What is your overall scope of work here in Katy?
I’m responsible for all of the emergency operations plans within the city of Katy. I’m responsible for our hazard mitigation plans [and] our continuity of operations plans. I’m responsible for making sure that the city is prepared for, can respond to and can recover from any natural or man-made disaster. I ensure our staff is developed and trained to respond to any emergency operations center activation. The emergency manager is a catchall.
From an emergency management standpoint, is the city ready if another Hurricane Harvey rolls in?
I think our staff is better prepared to handle another Harvey. We still have a long way to go as far as staff development and training within the [EOC]. Before I got here, they didn’t have a lot of time spent in their [EOC]—in that environment. They’ve gone through the Tax Day Floods [in 2016]. They’ve gone through Harvey [in 2017]. They’ve gone through bad days, but as far as doing it [in] a … more organized manner–we have a long way to go as far as development and training in our [EOC].
What are Katy’s strengths from an emergency operations standpoint?
People are buying into wanting to get better–wanting those trainings. Wanting to learn. There’s great people in our city–our city staff. They’re not necessarily new to emergency management, but [to] being part of a team in the [emergency operations center], a structured EOC. There’s great buy-in I think from all the city staff as far as wanting to get training. In some cities, when you start out–emergency management’s kind of an afterthought until something … like [Hurricane] Harvey happens. So, staff might not necessarily think that you’re needed, but people here in Katy have been very receptive [to my ideas].
What strategies are you using to raise the city’s level of readiness?
Well, first of all, identifying the correct people [to] be on our emergency operations team. We’re developing trainings to make sure that those individuals are trained to respond to any type of incident or activation in the EOC. ... Once we get them trained, we’ll start to develop our processes and procedures and do exercises to practice for [emergencies]. We hope to never have another Harvey again, but if we do, we’re better off and prepared.
What relationships do you have with neighboring municipalities?
Our best relationships will be with the counties: Harris County, Waller County [and] Fort Bend County. We have relationships with those county emergency management agencies. We have a great relationship with the state of Texas. We’re building relationships with all of our stakeholders in the area: local businesses, the oil and gas industry. Any type of stakeholder that’s out there, we’re [building] those relationships.
Where can Katy residents get accurate emergency information?
You can follow us on Twitter [at] @CityOfKatyOEM. Then our Facebook pages: the city’s official Facebook page, the [Office of Emergency Management’s] Facebook page. We’ll be putting out our information releases. … [Mayor Chuck Brawner] likes to do press releases on YouTube, so anytime that we have an incident, let’s say if we have a Harvey, we’ll be putting out constant information through our social media. ... We’ll put all that information out through local media groups as well...
What can readers do to be better prepared for emergencies?
The best thing that they can do is to always be situationally aware. [F]ollow the National Weather Service for any type of natural disasters. Pay attention to local media whenever they’re reporting on stuff. The second thing [is] to have a communication plan within [their families]. Know how [they’re] going to communicate with their children in case something happens [and for family members out of town], let them know that you’re OK. [Emergency supplies are important.] ... I would suggest a week [of supplies]. The way that disasters in our country are getting bigger and badder, you should really be able to try to survive a week on your own.
