* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:18] THANK YOU. YES, MA'AM. GOOD AFTERNOON. AS WAS SCHEDULED THIS AFTERNOON, A PRESS AVAILABILITY TO DISCUSS PREPARATION FOR HURRICANE SEASON. UH, THE CITY'S TEAM IS GATHERED WITH ME. WE'VE BEEN WORKING FOR WEEKS, MONTHS TO DISCUSS HURRICANE SEASON. OUR FIRST RESPONDERS HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH HOURS OF TRAINING, AND OF COURSE, WHETHER IT'S THE KINGWOOD FLOODS OR THE STORMS, UH, WE'VE BEEN HERE MORE THAN WE LIKE. UH, PREVIOUS STORM WAS INTENSE SUDDEN, AND WE LEARNED FROM TRO THAT YOU HAVE TO ALWAYS BE PREPARED. SO WE HAVE OUR EQUIPMENT IN GREAT SHAPE, OUR STAFFING, ALL HANDS ON DECK, AND IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR PREPARATION, BEING VERY PROACTIVE, WHETHER IT'S TO GET READY OR THE RECOVERY COMPONENT. HOUSTONIANS NEED TO KNOW THAT CITY GOVERNMENT IS AT WORK SO THEY CAN GO TO WORK, BE SAFE, GO TO SCHOOL, BE WITH THEIR FAMILIES, FRIENDS, AND WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO PREPARE FOR HURRICANE SEASON. NOW, WITH THAT SAID, WHAT'S ON ALL OF OUR MINDS TODAY IS THE DISTURBANCE IN THE GULF. I'LL GIVE YOU A WEATHER REPORT. MOST OF YOU HAVE YOUR OWN WEATHER, UH, PERSONNEL, BUT, UH, WE'RE MONITORING IT VERY CAREFULLY. I, ME, HOUSTONIANS TO STAY IN CONTACT WITH THE MEDIA WITH THEIR FRIENDS, BE CAREFUL WISE, SMART. WE'RE GONNA HAVE LARGE AMOUNTS OF RAIN THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THERE'LL BE LOCALIZED FLOODING, MOST OF IT LOCATED SOUTH OF I 10, BUT I'LL LEAVE THAT TO OUR WEATHER PERSONNEL TO GIVE YOU A MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION. BUT AS WE PREPARE FOR HURRICANE SEASON, WE'RE SEEING TODAY AND THIS WEEK, LARGE AMOUNTS OF RAIN. AS THE SYSTEM IS FURTHER DEVELOPED, WE'LL HAVE MORE SPECIFICS, BUT AT THIS TIME, BECAUSE I KNOW THIS IS WHAT HOUSTONIANS ARE HEARING ABOUT THIS WEEK, AND THEN WE'LL GET BACK TO THE PREPARATION IN THE LONG RUN, UH, FOR HURRICANE SEASON, UH, I MIGHT MENTION IN PREPARATION FOR HEARING ABOUT THE WEATHER THAT WE'RE DOING, EVERYTHING WE CAN, SOLID WASTE IS HERE. WE'LL HEAR FROM THE DIRECTOR. WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO PICK UP THE DEBRIS FROM PREVIOUS STORMS, AND ALSO DOING OUR BEST TO IMPROVE OUR DRAINAGE. SOMEDAY. AT ANOTHER DISCUSSION, WE'LL TALK ABOUT HOW NEGLECTED HOUSTON'S DRAINAGE SYSTEMS BEEN FOR YEARS WITH DEBRIS FROM PREVIOUS STORMS, GRASS CLIPPINGS. WE'VE GOTTA DO A BETTER JOB OF DEALING WITH OUR DRAINAGE, BECAUSE MANY TIMES IT'S NOT A STORM, BUT EVEN A TWO INCH CLOUDBURST CAN DO SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING. SO, MATT LENZA WITH, UH, SPACE CITY WELFARE, WELFARE, WEATHER. WELL, YOU COME GIVE US A REAL TIME DESCRIPTION OF WHAT WE'RE FACING. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. AGAIN, UH, MATT LANZA WITH THE SPACE CITY WEATHER. UM, THANKS FOR HAVING ME OUT HERE. UH, MR. MAYOR, TO JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, THE WEATHER. AGAIN, YOU KNOW, AS, AS THE MAYOR STATED, WE ARE EXPECTING, UH, A GOOD BIT OF RAIN OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS, ESPECIALLY TO THE SOUTH OF HOUSTON. UH, THERE ARE FLOOD WATCHES IN EFFECT, UH, FOR THE AREA. AGAIN, WE ALL KNOW HOW RAIN WORKS HERE. IT CAN COME DOWN PRETTY HARD AND, UH, IT CAN CAUSE SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING. SO OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, UH, WE'D CERTAINLY URGE PEOPLE TO JUST BE SMART, USE CAUTION, UH, TAKE IT SLOW, GIVE YOURSELF TIME TO GET WHERE YOU GOTTA GO. UM, AND WE'LL GET THROUGH THIS. HOPEFULLY BY WEDNESDAY EVENING OR THURSDAY, THINGS WILL, UH, QUIET DOWN, UH, AND THINGS WILL BE A LITTLE BIT QUIETER GOING INTO THE REST OF THE WEEK. UM, YOU KNOW, IT IS HURRICANE SEASON. WE ARE EXPECTING A, UH, VERY ACTIVE HURRICANE SEASON THIS YEAR. UM, WHETHER IT'S IN THE GULF OR THE ATLANTIC, YOU KNOW, WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS. BUT, UH, WE ARE, UH, WE, WE TELL PEOPLE EVERY YEAR TO PREPARE FOR HURRICANE SEASON AS IF THAT'LL BE THE YEAR THAT YOU GET A STORM. UH, THIS YEAR IS NO DIFFERENT, EVEN IF IT IS GONNA BE BUSY, UH, AND ACTIVE. SO, UH, MAKE SURE YOU'VE GOT YOUR PREPARATIONS. KIND OF CONSIDER THIS A NICE LITTLE FIRST TEST, UH, OF THE SEASON. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'LL DO IF A SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER STORM COMES THIS WAY, UH, LATER ON IN, IN JULY, AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER. ALWAYS GOOD ADVICE TO HAVE. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY WILL STAY IN CONTACT AND, AND KEEP YOU POSTED ON EVERYTHING, UH, AS WE GO THROUGH HURRICANE SEASON. SO, THANK YOU, [00:05:01] MATT. THANK YOU. ONE AREA OF SPEC SPECIAL CONCERN THAT WE'VE LEARNED FROM RECENT STORMS IS INDEPENDENT LIVING GROUPS, UH, INDEPENDENT LIVING CENTERS. WE FOUND OUT DURING RECENT STORMS THAT WE HAD UNSCRUPULOUS OWNERS AND MANAGERS OF, UH, GROUP HOMES THAT JUST ABANDONED THEIR CLIENTS, THEIR RESIDENTS. WE'RE ACTUALLY IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO IDENTIFY THESE FACILITIES. WE KNOW OF NURSING HOMES THROUGH OUR STATE PARTNERS, BUT WE DO HAVE SOME UNREGULATED UN DESIGNATED INDEPENDENT GROUP HOMES AND CERTAINLY, UH, INDEPENDENCE HALL ON AIRLINE, THE PECK NER STREET CIRCUMSTANCES. AND, UH, THE, UH, INTERIM DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY, TOM M WILL COME SPEAK ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO. AND, AND LET ME ASK THE PUBLIC TO HELP US IDENTIFY THESE RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES, SENIOR CITIZENS IN PARTICULAR. UM, IF YOU HAVE SENIORS IN YOUR FAMILY, MAKE CERTAIN THAT THEY'RE CARED FOR AND, UH, BRING THEM TO OUR ATTENTION. IF IT'S A LIFE SAFETY ISSUE CONCERNING ONE OF THE GROUP HOMES CALLED 9 1 1, IT'LL BE TREATED AS AN EMERGENCY. WE'LL HEAR LATER FROM OUR FIRST RESPONDER CHIEFS. BUT TOM, AT