I attended a first-ever meeting between TV meteorologists and the City Of Houston today at the state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Center. The brainchild of Councilman Adrian Garcia, the meeting was designed to create a dialogue between the people who make decisions for the city and the ones who, for the most part, communicate that information to the public in an emergency like a hurricane.

We're all on the same team when it comes to public safety and Mayor White opened the meeting by expressing a desire to make sure that the messages sent out make sense and that everyone understands the city's intent. The Mayor also wanted to recruit the media to get the word out about some key initiatives.

First, not enough people are signed up for 2-1-1. That's the number to call to register for assistance during an evacuation. It's primarily for those people who don't have any transportation or have special medical needs. It's important to register because the city needs to plan to have enough vehicles and supplies on hand to meet the demand. Once a storm is headed our way, you won't be able to register and it may be harder for the city to help you.

There was also discussion about having a "necessities" list for people choosing to evacuate. During Rita, several cars from the same family were used, when perhaps only one was necessary. Also, people were taking as many possessions as they could with them. It might be better to develop a list of essential items that people should have as they leave the city.

Also, the city wants to encourage more participation in the CERT program. This is the Citizen's Emergency Response Team and it's basically made up of - us, the citizens of Houston. It's a "neighbor-helping-neighbor" initiative at the community level, where residents in a neighborhood learn how to help each other.

Finally, the city realized that a lot of its information about disaster preparedness was scattered. So there is now a single portal for this kind of information: www.readyhoustontx.gov. On it, you'll find an informative video that will give you information about developing your own disaster plan. You can even order this free resource.

The group agreed that there was great value in this kind of meeting and may make it an annual gathering before and after hurricane season.

1 Comments

P J said:

I'm disappointed that you do not show the radar
doppler in motion and with a wider view. Please
remember that your viewing public is much wider
than just Harris County and I have always relied
on the weather from Neal Frank to show the whole
picture.

Please don't forget your other viewers in Austin County and the importance of the radar doppler in motion in order to see and understand the whole
weather picture.

Thank you for your consideration!

June 12, 2008 8:30 PM

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