Latest news with #HurricaneIke
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Galveston's Jamaica Beach Gets $5.1M Boost for Hurricane Protection
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham has announced a $5.1 million beach restoration project for Jamaica Beach on Galveston Island. The Texas General Land Office will add 61,000 cubic yards of sand across 3,300 feet of shoreline. The project aims to protect coastal communities and wildlife habitats from future hurricane damage. Federal emergency funds are expected to cover 90% of costs. 'As a proud Texan who called Galveston Island home for more than a decade, ensuring these beautiful beaches are strong and resilient is one of my top priorities,' said Buckingham. She emphasized the project would 'fortify this essential stretch of the Texas coast against damage from future hurricanes, making communities safer and wildlife habitats more secure.' Construction crews will build the beach to 5 feet elevation with an average 150-foot width. These specifications should help withstand severe storms. The work originated as a repair response to Hurricane Ike damage. Still, it's evolved into a forward-looking resilience effort. Construction began on the beach's west end and moves eastward. Crews avoid nights, weekends, and holidays to minimize disruption. Beach sections reopen as work completes in each area. The entire project should wrap up by late August 2025. Jamaica Beach sits adjacent to Galveston Island State Park. The area serves both tight-knit residential communities and recreational visitors. Buckingham made history in 2022 as Texas' first female Land Commissioner. Her priorities include disaster recovery, energy support, and border security.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Galveston beach homeowners accuse city officials of having no road since Hurricane Beryl
The Brief Galveston homeowners say they used to have a paved road that ran in front of their beachhouse. However, that road hasn't been there since Hurricane Beryl. The homeowners accused the city of dragging their feet in an effort to fix the road. City officials said they will be repairing the road with new limestone, but not with a hard surface road. GALVESTON, Texas - Fawn and Terry Maldonado had a paved road that ran in front of their Galveston beach house on Buena Vista Drive. Fawn has pictures to prove it. What they're saying "See how many people were parking there. We had no issues. No one was worried about getting stuck," she said. The couple can't even park in front of their own home. "We haven't had a street since Hurricane Beryl," Terry said. "The last time that I drove down here and parked in front of my house, I got stuck." "We've spoken to the Mayor's office, the City Manager's office, the public works supervisor," said Fawn, who has neighbors as frustrated as she. "We're all in the same situation, and after speaking with them, they're hearing the exact same thing I have," she said. "You don't have to complete the thing but do something to improve it from where it is now," said Mike Chambers. "We've seen emergency vehicles come back here, and they have to back up because they can't turn around." What's the city's response? "They keep saying that they're going to fix it," Fawn said. "They just keep kicking the can down the road." The other side In a statement to FOX 26's Randy Wallace, officials with the city of Galveston, said, "Just following up with you on Buena Vista Drive. I spoke with our public works team and this is what's going on with the road: The City of Galveston has completed many repairs to West End roads since Hurricane Beryl and our work there is ongoing. Nearly half of our budget for streets is spent on the West End and crews are constantly working in the area to keep sand off the roadways. East Buena Vista Drive and West Buena Vista Drive have both recently been bladed (sand removed) to make the road more passable. The problems in this area have been ongoing since Hurricane Ike when the beach row of homes was destroyed. Since, it has been a constant battle to keep sand off this road and this has been exacerbated by the lack of rain this spring. However, the city performs regularly blading in the area. While we would like to do a hard surface road on East and West Buena Vista Drive, we are prohibited by the GLO. We have been working with our state partners to maximize our sustainable options and looking at other surfaces. As of now, the plan is to repair the road with new limestone and those repairs are forthcoming in the coming weeks. City Council has prioritized beach nourishment projects in this area because of erosion, and one is planned for later this year. While this won't necessarily result in less sand on the road, the project would help by keeping tides farther from the infrastructure and preventing the road from washing out." The Source FOX 26 Reporter Randy Wallace spoke with Galveston beach homeowners and got a response from the City of Galveston.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Yahoo
