City of Houston, Mayor Whitmire announces response plan for hurricane season – Houston Public Media

Tom Peruman

Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced the city’s plans to deal with hurricanes ahead of a severe weather event expected later this week.

Along with leaders of the Emergency Management team at the Houston Emergency Center on Monday, Whitmire said the City of Houston is prepared for any high water that might come with the rain.

Most of the heavy rain will likely fall south of the metro area, along the coast, said Thomas Muñoz, the acting director of Public Safety and Homeland Security.

“Our OEM is at level three, increased awareness to ensure the safety of everyone,” Muñoz said. “Our OEM team is going to be ready to respond. I encourage everyone to go to alertHouston.org and register so you can get our social media points.”

Acting Houston Police Chief Larry Satterwhite says his department is ready for rescues: “We have over 20 rescue trucks, we have over 30 boats. We have almost 300 officers that have been trained in swift water, high water rescue,” Satterwhite said. “ And we’re adding to that every day, so we took it upon ourselves to raise our own bar after Hurricane Harvey.”

Fire Chief Samuel Peña urged people to stay away from flooded streets during and after storms: “We anticipate street-level flooding. That is always a concern. If you cannot see the road, stay off those streets,” Peña said. ‘t know what the water has done, you don’t know how deep it is or if the water has washed out the road.”

Peña also urged residents to get flood insurance.

“The best thing we can do for recovery is to have flood insurance. Flood insurance can take 30 days to activate so you need to make those preparations now.”

After the rain, other departments like the Department of Solid Waste and the Health Department will begin work to clear the streets of any possible debris and ensure residents have safe drinking water and adequate shelters should they need it.

Meanwhile, heat-related issues were top of the list from the Director of Public Health, Stephen Williams. Multiservice centers will open across the city to serve people struggling with the elements and without power.

“From May to November 2023, there were more than 3,500 heat-related illness visits to the Houston area emergency rooms and health facilities,” Williams said.

Mayor Whitmire also vowed senior citizens in independent living facilities would not be forgotten by unscrupulous operators. Where many seniors were left struggling during the last month’s derecho, Mayor Whitmire is taking a stand: “Seniors are the most vulnerable, they depend on someone else, oftentimes they’re bed fastened. They can’t get out; some have no relatives So, we’re their voices But we’re also putting the owners and managers on alert, we will hold them accountable.”

Whitmire said many group homes are run by independent operators and are not licensed. He says he’s working with the District Attorney to prosecute these operators fully should they turn their back on caring for their residents in time of an emergency.