THIS TIME, IF YOU'D COME, TELL US WHAT THE CENTER AND WHAT YOUR TEAM'S DOING TO PREPARE AND, AND, UM, BUT LET ME, LET ME THANK COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ. AS I LOOK OVER MY SHOULDER, IT'S GREAT TO HAVE THE COOPERATION OF CITY COUNCIL AND ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENT HEADS. YOU KNOW, IT'S AMAZING DURING THESE CRISIS, THESE STORMS, YOU REALLY SEE THE BEST OUT OF OUR CITY EMPLOYEES. SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE, THE FOLKS THAT HELP US PROTECT HOUSTONIAN. TOM, I'LL YIELD TO YOU AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU, MAYOR FOR THE EXCELLENT SUPPORT ALONG WITH ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND ALL OUR CITY STAKEHOLDERS. UM, WE HAVE SOME GREAT PARTNERSHIPS. AND DURING THESE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, SINCE APRIL, WE'VE GOTTEN TOGETHER ON, UM, ON SOME STORMS. YOU KNOW, WE ALREADY HAD ONE, UH, THIS IS OUR THIRD ONE. IT SEEMS LIKE SINCE APRIL. UH, OUR OEM IS GONNA BE TO LEVEL THREE, INCREASED AWARENESS TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF EVERYONE AS THE NEWS, UH, UH, THE WEATHER HAS BEEN INDICATING. TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAYS ARE AREAS THAT WE'RE REALLY CONCENTRATING ON. OUR OEM TEAM IS GONNA BE READY TO RESPOND. THE OTHER THING, HOW DO WE GET THAT INFORMATION TO YOU? I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO GO TO ALERT HOUSTON.ORG AND REGISTER SO YOU CAN GET OUR SOCIAL MEDIA POINTS, OUR MESSAGES THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE, THAT WE WILL SEND OUT TO INCREASE THE AWARENESS, THE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS IN YOUR HOMES AND THROUGHOUT THE CITY. AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS ALWAYS AS COORDINATING WITH ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS BEHIND ME. I CANNOT SAY ENOUGH THAT ALL THE HARD WORK THAT COMES OUT OF THESE DEPARTMENTS, EVERYTHING WE'VE BEEN DOING, IT'S A GREAT COLLABORATION THAT WE HAVE WITH OUR FIRST RESPONDERS. SOLID WASTE PUBLIC WORKS. THE LIST GOES ON AND ON WITH ALL OF THAT. THE OTHER THING WE'RE ENCOURAGING PEOPLE THAT YOU'LL CONTINUE TO HEAR THE MESSAGES FROM ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS BEHIND US IS TOGETHER AGAINST THE WEATHER, THE COMMUNITY APPROACH, THE WHOLE COMPASSION APPROACH, GET TO KNOW WHO THEY ARE, YOUR NEIGHBORS. WE HAVE TO BE SURE THAT THOSE INDIVIDUALS GET THE ASSISTANCE THAT THEY NEED IN TIMES OF HARM'S WAY. AND AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED, THE ONE THING THAT WE'RE REALLY FOCUSING ON, AS WELL AS THE REST OF THE CITY, IS THAT INDEPENDENCE ASSISTED LIVING HOMES, SENIOR LIVING HOMES, THAT WE ARE PUT AT THE FOREFRONT. OUR OEM TEAM HAS IDENTIFIED THOSE AREAS ALONG WITH PD AND FIRE HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO ENSURE THAT THOSE INDIVIDUALS ARE NOT FORGOTTEN DURING TIMES OF DISASTER. OUR OFFICE CANNOT EMPHASIZE THAT ENOUGH, THAT THERE WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN. AND WILL WE CONTINUE TO MONITOR VERY CLOSELY TO ENSURE THAT EACH AND EVERY ONE HAS THE SAFE MEANS TO GET OUT OF HARM'S WAY. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE DONE. IF IT, WE'VE BEEN DOING IT, CONTINUE TO DO IT. BUT WITH THAT SAID, ONCE AGAIN, OUR OEMT IN OUR CITY HAS BEEN OPERATING AND IS GONNA BE WATCHING THIS CLOSELY INCREASED AWARENESS. WE'RE GONNA BE WORKING TOGETHER. AND WITH THAT SAID, I'M GONNA BUILD, I'M GONNA YIELD TO CHIEF SATTERWHITE. HPD. GO AHEAD, CHIEF. I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT DURING THESE CRISIS THAT, UH, HPD TAKES THEIR RESPONSIBILITY SO SERIOUS TO NOT ONLY PROTECT LIVES, BUT PROTECT PROPERTY, UH, PARTICULARLY IN, IN DIFFICULT TIMES WHEN WE LOSE, UH, OUR POWER, [00:10:01] IT REALLY MEANS THAT ALARMS AND OTHER MECHANISMS NEED TO BE, UH, BACKED UP WITH ACTIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT. AND I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT HPD AND THEIR COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SAFETY, INCLUDING PROPERTY AND LIVES CHIEF, SENATOR WHITE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. SO, LIKE THE MAYOR SAID, LIKE DIRECTOR MUNOZ, AND LIKE MR. LONZA SAID, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE IN FOR A PRETTY, UH, UH, BUSY SEASON COMING UP THIS YEAR. WE'VE ALREADY HAD KINGWOOD NOT LESS THAN TWO MONTHS AGO, A LOT OF FLOODING OUT THERE. SOME HOMES GOT FLOODED, AND WE WERE OUT THERE RESPONDING TO THAT. I KNOW THE MAYOR WAS OUT THERE AND FIRE, AND EVERYBODY WAS OUT THERE WORKING ON THAT. WE COME OUT OF THAT, AND THEN WE JUST GET HIT BY DERECHO, WHICH NO ONE'S ALL COMING. AND, UH, IT JUST CUTS A SWATH FROM, FROM OUR NORTHWEST ALL THE WAY THROUGH DOWNTOWN INTO OUR, INTO OUR EAST SIDE, EAST END, AND THEN ALL THE WAY OUT INTO THE GULF AND DONE A LOT OF DAMAGE. AND A LOT OF US ARE, A LOT OF OUR COMMUNITY IS STILL RECOVERING FROM THAT. SO, AND THEN, AND THAT'S JUST, UH, THAT'S JUST THE TWO ALREADY. AND NOW HERE WE ARE FACING THIS ONE THIS WEEK. SO IT'S A TESTAMENT THAT WE'RE PROBABLY IN FOR A VERY BUSY SEASON, AND THAT'S REALLY PROBABLY THE BAD NEWS. BUT HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS. AS FAR AS THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT IS CONCERNED, WE ARE BETTER PREPARED THAN EVER BEFORE. WHEN WE HAD HURRICANE HARVEY HIT US SEVEN YEARS AGO, WE HAD FIVE HIGH WATER RESCUE TRUCKS. AND I DON'T THINK TWO OF 'EM EVEN WORKED THAT WELL. AND WE HAD A FEW BOATS, AND WE DIDN'T HAVE HARDLY ANY OFFICERS TRAINED IN HIGH WATER, SWIFT WATER OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. WELL, TODAY WE HAVE OVER 20 HIGH WATER RESCUE TRUCKS. WE HAVE OVER 30 BOATS. WE HAVE ALMOST 300 OFFICERS THAT HAVE BEEN TRAINED IN SWIFT WATER, HIGH WA, AND WATER RESCUE. AND, AND WE'RE ADDING TO THAT EVERY DAY. SO WE, WE TOOK IT UPON OURSELVES TO