>> AND GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME
TO "HOUSTON NEWSMAKERS".
WE HAVE THE FIRST THREAT OF THE
TROPICAL SYSTEM THIS PAST WEEK.
LUCKY FOR US, TROPICAL STORM
CINDY WAS NOT A BIG STORM AND
WHAT THERE WAS OF IT MADE
LANDFALL TO OUR EAST.
IT WAS ENOUGH, HOWEVER, TO GET
THE HARRIS COUNTY EMERGENCY
OPERATIONS CENTER UP AND
RUNNING TO KEEP TABS ON WHAT
CINDY MIGHT DO.
IT'S SOMETHING THE CENTER WILL
BE DOING ANY TIME THERE'S A
THREAT TO OUR REGION AND
PROVIDES A WAY TO COORDINATE
INFORMATION ABOUT WHATEVER THE
THREAT IS AND HOW TO RESPOND
EFFECTIVELY.
JOINING ME TO TALK ABOUT THE
CHALLENGE OF KEEPING MORE THAN
FOUR MILLION PEOPLE SAFE DURING
TIMES OF CRISIS AND WHAT WE ALL
NEED TO DO IS FRANCISCO
INFORMATION OFFICER FOR THE
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> WHAT WOULD YOU HOPE THAT
PEOPLE NEED TO DO TO GET READY?
THIS IS A LONG SEASON, SO
THERE'S A LOT TO BE DONE.
>> WE'RE JUST AT THE START OF
WE'VE ALREADY HAD TWO NAMED
STORMS.
I THINK PEOPLE GET COMPLACENT
AT THE START THINKING, OH, I
HAVE UNTIL THE FALL TO GET
READY, BUT THE REALITY IS,
WE'RE IN HURRICANE SEASON NOW.
WE DODGED A BULLET WITH CINDY.
WE GOT LUCKY.
IT'S ALSO A GOOD REMINDER THAT
IF YOU'RE NOT READY, GO OUT
THIS WEEKEND AND TAKE CARE OF
THOSE READINESS SUPPLIES AND
PLANS.
>> HOW FAR OUT DOES THE SYSTEM
HAVE TO BE BEFORE YOU AND THE
CENTER START GETTING RAMPED UP?
>> ANY TIME THERE IS A STORM OR
A POTENTIAL FOR A STORM IN THE
GULF, WE START GEARING UP JUST
TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE.
SOMETIMES WE HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO WATCH IT IN THE
OPEN ATLANTIC AND COME THIS WAY
AND THAT'S IN PLENTY OF TIME,
BUT SOMETIMES WHEN THEY SPIN UP
IN THE GULF OR GETTING CLOSE TO
THAT POINT, WE HAVE TO WATCH
THAT PRETTY CLOSELY BECAUSE
THOSE ARE DIFFICULT STORMS TO
FORECAST, TO PREDICT,AND THOSE
IMPLICATIONS.
>> CINDY DIDN'T MAKE IMPACT,
BUT WAS IT A CHANCE FOR YOU TO
GET THE COBWEBS OUT TO, REALLY
RAMP UP AND SEE WHAT YOU HAVE
TO DO, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE
EVERYTHING IN ORDER?
FOR US.
THE LAST TIME WE HAD A REAL
TROPICAL THREAT TO OUR REGION
WAS HURRICANE IKE, AND THAT WAS
NINE YEARS AGO.
WE PRACTICED PRA AND WE PLAN
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
PLANS ARE REVISED, BUT THAT'S
YEARS, ALMOST.
WE'VE HAD NEW STAFF, OUR
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENTPARTNERS
HAVE NEW STAFF, THERE ARE NEW
PEOPLE TO THE REGION, SO IT WAS
A REALLY GOOD TIME TO TEST
THOSE PLANS, PUT PEOPLE IN A
REAL WORLD SCENARIO THAT THEY
HAVEN'T BEEN IN IN A WHILE AND
REALLY DO THAT IN A REAL-LIFE
SCENARIO.
>> WE TALK ABOUT PEOPLE NEEDING
SEASON.
THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS PEOPLE
NEED TO DO YEAR-ROUND TO BE
READY FOR ALL KINDS OF
EMERGENCIES.
YOUR CENTER IS REALLY ONE OF
THOSE CENTERS THAT TAKES CARE
OF ALL KIND OF EMERGENCIES, BUT
AS WE SEE THE CHANCE FOR
TROPICAL STORMS TO COME
THROUGH, WHAT'S THE BIGGEST
CHALLENGE IN GETTING PEOPLE TO
USE COMMON SENSE?
>> ONE OF THE BIGGEST
CHALLENGES IS COMPLACENCY.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE'VE
HAD ONE.
THERE ARE MORE THAN A MILLION
PEOPLE NEW TO THIS REGION, MANY
OF WHICH HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED A
HURRICANE BEFORE, SO REALLY
GETTING THEM TO UNDERSTAND HOW
IT'S DIFFERENT THAN SOME OF THE
DISASTERS WHERE THEY CAME FROM
AND TRYING TO CHANGE THE
MINDSET OF PREPARING NOT IF A
TROPICAL STORM OR A HURRICANE
EVENTUALLY.
>> DO YOU HAVE AN OFF-SEASON?
AND IF SO, WHAT DO YOU DO
DURING THAT OFF-SEASON?
>> I WISH WE HAD AN OFF-SEASON,
BUT WE DON'T.
WE HAVE 1770 SQUARE MILES.
