disasters. Ike is no different. We don’t want our members to worry. We are standing by to work with them. If they can’t make that loan payment, we understand. Go ahead and skip it. As a not-for-profit financial institution, we can wait,” said Speed. “Our members need only contact us and we will jump into action to assist them and get them the help they need.”

TDECU members needing assistance can visit www.tdecu.org or call the TDECU emergency hotline at 1-800-839-1154. On the Web site, members can find up-to-date information on Hurricane Ike and TDECU branch closures. TDECU’s blog found at www.tdecu.wordpress.com is also being constantly updated with information for the public and its employees and members. About TDECU Founded in 1955, TDECU is a not-for-profit financial cooperative with over 125,000 members and more than $1.3 billion in assets. TDECU currently has 14 branch locations and offers a complete selection of convenient, innovative, and competitive products and services — including savings, checking, certificates of deposit, IRAs, money market accounts, auto and home loans, credit cards, free online banking and bill pay, investment services, and much more. Members can also access over 32,000 surcharge-free Allpoint™ ATMs nationwide.