RAISE OUR OWN BAR AFTER HURRICANE HARVEY TO MAKE SURE WE'RE READY. HURRICANE HARVEY WAS AN INCREDIBLE THING. LIKE THE DIRECTOR MUNOZ SAID, PEOPLE CAME OUT AND HELPED PEOPLE. IT WAS A TESTAMENT TO THE, TO THE NATION, TO THE WORLD, HOW HOUSTON CAME TOGETHER DURING HARVEY. AND, AND EVERYBODY HELPED EVERYBODY. AND, AND SO MANY LIVES WERE SAVED BECAUSE OF THAT. WE'RE BETTER PREPARED TODAY. SO I WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW THAT WE'RE BETTER TRAINED AND WE'LL HAVE MORE BETTER COMMUNICATION. NOW, WHAT YOU CAN DO, THE PUBLIC IS WHEN YOU ARE FACING REALLY HIGH WA, HIGH WINDS, RA, RAIN OR WHATEVER, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE GONNA GET HIT WITH. DON'T DRIVE IN THESE CONDITIONS. IF YOU CAN'T AVOID IT. WE'RE GONNA BE OUT THERE. WE'RE GONNA BE PATROLLING THE STREETS, LIKE THE MAYOR SAID, WE'RE GONNA BE WATCHING OUT FOR YOUR BUSINESSES AND EVERYTHING ELSE. DON'T GO OUT INTO REALLY, IN REALLY ADVERSE CONDITIONS UNLESS YOU HAVE NO CHOICE. THAT WILL HELP US IMMENSELY, BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T GET INTO TROUBLE, THEN THAT'S ONE LESS PERSON. WE'LL BE THERE FOR YOU, BUT WE CAN THEN FOCUS ON OTHER THINGS. SO THAT'S HOW THE PUBLIC CAN HELP US. NUMBER TWO, IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, TAKE A LOOK AT THE HURRICANE PRO PREPAREDNESS GUIDES. EVERY ONE OF THE MEDIA STATIONS HERE HAVE ONE, HAVE POSTED IT AS WELL AS WE HAVE POSTED IT. THERE'S A LOT OF ESSENTIAL INFORMATION. WE'RE GOING INTO A, A POTENTIALLY A VERY BUSY SEASON. LET'S GET PREPARED. NOW. LET'S GET ALL THE RESOURCES THAT WE NEED, ALL THE WATER AND THE FOOD AND THINGS LIKE THAT YOU MIGHT NEED. THERE'S A WHOLE LIST. I WON'T TRY TO GO THROUGH IT ALL, BUT JUST DOWNLOAD IT, OPEN IT UP, AND GET PREPARED NOW, HOUSTON, AND YOU'LL BE A WHOLE LOT BETTER OFF LATER ON IF WE GET HIT. GOD FORBID. HOPEFULLY WE WON'T. BUT IF WE DO, YOU'LL BE MUCH BETTER PREPARED FOR THAT. SO WITH THAT ALL, YOU'LL BACK TO THE MAYOR. THANK YOU ALL. YEAH, THANK YOU, CHIEF AND CHIEF PENA, IF YOU'LL COME, TELL US THE, THE, UH, ROLE OF HOUSTON FIRE AND YOUR PREPARATION AND THESE, UH, BRAVE FIREMEN THAT I SAW DURING TORITO DEAL WITH, UH, LIVE WIRES. AND, UH, IT'S JUST, THERE ARE, THERE ARE HEROES. YES, SIR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU MAYOR, FIRST OF ALL. UH, AND THANKS FOR BRINGING ALL THESE STAKEHOLDERS TOGETHER AND, AND HEIGHTENING THE, UH, THE AWARENESS AS WE MOVE INTO HURRICANE SEASON. UM, AND THIS IS THE TIME TO COME TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY FOR THE SAFETY AND THE PREPAREDNESS OF OUR, OF OUR COMMUNITY. BUT AS WE SAW LAST MONTH, IT DOESN'T TAKE A HURRICANE OR A TROPICAL STORM TO HAVE SOME ISSUES. SO WE REALLY NEED TO BE PREPARED ALL YEAR LONG, 12 MONTHS OUTTA THE YEAR. AND THE BEST THING WE CAN DO, UM, FOR RECOVERY IS HAVE FLOOD INSURANCE. FLOOD INSURANCE SOMETIMES TAKES ABOUT 30 DAYS FOR IT TO REALLY ACTIVATE. SO YOU NEED TO MAKE THOSE PREPARATIONS. NOW, UM, IN TERMS OF THE, THE ISSUES THAT WE WILL SEE, AND WE ANTICIPATE WITH THESE, WITH THESE DOWNPOURS TOMORROW, TUESDAY, AND WEDNESDAY AND MAYBE INTO THURSDAY, IS WE THINK IT'S GONNA BE MORE OF A RAIN EVENT. MATT, I DON'T WANNA STEAL YOUR THUNDER, BUT WE THINK IT'S GONNA BE MORE OF A RAIN EVENT. SO WE ANTICIPATE STREET LEVEL FLOODING, AND THAT IS ALWAYS A CONCERN. WE, UH, THAT IS THE PRIMARY RESCUE RESPONSE CALL TYPE THAT WE GO OUT TO EVERY TIME WE GET SOME HEAVY RAINS. DO NOT DRIVE ON FLOODED STREETS IF IT, UH, IF YOU CANNOT SEE THE ROAD, STAY OFF OF THOSE OF THOSE STREETS, UM, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT, WHAT THE WATER HAS DONE, YOU DUNNO HOW DEEP IT IS, AND YOU DON'T KNOW IF IT'S WASHED OUT THE ROAD. SO PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS OF THOSE, THOSE OF THOSE, UH, SITUATIONS. THE OTHER THING IS, IF IT IS A WIND EVENT, AND WE DO HAVE POWER OUTAGES, PLEASE MAKE THE PREPARATIONS TO USE YOUR GENERATORS [00:15:01] SAFELY. DO THE MAINTENANCE ON THOSE RIGHT NOW. AND IF YOU'RE GONNA USE THEM, USE 'EM SAFELY. USE 'EM AT LEAST 20 FEET FROM, FROM YOUR HOMES, AWAY FROM ANY OPENINGS, DOORS OR WINDOWS. DO NOT USE 'EM INSIDE THE GARAGES, EVEN IF YOUR DOOR IS CLOSED. IF YOU HAVE A POWER OUTAGE AND YOU'RE USING YOUR VEHICLE TO CHARGE YOUR CELL PHONES OR, OR ANY OTHER, UH, DEVICES, MOVE YOUR VEHICLE OUTSIDE. DON'T LEAVE THE CAR RUNNING, RUNNING INSIDE THE GARAGE. CARBON MONOXIDE IS, IS DEADLY IN SMALL AMOUNTS. THIS YEAR IN 2024, WE'VE AL WE'VE HAD NEARLY 200 CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING CALLS THAT WE RESPONDED TO, AND WE'VE HAD OVER 50 HIGH WATER VEHICLES OR, OR STREET LEVEL, UH, RESCUES THAT WE RESPONDED TO. SO AGAIN, IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH. PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS, AS HAS BEEN MENTIONED HERE BEFORE. MAKE SURE THAT YOU SIGN UP FOR THE ALERTS AND ON YOUR CELL PHONES. MAKE SURE THAT YOUR SETTINGS ARE SUCH THAT YOU CAN ACCEPT THOSE ALERTS AS THEY COME IN. UH, I KNOW THEY'RE A NUISANCE SOMETIMES, AND WE SHUT, SHUT THOSE THINGS OFF ON OUR CELL PHONE. MAKE SURE YOU ACTIVATE THOSE, ESPECIALLY AS, UH, WITH THIS WEATHER THAT WE'RE EXPECTING. AND SO, UM, AGAIN, LOOK, THIS IS A TIME TO PREPARE. IT'S A TIME TO COME TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY. THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT IS PREPARED TO RESPOND, BUT YOU ALL CAN DO YOUR PART AS WELL IN, IN STAYING SAFE AS, UH, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. WE DO HAVE ALL OUR HIGH WATER VEHICLES, UH, IN OPERATION. WE HAVE, AGAIN, IN HARVEY, WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY, NOW WE HAVE 15 THAT ARE, THAT ARE AT, AT OUR DISPOSAL. WE HAVE HIGH WATER VEHICLES, WE HAVE BOATS. WE HAVE 140 MEMBER WATER STRIKE TEAM THAT'S READY, UH, EQUIPPED AND TRAINED TO DEPLOY. BUT AGAIN, THE BEST RECOMMENDATION WE CAN MAKE IS HAVE YOUR PREPARATIONS MADE. BE SAFE. DO NOT EXPOSE YOURSELF TO ANY RISK, ESPECIALLY AS THESE HIGH WINDS AND WATERS, UH, VISIT OUR CITY. ALRIGHT, BACK TO YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. CHIEF ANGEL OFFICE, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IMPORTANT. THANK YOU. VERY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. AND, AND, UH, I'M VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THE LEADERSHIP THAT WE HAVE HERE BEHIND ME. UH, I DO WANNA EMPHASIZE THAT THE MAYOR AND THE ADMINISTRATION IS LOOKING HEAVILY INTO ENSURING THAT THE DISABILITY ACCESS AND FUNCTIONAL NEEDS COMMUNITY ALSO STAYS SAFE DURING THESE, UH, EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. UH, WE WILL, AT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE CONTINUE TO, UH, PROVIDE AWARENESS AND ACCESS NEEDS, UH, FOR, UH, THE SUPPORT OF THIS, OF, OF COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND SENIOR CITIZENS. UH, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT, UH, WE, UH, EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCESSIBLE CONTENT, CORRECT. AND SO NOT JUST HAVING AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE COMMUNICATIONS THAT WE'RE DOING, BUT ALSO IN MULTI-LANGUAGE, UH, UH, UH, UH, DOCUMENTS AND, AND, UM, AND FLYERS THAT GO OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY. WE, WE UNDERSTAND THE COLLABORATION IS GOING TO BE VERY IMPORTANT DURING THIS ENTIRE PROCESS. AND FOR THAT REASON, WE ARE WORKING WITH SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE TAKING A HOLISTIC VIEW AT SERVICES AND PROGRAMS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. AND THOSE WITH, UM, WITH, UH, ACCESS NEEDS. UM, YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, UH, BEFORE AND AFTER, UH, THE, ANY HURRICANE OR PREPAREDNESS EFFORTS TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE CONNECTING YOU TO, UH, INFORMATION AND SERVICES IN YOUR AREA ON MAY 4TH, UH, OF THIS PAST, UM, ON MAY 4TH OF THIS YEAR, WE PROVIDED A WORKSHOP FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE CONNECTING THEM TO RESOURCES. ACCESS TO PREPAREDNESS INFORMATION IS GOING TO BE VERY, I IMPORTANT. THAT'S WHY THE MAYOR'S OFFICE IS WORKING HEAVILY WITH COMMUNICATIONS REPRESENTATIVES THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE, UH, INCLUDING ACCESSIBLE CONTENT, NOT JUST THROUGH PRESS CONFERENCES, BUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA AS WELL. NOW, WHAT CAN YOU DO AS RESIDENTS AND AS A, AS A GOOD NEIGHBOR? YOU CAN ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO REGISTER FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE REGISTRY. AND THIS IS A PROGRAM FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY SENIOR CITIZENS, THOSE WITH ACCESS AND FUNCTIONAL NEEDS. UH, WE HAVE DONE A VERY GREAT JOB WITH DERECHO TO EN ENSURE THAT WE ARE PROVIDING WELLNESS NEXT CHECKS FOR FOLKS THAT ARE, UH, ARE IN NEED. UH, WE ARE, WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT DURING THIS, UH, HURRICANE SEASON. WE ARE ALSO WORKING HEAVILY ON A TASK FORCE THAT WILL IDENTIFY THE NEEDS OF THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY, AND ACCESS AND FUNCTIONAL NEEDS. NOW, I ALSO WANNA ENCOURAGE FOLKS, NOT JUST TO REGISTER, BUT TO HAVE A PLAN B, BECAUSE THERE'S GOING TO BE A MOMENT WHERE THE CITY OF HOUSTON MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GET TO YOU. AND SO PLEASE ENCOURAGE YOUR NEIGHBORS, YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS [00:20:01] TO HAVE A PLAN B. THIS WILL INCLUDE HAVING AN EMERGENCY KIT AVAILABLE THAT INCLUDES MEDS THAT WILL KEEP YOU, UH, GOOD FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, HAVE A CONTACT LIST. WE WILL HEAR ABOUT GETTING TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR, UH, HAVE A PLAN OF TRANSPORTATION OR ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. AND FOR THOSE FOLKS THAT ARE LISTENING THAT HAVE MOTORIZED WHEELCHAIRS OR ANY DURABLE, UH, MEDICAL EQUIPMENT THAT NEEDS ELECTRICITY, WE ENCOURAGE THOSE FOLKS TO PLEASE HAVE EXTRA BATTERIES AVAILABLE FOR THOSE NEEDS. FOR MORE INFORMATION, YOU CAN ALWAYS CONTACT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AT MO. UM, UH, 8 3 2 3 9 4 0 8 1 4. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, MR. NCE. I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT SO MUCH OF THE INFORMATION THAT IS BEING DISTRIBUTED TODAY IS FOR HURRICANE SEASON, WHICH GOES TO NOVEMBER. I WANT EVERYONE TO UNDERSTAND THE NEXT 72 HOURS FROM THE WEATHER BUREAU. IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S MOSTLY HIGH WATER, UH, FLOODING CONDITIONS. SO I DON'T WANT TO, UH, I THINK IT'S ALREADY BEEN MENTIONED. WE NEED TO, AFTER WE SAW THE INTENSITY AND THE SUDDENNESS OF THE PREVIOUS STORM, YOU GOT TO BE READY 12 MONTHS OF A YEAR. BUT SO MUCH OF THE PREPARATION FOR TODAY'S, UH, SHARING OF INFORMATION IS FOR HURRICANE SEASON. AND I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO GET, UH, THE ANXIETY THAT I CAN FEEL IN THE COMMUNITY GETTING READY FOR THE STORM THAT'S OUT IN THE GUFF AS WE TALK, UM, DURING A REAL CRISIS. ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENTS CERTAINLY SOLID WAYS PUBLIC WORKS. I CONSIDER ALL OF 'EM FIRST RESPONDERS. SO, WITH THAT SAID, UH, RANDY, DO YOU HAVE ANY ANNOUNCEMENT THAT PUBLIC WORKS NEEDS TO HAVE WHAT WE LEARNED FROM RECENT STORMS? CERTAINLY TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT TRAFFIC, UH, LIGHTS WERE A MAJOR CHALLENGE. AND, UH, I YIELD TO YOU WHAT'S THE BEST THING BESIDES STAYING OFF THE ROADS DURING DISTURBANCES, UH, LOOKING OUT FOR YOUR NEIGHBORS, YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR PETS. WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT. IF YOU GO TO A SHELTER, DON'T FORGET YOUR PETS. THE, IF WE USE MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS FOR COOLING CENTERS, UH, MAKE CERTAIN THAT YOUR NEIGHBORS ARE PROVIDED FOR IT AND CERTAINLY YOUR PETS. BUT RANDY, WHY DON'T YOU SHARE WITH US WHAT PUBLIC WORKS IS DOING TO PREPARE FOR HURRICANE SEASON IN THE NEXT, UH, 72 HOURS? CERTAINLY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. YOU KNOW, WE LEARNED A LOT IN THE DIRE SHOW. WE'VE, WE'VE LEARNED A LOT OVER THE YEARS AS WE'VE DEALT WITH THIS. ONE OF THE THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND THAT, UH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON STREETS IS ONE OF OUR PRIMARY DRAINAGE, UH, COMPONENTS. IT, THEY'RE DESIGNED PRIMARILY TO HELP WATER FLOW AND DRAIN OUT OF THE WAY. UH, AS WE'RE COMING OUT OF THE RECENT EVENT THAT WE'VE HAD, ONE OF THE CONCERNS THAT EVERYONE SHOULD BE AWARE OF, AND THE THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW TO HELP PREPARE YOURSELF IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE STREETS, AND PARTICULARLY THE STORM DRAINAGE INLETS, ARE AS CLEAR AS THEY CAN POSSIBLY BE. IF YOU FIND THAT YOU LIVE IN AREAS WHERE THERE ARE OPEN DITCHES AND THERE IS DEBRIS IN THOSE DITCHES, PLEASE CALL 3 1 1 TO ELEVATE THOSE REQUESTS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE SO THAT WE CAN, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SOLID WASTE, MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO GET, UH, FOLKS OUT THERE, WHETHER THEY'RE CONTRACTORS OR CITY EMPLOYEES, TO CLEAR THOSE DITCHES OUT. UM, JUST A LITTLE BIT OF RAIN AS THE, AS THE MAYOR HAS MENTIONED, AS A RESULT OF THE, THE STATE OF OUR DRAINAGE IN GENERAL CAN CAUSE HAVOC EVERYWHERE WE GO. AND SO THE ROADS CAN BECOME VERY QUICKLY IMPASSABLE. THEY CAN BECOME VERY DANGEROUS. IF YOU SEE AREAS WHERE THERE'S HIGH WATER, OF COURSE, STAY AWAY. BUT EVEN IF YOU SEE AREAS WHERE YOU'RE NOT SURE IF IT'S HIGH WATER, WE'D RECOMMEND THAT YOU STAY AWAY, STAY INDOORS AS BEST AS YOU CAN. NOW WE ALSO KNOW WHEN WE HAVE STORMS, SOMETIMES THERE'S ISSUES WITH POWER. AND DURING THE RETRO, WE LEARNED SPECIFICALLY THAT WHEN OUR SIGNALIZE INTERSECTIONS GO DOWN, IT CAN CREATE A LOT OF CONFUSION FOR PEOPLE. AGAIN, THIS IS ONE OF THOSE REASONS WHY IT'S BEST TO STAY INDOORS, BUT REMEMBER, WHEN YOU COME TO AN INTERSECTION WHERE THE LIGHTS ARE DARK, YOU SHOULD TREAT THAT AS A FOUR-WAY STOP. YOU SHOULD BE EXTRA VIGILANT WHEREVER YOU ARE. AND IF YOU SEE DEBRIS ON THE ROAD THAT'S BLOCKING THE WAY PUBLIC WORKS IS ALREADY MOBILIZED AND STANDING BY AND WILL BE CONTINUALLY READY THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRETY OF THIS EVENT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN RESPOND AND HELP REMOVE THE DEBRIS FROM THE RIGHT OF WAY, WHETHER THAT'S A DOWN TREE OR WHETHER THAT'S OTHER DEBRIS THAT GETS IN THE WAY, PLEASE CONTACT US. CONTACT 3 1 1 TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN GET OUR RESPONSE TEAMS OUT THERE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. PART OF OUR PREPARATIONS, AND THESE HAVE STARTED LONG INTO THE EARLY PART OF THE WEEKEND, UM, EVEN FOR SOME OF THOSE FOLKS THAT WERE TRYING TO ENJOY FATHER'S DAY, THEY TOOK TIME AWAY FROM THEIR FAMILIES TO BEGIN PREPARATION FOR THIS STORM ALREADY. THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE COMMIT TO DO AS PUBLIC SERVANTS. AND SO WE'VE BEGUN THE PROCESS OF CONVERTING A NUMBER OF OUR VEHICLES TO HELP ASSIST POLICE AND FIRE FOR HIGH WATER RESCUE IF NECESSARY FOR STORM AND DEBRIS REMOVAL IF NECESSARY. ANYWHERE WE GO, WE STAND READY AND, AND, AND READY TO GO, MAYOR, FOR WHATEVER IS NEEDED WHEN, WHEN THE CITY NEEDS, UH, NEEDS US TO RESPOND. THANK YOU. GREAT JOB. [00:25:01] UH, I THINK IT'D BE FAIR AT THIS TIME TO GET A STATUS REPORT FROM SOLID WASTE, NOT ONLY IN PREPARATION FOR HURRICANE SEASON. UH, I THINK YOU WOULD SPEAK TO THE RESOURCES THAT YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO BRING TOGETHER IN THE COLLABORATION, BUT, UH, WHERE ARE WE IN OUR DEBRIS PICKUP FROM OUR RECENT STORM, AND HOW DO WE BEST PREPARE GOING FORWARD? THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANKS AGAIN, MAYOR, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. UH, CURRENTLY, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS THE RATIO STORM IS CONCERNED, WE'RE ABOUT 25 DAYS INTO THE OPERATION. UH, I WANT TO KEEP IN MIND, I REALLY WANNA REMIND FOLKS, UH, MAYBE ABOUT A GOOD WEEK OR A GOOD SEVEN DAYS HAS BEEN LOST DUE TO UNFORESEEN EVENTS SUCH AS LIGHTNING STRIKES AND STORMS THAT HAVE COME THROUGH THE AREA. UH, WE ESTIMATED PRIOR TO BEGINNING DEBRIS REMOVAL COLLECTIONS THAT WE WOULD HAVE ABOUT MAYBE 1.5 MILLION CUBIC YARDS OUT THERE. UH, JUST WANNA LET EVERYONE KNOW WE'VE ALREADY, WE EXPECT TO EXCEED THAT CAPACITY OR THAT AMOUNT. AND, UH, WE EXPECT TO HIT MAYBE ABOUT 1.8 TO 2 MILLION YARDS OF CUBIC DEBRIS THAT ARE BEING GENERATED FROM THIS PARTICULAR EVENT. UH, OVERALL, WE'RE ABOUT 75% OF THE WAY COMPLETE. UH, WITH OUR INITIAL FIRST PASS. WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO CONTINUE TO BE PATIENT, BUT THEN ALSO LET US KNOW WHERE YOU'RE SEEING OR YOU HAVE STORM DEBRIS REMOVAL NEEDS THAT MAY STILL EXIST TODAY. UH, WE ALSO WANT TO ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO KEEP THE DEBRIS OUT OF THE DITCHES IF POSSIBLE. AS YOU'VE HEARD MENTIONED EARLIER, UH, JUST A, A LOG OR SOMETHING THAT YOU, YOU WANT TO GET OFF YOUR PROPERTY IF YOU PLACE IT IN THE DITCH. THAT CAN ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO, UH, OTHER ADVERSE SITUATIONS THAT WE DON'T NEED TO DEAL WITH AT THIS TIME. OUR GOAL IS TO TRY TO CONTINUE TO EXPEDITE DEBRIS REMOVAL AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. UH, SO THAT, AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S ALREADY AN ACTIVE SEASON, AND WE'RE, WE'RE NOT OUT OF THE FIRST MONTH YET, SO THAT WE CAN BE PREPARED FOR WHATEVER EVENTS MAY COME ACROSS, UH, DOWN THE PA, DOWN THE WIRE. UH, OBVIOUSLY WHEN EVENTS LIKE THIS HIT, IT EXCEEDS THE CITY'S CAPACITY, UH, TO BE ABLE TO EXPEDITE DEBRIS REMOVAL AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. SO, DO WANT TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT WE HAVE UP TO FOUR DEBRIS REMOVAL CONTRACTORS THAT ARE READY AND WILLING TO COME IN AND ASSIST THE CITY WITH THE DEBRIS REMOVAL EFFORTS. SO, THANKS AGAIN, MAYOR. WE'RE DEFINITELY WELL PREPARED. AND IN CLOSING, I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SOLID WASTE PICKUP, DEBRIS MANAGEMENT, WHATEVER IT MAY BE, STRONGLY ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO DOWNLOAD THE HTX COLLECTIONS APP. