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Emergency Management in Houston: Behind the Scenes at the Heart of Crisis Coordination | Community

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Emergency Management in Houston: Behind the Scenes at the Heart of Crisis Coordination | Community

Derecho (meaning “straight” or, sometimes, “right”) came out of left field, for the most part. Extreme weather conditions were expected, but the strength of the straight-line winds that hit Houston at up to 100 miles per hour were not. A usually empty conference room at the Houston Emergency Management Office on N Shepherd quickly filled with local officials from various departments on May 16, however, to coordinate a cohesive response to the devastating impact of this unexpected weather event.

The facility, which houses both the OEM and the city’s 911 call center, serves as a nerve center for coordinating responses to emergencies, large-scale events, external threats and natural disasters.

In short, according to houstontx.gov, the Houston OEM “is responsible for coordinating mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery efforts for all emergency events occurring in the city.”

For example, in the 10 days following the derecho, the Houston OEM, alongside several city departments, was instrumental in coordinating the following:

  • Over 3,700 service calls to HPD and over 21,000 to Fire & EMS
  • Contacted nearly 3,000 people pre-identified as having a disability, access or functional need; this includes more than 1,000 individual phone calls and more than 800 in-person wellness checks.
  • More than 15,000 meals served and more than 15,000 people served in ice and water distribution centers
  • More than 23,000 calls to 3-1-1
  • Around 1,000 people use our facilities as cooling centers
  • More than 300 overnight stays at 3 American Red Cross shelters in Harris County will remain open until the need disappears.
  • Direct humanitarian response in many elderly and vulnerable communities, where thousands face difficult conditions

In the wings

A week earlier, shortly after the severe flooding in the north of the city, The Leader decided to pay a visit there. After all, this seat of high-level decision-making is right here in the community. We wanted to know what was happening behind the metal barrier, beyond the security posts that grant or deny entry.

Brent Taylor, communications director for the Houston OEM, greeted us just days before the derecho hit and left a path of destruction in its wake. He wouldn’t return home for several days, until the worst of the crisis was dealt with.

Security at the Houston Emergency Center is tight. A high metal fence surrounds the OEM plant in Houston to protect it from unauthorized access. Visitors must register their business and show identification to gain entry.

“We deal with sensitive information, from police data to emergency response resources,” Taylor explained. “In an emergency, this building becomes a hub for city, county, regional and federal support, requiring high security to protect both data and personnel.”

Inside the 911 call center

The 911 call center is an impressive setup. In the vastness of a dimly lit room, rows of desks are arranged in rows, with civilian telephone operators clustered in the center and police and firefighters positioned on either side.

“We have capacity for up to 125 people at a time, handling approximately 3,000 calls per day,” Taylor said. “During major incidents, call volumes can reach 8,000 to 10,000 calls per day.” Immediately after Hurricane Harvey, he added, Houston’s 911 call center received about 100,000 calls in a single weekend.

The center offers multilingual support in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, and can access additional language services for other languages. Call center efficiency is always essential, and especially during a crisis, tracking metrics like call wait times and response times to ensure timely assistance.

Emergency operations and high-level planning

Next stop, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), upstairs, where high-level decisions are made in a crisis.

“Whether it’s extreme weather or major events like the college football championship, this is where supervisors and city managers come together to make critical decisions,” Taylor said.

We pass through long hallways with offices before Taylor leads us to the heart of operations: a large conference room with 10 giant screens displaying and monitoring various cameras throughout the city, weather information, flood and traffic maps, and areas where individual property owners have reported problems. following recent floods. This is the room where city leaders gather before and after major events, accompanied by county, regional, state and federal staff as needed.







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The Houston OEM conference room fills with city leaders and their state and federal counterparts before and after a crisis. (Photo by Stéfanie Thomas)


“These tools help us effectively coordinate responses, from managing highway traffic to monitoring flood levels in real time,” Taylor said. During large events, the EOC monitors downtown media and cameras to ensure public safety and effectively manage crowds.

Taylor explained that before a hurricane threatens the city, the EOC follows a 120-hour schedule to prepare and respond effectively.

“We start with notifications, then move on to allocating resources, preparing employees and setting up shelters, making sure we’re ready to respond as soon as the storm hits,” Taylor said. “We have a saying in emergency management: Ninety-five percent of our work is dedicated to Blue Sky Day, and it all rises to five percent when we know the skies will be gray. »

Public understanding and preparation

Emergency management is often misunderstood, according to Taylor.

“People don’t realize that our job is mainly to coordinate and not to respond directly,” he said. “We ensure first responders have what they need, while planning for worst-case scenarios to mitigate impacts on the community. »

Taylor emphasized the importance of public preparation.

“Individual and family preparation is crucial,” he said. “Knowing where to go, having a plan and having essential supplies can make a significant difference in an emergency. »

We’ve all heard it many times. A lack of preparation can make planning and response problems worse: those who are prepared can be part of the solution; the unprepared part of the problem.

Coordination of volunteers and donations

Volunteers play a vital role in recovery efforts, but coordination is key, Taylor said.

“Self-deployment may create additional risks. We work with groups like VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) to ensure volunteers are used effectively and safely,” he explained. Donations must also be handled carefully. “Financial contributions are often more useful than material goods, which may not meet the immediate needs of the people involved. »

In other words, donating your old weight bench following a disaster is not the right time.

Hurricane Warning Systems and Preparedness

Taylor emphasized the importance of Houston’s official notification system, AlertHouston.

“Residents can sign up to receive alerts by phone, text or email. For life-threatening incidents, we use wireless emergency alerts, the same technology as Amber Alerts.

We asked Taylor what he thought about predictions that the 2024 hurricane season would be extreme and many residents were feeling forecast fatigue. After all, warnings of active hurricane seasons are starting to fall flat after years of uneventful summers in the Houston area. However, when forecasting for hurricane season, meteorologists aim to predict the number of named storms, not necessarily direct hits on the continent.

With June 1 marking the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, Taylor advised against complacency.

“Even if a hurricane does not directly hit Houston, it can still have serious consequences. Look at Hurricane Harvey: It was a tropical storm when it hit Houston, but it parked over the city and dumped an incredible amount of water,” he said. “The scale and unpredictability of such events means we must always be prepared. »

Taylor’s ideas highlight the extensive planning, coordination, and public cooperation needed to effectively manage emergencies. The Houston Emergency Center is ready to protect and serve the city, supported by a dedicated team and comprehensive strategies for any crisis that may arise.

For more information – including resources and preparation tips – please visit houstonoem.org/. To sign up for AlertHouston, go to houstonemergency.org/alerts. To join a volunteer or disaster donation group in the area, visit the National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster website at nvoad.org.

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