Three Charged with Defrauding FEMA After Claiming Losses in Recent L.A. Wildfires
Three accused con artists have been arrested and charged with fraudulently trying to obtain tens of thousands of dollars in federal disaster-relief money by falsely claiming their properties were destroyed in the Eaton and Palisades wildfires, federal authorities announced Turner, a 55-year-old Texas resident; Tyrone D. Barnes Jr., 38, of Paramount; and Hedeshia Robertson, 36, of Lakewood were arrested Tuesday on charges they filed false claims for funds with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in California's Central District. 'These defendants allegedly made false and fraudulent claims to FEMA for emergency benefits related to wildfires that devastated Los Angeles County two months ago,' said Acting United States Attorney Joseph McNally. 'These false claims resulted in badly needed disaster-relief money being denied to actual wildfire victims while these defendants allegedly used property information to illegally line their own pockets.' Barnes submitted a disaster relief claim to FEMA for an Altadena property owned by "other individuals who did not know Barnes," federal prosecutors in L.A. say. "The true owners of the property contacted FEMA about potential assistance, which is when they learned another person had already submitted an application in relation to their property." He will make his initial appearance in a DTLA courtroom Wednesday afternoon, along with Hedeshia Robertson, who also made a claim against a Pacific Palisades property that she did not own, prosecutors say. Tuner, who has never lived in California, is an accused career conwoman who initially told FEMA that a Pasadena rental property on Walnut Street had been damaged in the Eaton fire, according to a federal criminal complaint. The area was not in the burn zone, so the following day she amended her claim to state she lived on Del Rey Avenue in Pasadena and submitted a bogus lease to support her fraud. She soon received a $25,000 check. And it wasn't her first fraud, prosecutors say. She put in "at least ten other applications to FEMA for disaster relief after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricane Ike three years later, along with Hurricane Isaac in 2012 and Hurricane Harvey five years later. Lastly she got a FEMA check last year after Hurricane Beryl, according to court filings. Her "criminal history showing previous arrests and convictions for fraud offenses,' according to a criminal affidavit. Turner is scheduled to make her initial appearance today in United States District Court in the Southern District of Texas and is expected to appear in the Central District of California in the coming charge of fraud in connection with major disaster or emergency benefits carries a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Yahoo
2 SoCal residents charged with defrauding FEMA after Palisades, Eaton fires
Two Southern Californians are among three people charged by the United States Department of Justice with trying to defraud FEMA in the wake of the Eaton and Palisades fires. Tyrone D. Barnes Jr., 38, of Paramount, and Hedeshia Robertson, 36, of Lakewood, were arrested Tuesday, the DOJ said in a news release. The third alleged fraudster, Joyce Turner, 55, of Rosharon, Texas, was arrested Friday. Barnes 'submitted a disaster relief claim to FEMA for an Altadena property owned by other individuals who did not know Barnes,' the DOJ said. 'The true owners of the property contacted FEMA about potential assistance, which is when they learned another person had already submitted an application in relation to their property,' the release added. Robertson is accused of 'seeking benefits related to a damaged residence in the Pacific Palisades that she did not own, did not rent, and in which she did not reside or work,' resulting in her obtaining just short of $25,000 in FEMA benefits. The Texan Turner tried a similar scheme, prosecutors said, submitting 'an application claiming her home had been destroyed in the Eaton fire, but she appears never to have lived in California and in fact had no connection to the address she claimed was destroyed in the fire.' Instead, she allegedly forged a lease making it look like she lived there, and she received more than $25,000 from FEMA because of the fraudulent submissions,' the release said. This also isn't Turner's first time being accused of similar frauds. 'Turner submitted at least ten other applications to FEMA for disaster relief (so eleven total) related to seven other federally declared disasters, e.g., Hurricane Katrina (2005), Hurricane Ike (2008), Hurricane Isaac (2012), Hurricane Harvey (2017), and Hurricane Beryl (2024), and otherwise has a criminal history showing previous arrests and convictions for fraud offenses,' prosecutors said. The three face charges of fraud in connection with a major disaster or emergency, which carries a prison term of up to 30 years, and making a false, fictitious or fraudulent claim against the United States, which can result in a prison sentence of up to five years. 'Criminals will seize every opportunity to defraud the government, even at the expense of those who have lost everything,' said Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles Acting Special Agent in Charge John Pasciucco. 'We strongly urge the public to report any suspicious activity related to disaster relief claims to the HSI Los Angeles' El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force and our law enforcement partners.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Yahoo