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. NOTHING'S MORE IMPORTANT DURING THE CRISIS. IT'S THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT WHO HAS, UH, GOT YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE DIRECTOR WILLIAMS LEADERSHIP. SO, STEVE, WHAT, UH, WHAT DO YOU WANT US TO BE PREPARED FOR? THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, OUR ROLE AT THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS CERTAINLY TO PURPORT PRO, PROMOTE HEALTH, BUT ALSO PROTECT FOLKS FROM MANMADE AND NATURAL DISASTERS. UH, WE KNOW THAT WE MUST, UH, REMAIN PREPARED, AND A PART OF OUR PREPAREDNESS IS UNDERSTANDING OUR COMMUNITIES' CHANGING NEEDS. WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT ANY WEATHER EVENT THAT MIGHT THREATEN AN INDIVIDUAL'S HEALTH AND ARE DOING AN ANALYSIS OF THE LAST TWO SUMMERS. UH, WE SHOWED, WE, WE DISCOVERED SOME ALARMING TRENDS. UH, DATA SHOWED THAT WHEN TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE IS AS LOW AS 80 DEGREES, SOME OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES, SEVERE ENOUGH FOR THEM TO REQUIRE VISITS TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM. FROM MAY TO SEPTEMBER OF 2023, THERE WERE MORE THAN 3,500 HEAT RELATED ILLNESS VISITS THROUGH THE HOUSTON AREA, EMERGENCY ROOMS AND HEALTH HEALTH FACILITIES. THERE ARE CERTAIN POPULATIONS THAT ARE VULNERABLE UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES. INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE ELDERLY, YOUNG CHILDREN, THOSE PEOPLE WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS, AND CERTAINLY PEOPLE WHO WORK OUTSIDE. MY ADVICE IS TO TELL PEOPLE TO NOT TRY TO TOUGHEN TOUGH IT OUT, BE CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR HEALTH. UH, MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS ARE AVAILABLE BOTH DURING AND AFTER SEVERE WEATHER, UH, CON CONDITIONS. UH, WE CERTAINLY ACTIVATE DURING EMERGENCY RESPONSE, AND THEY SERVE AS HUBS FOR PROVIDING EMER EMERGENCY SHELTER. AND CER CERTAINLY SERVE AS HAVENS FOR, FOR, UH, DOING, DOING ALSO, UH, HEAT RELATED SITUATIONS AS, AS WELL AS WHEN, WHEN IT, WHEN IT'S COLD OUTSIDE. AND SO WE WANT PEOPLE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THEMSELVES, BUT ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT THEM, THEIR, THEIR NEIGHBORS. BUT ALSO REMEMBER THAT IF YOU'RE CERTAINLY VULNERABLE IN THESE SITUATIONS, TO NOT TOUGH IT OUT TO, TO SEEK SOME LEVEL OF, OF REFUGE, UH, YOU CAN FIND THE LOCATIONS OF OUR MULTI SERVICE CENTERS@HOUSTONHEALTH.ORG. UH, CERTAINLY WE DO THIS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH A VARIETY OF OTHER AGENCIES, BUT WE'RE HERE TO SAY THAT OUR MULTI SERVICE CENTERS AND OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS HERE TO SERVE. THANK YOU, STEVE. [00:30:01] I WAS SHOCKED TO LEARN DURING OUR RECENT STORM THAT SOME OF OUR MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS DO NOT HAVE GENERATORS, TALKING ABOUT YEARS OF NEGLECT, HOW WE CONSIDER USING MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS DURING A LOSS OF POWER. AND THEN WE LEARNED, AND, UH, THE RECENT BUDGET MADE CASHMERE MULTI-SERVICE CENTER AS A PRIORITY. WE'RE TALKING TO OUR, UH, FEDERAL DELEGATION ABOUT HELPING US GET FEDERAL FUNDING. UH, WE'RE TALKING TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR, BUT, UH, IT WOULD BE MY GOAL THAT ALL OF OUR MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS AND, UM, CITY FACILITIES THAT WE'RE GONNA USE DURING RESCUE, UH, WOULD HAVE BACKUP GENERATORS. SPEAKING OF RESCUE, IT LEADS YOU INTO RECOVERY. UH, YOU CAN SEE HOW PROACTIVE THE TEAM HAS BEEN TO GET READY FOR HURRICANE SEASONS. I DON'T THINK THERE'S ONE THING THAT'S BEEN LEFT UNADDRESSED. NOW, THE KEY COMPONENT IS AFTER A MAJOR STORM, THE RECOVERY, I CAN'T EMPHASIZE ENOUGH HOW FORTUNATE WE ARE TO HAVE AN EXPERIENCED HAND LEADING OUR RECOVERY PREPARATIONS. AND ANGELA BLANCHARD, ANGELA, WILL YOU COME ADDRESS, WHAT ARE THE TOP PRIORITIES IN THE, IN THE AREA OF RECOVERY AFTER A MAJOR STORM? AND I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR LONG HOURS AND THE COLLABORATION. I WAS WITH ANGELA. THE DAY THAT THE CAME THROUGH THAT MORNING, THERE WERE LIKE 35 STAKEHOLDERS PREPARING TO, UH, ADDRESS HOUSTON'S RECOVERY IN CASE OF A MAJOR STORMS. SO ANGELA, I'LL YIELD TO YOU. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. AND YOU MIGHT TELLING ME YOU'VE GONE, YOU'VE GONE THROUGH SOME MAJOR STORMS IN THIS POSITION BEFORE. I'M, I'M TAKING A LITTLE PERSONALLY THESE COMMENTS ABOUT THE ELDERLY AND MY LONG AND ROBUST PORTFOLIO OF STORMS, BUT YES, A FEW STORMS. UM, BUT I DO REMEMBER WHEN I WAS A LITTLE GIRL THAT, UH, THE WAY WE PREPARED FOR STORMS WAS TO MAKE A BIG POT OF GUMBO. BUT WE DON'T LIVE IN THAT WORLD NOW. WE LIVE IN A DIFFERENT WORLD WHERE STORMS ARE BIGGER, BETTER, BIGGER, TOUGHER, STRONGER, AND THEY'RE MORE PEOPLE IN THEIR PATH. HERE'S THE DEAL. WE KNOW WE CAN COUNT ON THESE FOLKS, RIGHT? THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT RESPONSE AND PREP AND RECOVERY ALL OF THE TIME. BUT ALL OF US MUST DO THAT. EVERY FORM OF DISASTER PREPAREDNESS TO RECOVERY REQUIRES A THREE-LEGGED STOOL. WE KNOW WHAT OUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS ARE GOING TO DO, AND WE KNOW WHAT CAPACITY THEY HAVE. WE NEED THE