WE HAVE TO BE PREPARED FOR
STORMS.
WE'VE HAD MORE ICESTORMS SINCE
HURRICANE IKE THAN ANY TROPICAL
THREAT.
LIKE ZIKA, WE WORK WITH PUBLIC
HEALTH OFFICERS.
WE HAVE TO BE READY FOR JUST
ABOUT ANYTHING, AND WE DO THAT
YEAR 'ROUND.
>> WE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE
TRAWLING US ON-LINE AS A RESULT
OF CINDY, AND ALL OF AHEAD OF
THAT, WINDSHIELD -- WE WERE
TELLING PEOPLE THE BIGGEST
EAST.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE FOR
METEOROLOGISTS TO BE SAYING?
WOULD YOU LIKE THEM TO JUST
STATE THE FACTS?
BUT YOU'VE GOT TO GET READY NO
MATTER WHAT.
>> JUST FORECAST THE FORECAST
AS ACCURATE AS POSSIBLE, AND
THAT FORECAST CHANGES FROM HOUR
TO HOUR.
TROPICAL STORMS, HURRICANES OR
EVEN FLOODING EVENTS DON'T GO
BY THE FORECAST.
THEY'RE VERY FIN ICKY.
SOMETIMES THEY'RE TYPICAL TO
FORECASTS AND THAT'S JUST A
REALITY OF THE SCENARIO.
OUR JOB IS TO BE READY.
WHEN WE SAW THE MAJOR FLOODING
EVENTS THE PAST TWO YEARS,
HARRIS COUNTY WAS THE FIRST
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER TO
ACTIVATED.
WE WOULD RATHER BE PROACTIVE.
THAT'S OUR JOB.
TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE AHEAD
OF THE STORM.
OUR JOB IS TO THINK 12, 24, 36
HOURS IN ADVANCE AND TO MAKE
SURE OUR FIRST RESPONDERS HAVE
THE RESOURCES THEY NEED, OUR
PUBLIC HAS THE INFORMATION AND
OUR DECISION MAKERS KNOW THE
BEST AND WORST-CASE SCENARIOS
SO WE CAN ACT ACCORDINGLY.
>> I THINK ABOUT THE TAX DAY
FLOODS AND THOSE KINDS OF BIG
EVENTS THAT YOU HAD TO GET
RAMPED UP PRETTY QUICKLY FOR.
THAT WAS A MAJOR TEST OF YOUR
SKILL AS AN ORGANIZATION, AS AN
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER.
HOW DID YOU DO ON THAT, DO YOU
THINK, AND ALSO, WE HAVE TO
DEAL WITH THE THREAT OF
TERRORISM AND OTHER KINDS OF
THINGS, WHICH WE DON'T WANT TO
THINK ABOUT, BUT THAT'S ONE OF
FOR AS WELL.
>> IN TERMS OF TERRORISM OR
MANMADE INCIDENTS, WE JUST HAD
THE SUPER BOWL.
IF WE ACTIVATED OUR EMERGENCY
OPERATIONS CENTER, WE HAD ABOUT
60 STATE, LOCAL AND FEDERAL
PARTNERS.
WE WORKED WITH THE SUPER BOWL
HOST COMMITTEE TO MAKE SURE THE
TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION WAS
THERE, SECURITY INFORMATION WAS
THERE.
IN TERMS OF THE EMERGENCY
OPERATIONS CENTER AND HOW WE
DID FOR THE FLOODING EVENTS, I
THINK WE DID VERY WELL, BUT
THAT'S NOT JUST SPEAKING FOR A
CREDIT FOR HARRIS COUNTY; IT'S
REALLY A REGIONAL,
COLLABORATIVE APPROACH.
IN THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS
CENTER, WE'VE GOT FIRE SERVICE,
LAW ENFORCEMENT, FLOOD CONTROL,
THE WEATHER SERVICE, PUBLIC
HEALTH, TRANSPORTATION PARTNERS.
WE HAVE TO HAVE THE RIGHT FOLKS
IN THAT ROOM TO HAVE ALL OF THE
INFORMATION AND MAKE SURE WE'RE
ALL GOING IN THE SAME
DIRECTION, WHAT'S THE BEST CASE
SCENARIO, WHAT'S THE WORST-CASE
SCENARIO, AND TO PREPARE
ACCORDINGLY, AND IF EVERYTHING
GOES THE WAY I WANTED IT TO
GO, ALL OF THOSE STEPS IN
PLACE, WE'LL BE READY AND THE
WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MISS US, SO
IF WE COULD DO THAT EVERY TIME,
I'D BE HAPPY.
>> THE GOOD THING IS WE HAVE AN
OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE THE
INFORMATION YOU PROVIDE TO ALL
OF THE VOYEURS THROUGHOUT THERE
AND THAT'S A GREAT WAY FOR
PEOPLE TO KEEP TRACK OF WHAT
THEY NEED TO DO GOING FORWARD.
>> AND A IT'S A PARTNERSHIP WE
VALUE.
THE MEDIA COMES OVER AND WE
MAKE SURE, FROM THOSE LIVE
SHOTS TO THE CALL-INS TO FOLKS
LIKE YOU, IT'S REALLY A
SURE THE PUBLIC HAS THE
INFORMATION BECAUSE IT CHANGES
VERY QUICKLY AND Y'ALL ARE
GREAT PARTNERS IN HELPING US
GET THAT WORD OUT.
ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU.