As northwest Houston residents continue to recover from the February winter storm that left many without electricity as freezing temperatures swept across the state, Tomball ISD officials estimate the district suffered a total of $647,240 in damages to date, according to a March 8 workshop meeting.
“I’ve been in Tomball for 18 years; I’ve seen the physical impact of tornadoes, four hurricanes, two major flooding events, a wildfire to the north of the district ... and two major arctic ice storms,” Chief Finance Officer Jim Ross said. “I’ll tell you, as far as all of them combined, nothing’s been as bad as this.”
According to Ross, damage costs to facility water boilers and chillers ranged from $19,226 to $200,000. Creekview Elementary School, Tomball Elementary School, Tomball Intermediate School, Tomball High School and the district’s technology building were among the facilities that suffered major damage.
Tomball Memorial High School underwent the most damage due to interior flooding and damage to the fire sprinkler system, according to Ross. With these damages and future restoration costs, an estimated total cost of damages has yet to be determined.