PRIVATE SECTOR, AND WE NEED THE PHILANTHROPIC SECTOR AT ALL PHASES. AND THIS LAST STORM, WHICH CAME OUT OF NOWHERE, WE SAW A ROBUST RESPONSE FROM THE OTHER SECTORS. WE SAW HEB WHO EXEMPLIFIES EXACTLY WHAT WE MEAN BY PREPAREDNESS. THEY INVEST A GREAT DEAL IN THEIR OWN ABILITY TO GET BACK IN BUSINESS IMMEDIATELY. AND THEY OVERINVEST SO THEY HAVE THE RESOURCES TO HELP EVERYONE ELSE. THAT'S WHAT ALLOWED THEM TO BRING IN A MOBILE KITCHEN AND SERVE 2,500 MEALS MEAL AFTER MEAL UNTIL PEOPLE'S POWER CAME BACK ON. THEY ALSO GAVE TO A FUND. WE NOW HAVE THE GREATER HOUSTON DISASTER ALLIANCE FORMED OF UNITED WAY AND THE GREATER HOUSTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION. THIS IS ORGANIZED CONTRIBUTIONS IN A WAY SO THEY CAN BE DEPLOYED IN A DELIBERATE AND PLANFUL FASHION. AND IN A MONTH, THAT FUND RAISED $3 MILLION TO RESPOND TO THE ALL HELD THAT BROKE LOOSE IN MAY. SO THAT ORGANIZED PHILANTHROPY MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE. AND IT'S ALSO WHAT ENABLES THE HOUSTON FOOD BANK. HOUSTON FOOD BANK, THROUGH ITS 200 PARTNERS, PUT OUT 8 MILLION POUNDS OF FOOD. FOOD WAS A MUCH BIGGER ISSUE IN THIS STORM THAN IT'S I'VE EVER SEEN IT BE BEFORE. AND WE KNOW WHY THAT IS. WE KNOW PEOPLE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF SAVINGS AND RESOURCES, AND WE KNOW FOOD IS EXPENSIVE. AND WE SAW THE RESPONSE FROM, FROM THE FOOD BANK TO THAT NEED. NOW WE ARE MOVING OUT OF THE IMMEDIATE EMERGENCY PHASE, AND WE'RE MOVING INTO RECOVERY WHEN THE STRUGGLES ARE LESS VISIBLE. YOU CAN SEE THE DEBRIS AND YOU CAN SEE THE LINES FOR MEALS IN THIS STAGE OF RECOVERY. YOU DON'T SEE THE PEOPLE STRUGGLING IN FRONT OF THEIR COMPUTER SCREENS TRYING TO NAVIGATE INSURANCE AND FEMA APPLICATIONS, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THEY'RE GONNA LIVE BECAUSE THEIR APARTMENT COMPLEX WAS WRECKED. THESE ARE THE STRUGGLES THAT WE ARE CONCERNED WITH. AND THE PEOPLE THAT ADDRESS THOSE BEST ARE PEOPLE LIKE RICARDO B BARNES, WHO IS OUT IN THE SPRING BRANCH FAMILY DEVELOPMENT CENTER BECAUSE HE WAS THERE EVERY DAY AND HE TURNED THAT CENTER IN ALMOST NO TIME INTO AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE CENTER. AND THAT'S WHERE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO THOSE COMMUNITY CENTERS AND THOSE NONPROFITS, AND THEY'RE STANDING UP A WELCOME AND ASSISTANCE THE WAY THEY'VE ALWAYS DONE. IF [00:35:01] YOU HELP, I'M SO GLAD TO BE IN A CITY THAT UNDERSTANDS THAT ALL SECTORS ARE NEEDED AND THAT GENEROUSLY SUPPORTS THEM ALL. THE FINAL THING IS, UM, YOU KNOW, I HAVE LIKE THESE SAYINGS ABOUT DISASTER. AND THE FIRST ONE MAY SOUND CYNICAL. IT SAYS, NO ONE'S COMING. AND WHAT IT REALLY MEANS, YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO HANDLE UP AND TAKE CARE OF YOUR OWN BUSINESS AND PREPARE YOUR HOUSEHOLD AND PREPARE YOUR BLOCK AND PREPARE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE NOBODY CAN GET TO YOU QUICKER THAN YOUR NEIGHBOR. AND NOBODY CAN GET TO YOUR NEIGHBOR QUICKER THAN YOU CAN. WE KNOW HOW TO DO HARD THINGS IN THIS REGION. MOST OF US EITHER WERE BORN HERE OR WE CAME FROM TOUGH PLACES. BUT THE WAY WE DO IT IS WE DO IT TOGETHER AND WE PREPARE TOGETHER. SO I WANNA SEE YOUR SHELF WITH ALL YOUR SUPPLIES AS WE GO INTO HURRICANE SEASON. I WANNA SAY A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE MAYOR AND, AND ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, HIM FOR BEING THE FIRST MAYOR IN MY, IN MY LIFETIME, TO ACTUALLY START THINKING ABOUT ALL THIS IN JANUARY, WHICH IS WHEN HE CALLED US ALL TOGETHER TO WORK ON IT. AND ALSO, UH, CHIEF MUNOZ, WHO'S DONE JUST A WONDERFUL JOB OF CONNECTING THE FIRST AND EMERGENCY PHASE TO THE RECOVERY PHASE. THAT HANDOFF IS ESSENTIAL. SO EVERYBODY THAT PERFORMED IN THIS LAST GO AROUND IS READY TO DO IT AGAIN FOR OUR CITY AND FOR OUR NEIGHBORS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, ANDREW. I'M OFTEN ASKED, WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT BEING MAYOR THE MOST? IT'S MOMENTS LIKE THIS. WHEN I SEE GOVERNMENT WORKING, THE COLLABORATION, UH, TO BEING IN THE EMERGENCY CENTER HAS, I HAVE, I GUESS THE FREEZE IN JANUARY. THE KINGWOOD FLOODS, TOTO. NOW THE PREPARATION THAT'S ON DISPLAY TODAY, THAT'S, THAT'S THE MOST REWARDING PART OF BEING THE MAYOR TO SEE GOVERNMENT WORKING AND ALLOWING PEOPLE TO BE SAFE AND SECURE AND GOVERNMENT CAN'T DO EVERYTHING. UH, ANGELA MENTIONED HEB, THE FOOD BANK. LET ME EMPHASIZE THE JOB THAT CENTERPOINT DID DURING THE RECENT STORM, BRINGING IN AS MANY AS 7,000, UH, INDIVIDUALS FROM OUTSIDE THE CITY OF HOUSTON. UH, TDOT TXDOT GOT OFF OF THEIR THOROUGH AFFAIRS AND HELPED THE CITY WITH OUR TRAFFIC LIGHT ENFORCEMENTS. UH, THE STATE OF TEXAS EMERGENCY CENTER HAD PRE-POSITIONED TRUCKS WITH WATER AND SUPPLIES. SO AS WE ALL RECOGNIZE, NO ONE DOES IT BETTER THAN HOUSTON, TEXAS. AND IT'S, UH, IT DOESN'T HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT. IT HAPPENS BY WE HAVING A GREAT CITY, GREAT PEOPLE, AND WE DO ACCEPT CHALLENGES. THAT'S THE HISTORY OF HOUSTON, AND IT WILL GO FORWARD AS A DISPLAY FOR OTHER COMMUNITIES. WITH THAT SAID, UH, ANY QUESTIONS WE'RE, MOST OF US ARE PRETTY ANXIOUS, GO TO WORK, UH, AND WE GOT THE EQUIPMENT WE GET TO GO SEE . YOU MENTIONED IN THE BEGINNING, UM, ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO MAY SOME BAD ACTORS TO OWN AND OPERATE FACILITIES. WHAT TYPE OF ACTION? AND THEY EXPECT THE EVENT THAT BAD ONCE AGAIN. AND RURAL COMMUNITIES LIKE THAT, VULNER PEOPLE ARE LEFT WITHOUT. WELL, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO BE VERY POSITIVE. NOT ONLY WE MADE, UH, SOME OF THE CENTERS OUR FOCUS DURING THE LAST STORM ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON, WE WERE AROUND HERE AT TWO O'CLOCK AND HEARD ABOUT INDEPENDENCE HALL. SENIORS LOCKED IN THEIR ROOMS WITHOUT WATER SINCE THURSDAY. UH, HPD HAD TO WORK WITH HOUSTON FIRE TO ACTUALLY KNOCK DOWN SOME DOORS. 