Their homes burned in wildfires. Fraudsters took their disaster relief funds, feds say
Three people have been arrested and charged with fraudulently trying to obtain tens of thousands of dollars in federal disaster-relief money by falsely claiming their properties were destroyed in the Eaton and Palisades wildfires, federal authorities announced Wednesday. Joyce Turner, a 55-year-old Texas resident; Tyrone D. Barnes Jr., 38, of Paramount; and Hedeshia Robertson, 36, of Lakewood were arrested Tuesday after being charged with defrauding the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles. The defendants allegedly took advantage of a FEMA program created in the wake of the Eaton and Palisades fires, disasters that began tearing through the state in early January and collectively burned nearly 37,600 acres, destroyed more than 16,000 structures and resulted in the deaths of 29 people. "These false claims resulted in badly needed disaster-relief money being denied to actual wildfire victims while these defendants allegedly used property information to illegally line their own pockets,' said acting U.S. Atty. Joseph McNally. Read more: Teams being deployed to prevent, prosecute insurance fraud after fires The defendants could not be reached for comment. It is unclear whether Turner has legal representation. Barnes and Robertson's public defender did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Turner allegedly submitted an application on Jan. 9 claiming that a Pasadena rental property on Walnut Street had been damaged in the Eaton fire, according to a federal criminal complaint. The following day, Turner allegedly called into the FEMA disaster center hotline to modify the address to a townhouse on Del Rey Avenue. She allegedly forged a lease to appear as if she lived at the home on Del Rey Avenue, and as a result, federal authorities say, Turner received more than $25,000 from FEMA. The Walnut Street address was not damaged in the fire. Although the Del Rey Avenue property was damaged, the property owners had not applied for disaster assistance. The Del Rey Avenue home had been listed for sale in 2024 and was vacant prior to the fires, according to the complaint. Federal authorities said Turner appears never to have lived in California. Read more: LAPD says wildfire-relief scammers are on the prowl, offers tips, resources According to the complaint, Turner submitted at least 10 other applications to FEMA for disaster relief tied to Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ike, Hurricane Isaac, Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Beryl. Her criminal history includes prior arrests and convictions for fraud offenses, authorities said Wednesday. Turner also allegedly applied for unemployment insurance benefits from the California Employment Development Department in August 2020 and again this January, according to the complaint. EDD paid her more than $50,000 tied to one claim, authorities said. Barnes, who has been charged with a false, fictitious, or fraudulent claim against the U.S., allegedly submitted a disaster relief claim to FEMA for an Altadena property owned by other individuals who did not know Barnes, according to a federal indictment. The true owners of the property on Harding Avenue learned of the fraud after contacting FEMA about potential assistance. The victims, identified in the indictment only by their initials, M.S. and A.S., were told someone else had already submitted an application for their property, according to the indictment. Robertson allegedly filed a fraudulent application for FEMA benefits on Jan. 28, seeking benefits tied to a damaged residence in Pacific Palisades. Authorities said Robertson didn't own, rent, reside or work at that property. As a result of the application, Robertson allegedly obtained nearly $25,000 in FEMA benefits. In February Robertson also submitted a letter to FEMA requesting additional assistance, stating, "I have lost both my home and workplace, leaving me in an extremely difficult financial and personal situation," according to a criminal complaint. At the time of her arrest, Robertson also allegedly attempted to obtain additional FEMA benefits for a purported property lease in San Francisco. A charge of fraud in connection with major disaster or emergency benefits could result in up to 30 years in prison, according to the U.S. attorney's office in L.A. A charge of false, fictitious or fraudulent claim against the U.S. could result in up to five years. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
