Bee Cave, Lakeway and Village of the Hills teamed up to hire an emergency management coordinator to serve the three cities in April 2021. Emergency management coordinator Waheeda Yousofzoy said the cities have worked tirelessly to become efficient and proactive by improving communication and raising awareness in the community.
“I hope [communities] understand that at the end of the day, their safety is No. 1 for us,” Yousofzoy said. “We’re there to provide the resources they need.”
Two-minute impact
The three cities decided to create one position to oversee emergency management after Lake Travis Fire Rescue approached them with the idea of hiring an emergency management coordinator in late 2019, LTFR Fire Chief Robert Abbott said.
Abbott said since LTFR oversees the three cities, it would make sense for the emergency management coordinator to all serve the same area.
Lakeway City Council approved the creation of the position in June 2020, according to prior reporting by Community Impact. The first emergency management coordinator, Paul Harvey, was hired in April 2021.
“Winter Storm Uri absolutely highlighted the need for a full-time, professionally trained and accomplished EMC,” Abbott said.
Prior to the hiring of the emergency management coordinator, LTFR served in the role, Abbott said.
The biggest challenge for LTFR during Winter Storm Uri was ensuring the fire stations remained functional and online with the number of utility challenges, Abbott said.
“The entire team rose to the needs and adapted to the challenges,” he said. “During the peak of the event, we had anywhere from 40-50 firefighters on duty at any time, around the clock.”
Winter Storm Mara hit in January 2023, just a couple of months after Yousofzoy began serving in the position, she said.
Yousofzoy said communication is key when it comes to emergency management in a disaster situation.
“I don’t think anybody was expecting Storm Mara to occur,” she said. “We utilized Voyent—the cities’ alert system—a lot to prepare the community.”
The four factors of emergency management include:
- Mitigation/prevention: actions taken to prevent an incident from occurring
- Preparedness: planning, training, outreach and public education to create awareness of potential dangers
- Response: using available resources to meet needs in a disaster situation
- Recovery: long-range support of restoring the community to pre-disaster conditions
The City of Bee Cave hosted their quarterly Business Roundtable meeting in January, where they discussed emergency preparedness with approximately 50 business owners, Bee Cave Mayor Kara King said.
Austin Energy, Lake Travis Fire Rescue and Yousofzoy answered questions, provided resources and tips at the meeting, Yousofzoy said.
King said she felt it was important for Bee Cave to up the level of engagement with local business owners. She said the meeting helped business owners to understand the utility aspect as it pertains to emergency situations.
“We want them to feel supported in case they did have to shut their businesses down for a few days [due to an emergency situation],” King said.
The most important thing business owners can do for themselves is to sign up on the Voyent Alert system, Yousofzoy said.
“We’re trying to do our due diligence by making sure they’re able to be in the system and get those important messages,” she said.
The impact
Local business owner Melissa Takamatsu, who owns Epps Body & Paint in Bee Cave and Lawson’s Tire & Automotive in Austin, said Winter Storm Uri caused the pipes to burst at her Austin business.
The water had been turned off, but remaining water in the pipes caused them to burst, Takamatsu said. One of the mechanics at the shop was able to fix the pipes because they were exposed, she said.
“Otherwise it probably would have cost a couple thousand dollars,” she said.
Winter Storms Uri and Mara had a significant financial impact on the three cities, some of which has been reimbursed via public assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, Yousofzoy said.
Yousofzoy said establishing an emergency management coordinator role for the cities strategically reduces emergency costs.
“The EMC optimizes resource allocation, directing personnel and supplies efficiently to minimize waste,” she said. “Comprehensive preparedness and planning prevent damages, expedite decision-making and reduce incident duration, effectively minimizing overall costs.”
Yousofzoy said proactive risk assessment and mitigation contribute to financial savings by averting or lessening emergency impacts, and community outreach enhances resilience, which could potentially reduce emergency service demand and financial burdens.
What’s next?
Yousofzoy said the cities are trying to be even more prepared in the future.
An overnight warming center is in the works to be used as needed in emergency situations, Yousofzoy said.
Lakeway Church will be used as the warming center and overnight shelter during future emergencies, she said.