'CAUSE WE FELT LIKE SENIORS HAD BEEN COMPLETELY ABANDONED. THERE WAS A RED TAG ACTUALLY ON THE OFFICE DOOR. SO WE REACTED. NOW WE'RE BEING PROACTIVE BY ANNOUNCING THIS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. WE'RE ACTUALLY TALKING TO THE, UH, DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE TO SEE IF THERE'S, UH, VIOLATION OF THE LAW OF ABANDONMENT. UH, BUT, BUT WHAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON IS THE ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE OWNERS AND MANAGERS THAT THEY HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY. WE'LL HOLD 'EM ACCOUNTABLE. AND WE WANT HOUSTONIANS TO ALERT US ABOUT ANY SENIORS IN GROUP HOMES OR ASSISTED LIVING THAT WE NEED TO CHECK ON. CALL 9 1 1, WE DISCUSS WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST MEANS. WE'RE LOOKING FOR THOSE CALLS ON OUR 9 1 1 NETWORK. SO YES, SENIORS ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE. THEY DEPEND ON SOMEONE ELSE. OFTENTIMES THEY'RE, UH, BED FASTENED, SO THEY CAN'T GET OUT. THEY HAVE NO, SOME HAVE NO RELATIVES. SO WE ARE THEIR VOICES. AND THE MEDIA CAN DO A GREAT JOB OF LETTING US KNOW IF SENIORS [00:40:01] HAVE BEEN ABANDONED. BUT WE'RE ALSO DOING A SH UH, PUTTING THE OWNERS AND MANAGERS ON ALERT. WE WILL HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE. YOU TOUCHED ON THE JURY STILL NOT IN PREVIOUS WEATHER. SURE. WE HAVE A COLLEAGUE FOCUSING ON THAT TODAY OUT IN THE AREA TO KNOW WHAT THE HOLDUP IS AND WHAT'S BEING DONE BETWEEN THE HOLDUP IS, AND I, I WAS GONNA ASK THE DIRECTOR TO KIND OF, HE, HE, HE TALKS IN MILLIONS OF CUBIC FEET. I, I NEED A VISUAL, LIKE HALF A NRG STADIUM NEEDED TO BE PICKED UP. THEY'RE DOING THE VERY BEST THEY CAN. I CAN ASSURE HE HEARS FROM ME. IF WE NEED ADDITIONAL CONTRACTORS, WE'LL DO THAT. BUT, UH, IT'S BEEN WHAT A MONTH. UH, WE'RE FILLING UP NRG STADIUM AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. AND I DON'T MEAN LITERALLY THE STADIUM, BUT THAT'S THE VOLUME THAT PEOPLE CAN VISUALIZE. SO WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN AND WE'RE GONNA KEEP DOING MORE, YOU GUYS. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE TWO PRIME AND, AND SCORES OF, OF SUBCONTRACTS. I'LL LET THE DIRECTOR SPEAK, UH, TO THAT. BUT YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT MEETING I HAD RIGHT BEFORE WE CAME IN HERE, . AND IT WAS ABOUT DEBRIS BECAUSE I WAS DRIVING, DON'T TELL MY SECURITY, BUT I WAS DRIVING THE NEIGHBORHOODS THIS WEEKEND ALONE. TIMBER GROVE, 18TH STREET, PINE MARK. I KNOW WHERE THEY ARE. AND, UH, EAST SIDE, WE KNOW THE CHALLENGES DOWNTOWN. WE'RE ON TOP OF IT, BUT PEOPLE ARE GONNA HAVE TO BE PATIENT AND REALIZE THE VOLUME OF THE DEBRIS IS HUGE. GO AHEAD. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. YEAH. AND YOUR QUESTION AGAIN? YEAH. SO, SO YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE FOUR CREW CONTRACTORS. HOW MANY PEOPLE DOES THAT TRANSLATE TO? I'M SORRY. OKAY, SO WE, WE, WE CAN ACTIVATE UP TO FOUR DIFFERENT CONTRACTORS. UH, THE CITY ALREADY HAS PRE-POSITION CONTRACTS IN PLACE. SO WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO ACTIVATE UP TO FOUR FOR THE DE RATIO STORM. WE ACTIVATE IT TWO. AND THEY'RE CURRENTLY WORKING. NOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE PROVIDING SOME OF THE STATS THAT I THREW OUT EARLIER. SO THE, THE RATIO OF HOW MANY FOLKS DID YOU ACTUALLY HAVE ON THE STREET? DON'T HAVE OH, NO, NO, NO. WE, WE HAVE AT LEAST 200 ADDITIONAL CREWS OUT ON THE STREETS. AND REMEMBER, THEY'RE ADDRESSING CURBSIDE COLLECTION. THEY'RE ADDRESSING DEBRIS IN THE MEDIAN. UH, YOU SAW A LOT OF TREES, UH, THROUGH ON THE RIGHT OF WASTE, WHAT WE CALL SPLIT LEANERS AND HANGERS. WE HAVE TO CUT THOSE DOWN AS WELL SO THAT THEY CAN, THEY'RE NO LONGER A THREAT TO PUBLIC SAFETY. SO ALL COLLECTIVELY, WE HAVE ABOUT 225 CREWS OUT. THAT'S IN ADDITION TO OUR FORCES THAT ARE OUT IN, IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS PROVIDING COLLECTION AS WELL. , UH, WE HAVE ABOUT, WE HAVE ABOUT A GOOD 150 ON, ON OURS YEAH. THAT ARE, THAT ARE PROVIDING COLLECTIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND DON'T FORGET, THEY'VE GOT THEIR REGULAR DUTIES AS WELL, WHICH I UNDERSTAND, UH, FOR MY NEIGHBORS IS IMPROVING DAILY RECYCLING. GARBAGE PICKUP IS ON THE SAME DAY IN MOST OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, WHICH WAS UNHEARD OF BEFORE THE FIRST OF THE YEAR. ANYTHING ELSE? QUICK QUESTION ON THE, THERE'S A FEW IN ARE BEFORE THERE. I'LL, UH, THAT WAS PART OF OUR CONVERSATION ABOUT AN HOUR AGO. UH, NORTH OF 11TH STREET ON TC JESTER IS UNACCEPTABLE, BUT THERE ARE ANYONE THAT HAS DEBRIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. I'M JUST SIMPLY LETTING YOU KNOW, AS THE DIRECTORS DID. IT IS A TOP PRIORITY. AND, UH, WE NEED FOLKS TO PUT IT OUT ON THE CURB. UH, THE CITY'S NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO GO IN THE BACKYARD WHERE A FALLEN TREE IS, SO THAT'S A PRIVATE PROPERTY. BUT IF YOU'LL GET IT OUT ON THE CURB, UH, THEY'RE WORKING AS FAST AS THEY CAN. AND IF YOU DON'T, IF YOU CAN'T, IF YOU WANT TO GO BY NORTHWEST MALL, A STAGING AREA TO SEE THE NUMBERS OF PERSONNEL, OR THERE'S AN HISD SITE ON PINE MOUNT NEAR TWO 90, IT'S, THERE'S AN ARMY OF PEOPLE WORKING ON IT, AND THEY WANT TO GET IT OUT AS AS BAD AS THE RESIDENTS DO. IF NOT, UH, I UNDERSTAND OUR PLANS. TOM HO, DO YOU WANT, WHAT DO YOU WANT US TO, UH, WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOUR, DO YOU WANT TO, UH, GO SHOW US YOUR EQUIPMENT IF YOU, IF YOU'RE AVAILABLE? SOME OF THE HIGH WATER VEHICLES ARE ON DISPLAY IN THE, UH, WE GOT 'EM IN THE BACK, IN THE BACK OUT FRONT. WITH THAT SAID, UH, THANK Y'ALL FOR BEING HERE. I, I CAN'T EMPHASIZE ENOUGH HOW PEOPLE ARE GONNA HAVE TO BE SMART. UH, LOOK OUT FOR THEIR NEIGHBORS, LOOK OUT FOR THEIR FAMILIES, AND DON'T DRIVE IN IN HIGH WATER. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.