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.
Tomball ISD issued a districtwide closure on Feb. 17-19 due to the winter storm. The district began the week of Feb. 22 virtually and resumed in-person instruction for all campuses except Tomball Memorial High School on Feb. 23.
What a week it has been!! Once again we’ve seen the resiliency of our @TomballISD community. Thanks to everyone that’s helping restore @TISDTMHS and other schools. We’re making progress daily. More communication will be shared about our return to all campuses soon #BeforeandAfter pic.twitter.com/bc0MOHFMZY
— Dr. Martha SalazarZamora (@m_salazarzamora) February 19, 2021
According to Ross, the district is working on property casualty insurance claims with Harford Fire Insurance Co. that must be settled before receiving additional financial assistance from entities such as the Texas Department of Emergency Management or the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Anna Lotz contributed to this report.
