Harris County Emergency Management Holds Hurricane Drill
Justin Horne
Are you ready? Hurricane season is less than a month away. Harris County Emergency Management prepared by participating in and helping coordinate one of the largest hurricane drills in the nation. The Harris County Emergency Management hopes preparedness will be the key to recovery.
Tuesday drill, called cat-pro, which is short for catastrophic preparedness response operations, involved more than 100 people from many organizations. State, federal, and county representatives worked through chains of command, and on communication. This year's emphasis has been on response, a lesson learned from Ike.
"Quite frankly, every area needs improvement. Our goal is to be better prepared today than we were yesterday. This exercise is a big push forward for that because we get to practice with our partners, share that information, and share lessons learned. So, the entire region benefits from this exercise," said Francisco Sanchez, with the Harris County Emergency Management office.
This annual event, coordinated by the Texas Division of Emergency Management, is one of the largest hurricane preparedness drills in the nation and it also goes beyond government officials. Non-profits and private sector representatives also played a role in the drill.
Tuesday marked the first day of the exercise, with more briefings and meetings planned for Wednesday and Thursday. Hurricane season starts June 1.
Are you ready? Hurricane season is less than a month away. Harris County Emergency Management prepared by participating in and helping coordinate one of the largest hurricane drills in the nation. The Harris County Emergency Management hopes preparedness will be the key to recovery.
Tuesday drill, called cat-pro, which is short for catastrophic preparedness response operations, involved more than 100 people from many organizations. State, federal, and county representatives worked through chains of command, and on communication. This year's emphasis has been on response, a lesson learned from Ike.
"Quite frankly, every area needs improvement. Our goal is to be better prepared today than we were yesterday. This exercise is a big push forward for that because we get to practice with our partners, share that information, and share lessons learned. So, the entire region benefits from this exercise," said Francisco Sanchez, with the Harris County Emergency Management office.
This annual event, coordinated by the Texas Division of Emergency Management, is one of the largest hurricane preparedness drills in the nation and it also goes beyond government officials. Non-profits and private sector representatives also played a role in the drill.
Tuesday marked the first day of the exercise, with more briefings and meetings planned for Wednesday and Thursday. Hurricane season starts June 1.
