Emergency Preparedness Fort Bend County residents are no strangers to emergencies. Our location along the Gulf Coast, in combination with our status as one of the nation’s industrial centers leaves us vulnerable to many natural and human-caused hazards. When emergencies occur, our daily lives can be disrupted, having serious effects on our families, friends, and neighbors. This is why preparedness is so important. Having knowledge, skills, and abilities to respond to a disaster is everyone’s job. As a Fort Bend County resident, you can do this by following a four-step preparedness process: making a plan, having an emergency kit, being informed about disasters, and helping members of your community prepare themselves. Fort Bend County HSEM works to help residents prepare, but also serves as the coordinator of the County disaster response. Working with the resources of the County, HSEM ensures County departments collaborate to manage the emergency, and through a variety of plans and agreements, brings in outside help to restore basic services and help Fort Bend County get back to business. Working together, Fort Bend County residents, businesses, and community organizations play a key role in how quickly we recover from disasters. This Disaster Preparedness Guide will help you be better prepared for the next big disaster. Thank you for taking the first step.

Hurricane Preparedness

Protect your personal documents and special items.
Build your disaster evacuation kit.
Buy flood insurance.
Flood proof your home.
Develop a family evacuation plan.

Winter Preparedness

Pay attention to weather reports and warnings of freezing weather and winter storms. Listen for emergency information and alerts.
Gather supplies in case you need to stay home for several days without power. Keep in mind each person’s specific needs, including medication. Remember the needs of your pets. Have extra batteries for radios and flashlights.
Only use generators and grills outdoors and away from windows. Never heat your home with a gas stovetop or oven.

Weather Websites

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - https://www.noaa.gov/
National Weather Service Safety Tips - https://www.weather.gov/safety/
NOAA - Watches, Warnings or Advisories for Texas - https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/tx.php?x=1
LCRA Flood Operations Report - https://floodstatus.lcra.org/
Corpus Christi Weather - https://www.weather.gov/crp/
Houston Weather - https://www.weather.gov/hgx/
Brownsville Weather - https://www.weather.gov/bro/
Lake Charles, LA (Southeast Texas) Weather - https://www.weather.gov/lch/
U.S Geological Survey app to let users locate stream gauges and water conditions near them - https://txpub.usgs.gov/water-onthego/

Federal Disaster Assistance

Once there is a federal disaster declaration, residents of impacted counties can register for individual assistance by visiting https://www.disasterassistance.gov/ or calling 1-800-621-3362.
You can also email FEMA from the Disaster Assistance webform.

CRITICAL LOAD

The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) provides that certain non-residential customers may be eligible under Chapter 25.497 for designation as a Critical Load customer. A definition of a critical load customer is as follows:

CRITICAL LOAD PUBLIC SAFETY CUSTOMER

A customer for whom electric service is considered crucial for the protection or maintenance of public safety, including but not limited to hospitals, police stations, fire stations, and critical water and wastewater facilities.

CRITICAL LOAD INDUSTRIAL CUSTOMER

An industrial customer for whom an interruption or suspension of electric service will create a dangerous or life-threatening condition on the retail customer’s premises.

CRITICAL LOAD DESIGNATED CUSTOMERS

Designation as Critical Load Public Safety or Critical Load Industrial qualifies these customers for notifications of planned interruptions or suspensions of service.

If you need to submit your critical load submission to the Emergency Operation Center of Fort Bend County, please follow this link to our planning management tool VEOCI: https://veoci.com/v/p/form/czbdauxxnapt

Please be aware that designation as Critical Load does not guarantee an uninterrupted supply of electricity. It is the responsibility of the customer to make arrangements for alternative sources of electric power should a localized outage or load shed event occur.