* 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. [Resilience Committee on January 16, 2025.] [00:00:18] SO, UH, WELCOME TO THE, UH, RESILIENCE RESILIENCY COMMITTEE. I AM TWILA CARTER, UH, CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE. VICE CHAIR IS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN FROM DISTRICT C, WHO IS NOT IN ATTENDANCE TODAY. UM, BUT WE DO HAVE HER STAFF MEMBERS HERE, ONE OF HER STAFF MEMBERS. UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE TODAY, A COUNCIL MEMBER, SALLY ALCORN, UM, AT LARGE POSITION. FIVE OTHER STAFFERS FROM DISTRICT H. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CAST COUNCIL MEMBER CASTEX TATUMS, DISTRICT K HAS A STAFF MEMBER IN THE ROOM. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JULIAN RAMIREZ AT LARGE ONE, ALWAYS HAVE TO COUNT. MM-HMM . HAS STAFF IN THE ROOM. AND AS MENTIONED, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, ABBY CAYMAN HAS, UH, DISTRICT C HAS A STAFF MEMBER ATTENDING. UM, IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS HERE OF THE PUBLIC WHO DID NOT SIGN UP, WHICH I DON'T THINK WE HAVE, YOU'RE WELCOME TO SIGN UP. IF YOU APPEAR, YOU CAN SIGN UP. UH, I DON'T THINK THERE'S A, SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE HERE A PRESENTATION TODAY, BUILD FOR GOOD. WE'D LIKE TO WELCOME ANGELA BLANCHARD, CHIEF RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE OFFICER FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UM, TO HAVE A SEAT OR STAND OR WHATEVER. AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT YOUR PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, UM, HAVING ME IN THIS COMMITTEE MEETING. I APPRECIATE IT. UM, IT'S KIND OF AN EXCITING THING TO START THIS NEW YEAR, UH, WITH THE REBOOT OF HOW WE'RE GOING TO BE ADDRESSING RESILIENCE AND RECOVERY. UM, AND SO ARE YOU SIGNALING ME THAT I NEED TO MOVE THE MIC CLOSER? IS THAT MM-HMM . A LITTLE CLOSER. YES, MA'AM. SO THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER, AND THANK YOU TO OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF WHO ARE HERE. UM, I THINK I, I JUST WANNA START BY, UH, LETTING YOU KNOW I HAVE TWO MEMBERS OF MY TEAM HERE, KELLY HEARN AND CHASE KRONER. UM, CHASE HAS ABOUT 10 YEARS OF PUBLIC POLICY EXPERIENCE AND A HOST OF VARIOUS, VERY MUCH TIED TO RESILIENCY. KELLY HEARN, UH, IS A MASTER'S, DUAL MASTER'S IN SOCIAL WORK AND DISASTER LEADERSHIP, AND SHE HANDLES A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AND INTERACTIONS WE HAVE ON THE RECOVERY FRONT. AND YOU'LL HEAR SOMETHING ABOUT WHAT THEY'LL EACH BE WORKING ON. I'M NOT GONNA SPEND ANY TIME INTRODUCING MYSELF BECAUSE, UH, SOME OF YOU ALREADY KNOW A LOT ABOUT ME, AND THEN OTHERS OF YOU, LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER ASTIC STATE. I'M SORRY WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO MEET ONE-ON-ONE YET, BUT I HOPE WE GET TOO SOON. UM, THE MAYOR, UH, RECRUITED ME FOR THIS ROLE BECAUSE OF ABOUT FOUR DECADES OF EXPERIENCE AND DEDICATION TO HOUSTON, ITS COMMUNITIES AND NEIGHBORHOODS. AND, UM, I THINK POSSIBLY ALSO BECAUSE OF MY, UM, VAST CONNECTIONS THROUGHOUT THE REGION, IT FITS WELL WITH HIS COLLABORATIVE APPROACH, UH, TO GOVERNING. SO, UM, BEFORE YOU AS A DOCUMENT THAT WE PUT TOGETHER, AND THINK OF IT AS A PHILOSOPHICAL ORIENTING DOCUMENT THAT DOES A COUPLE OF THINGS, SETS THE STAGE FOR HOW WE THINK ABOUT RESILIENCE, AND ALSO, UH, OUTLINES THE VERY, AT THE VERY HIGHEST LEVEL, THE KEY GOALS WE'LL BE PURSUING. AND OF COURSE, THOSE GOALS DO INVOLVE HELP AND INPUT AND SUPPORT FROM ALL OF YOU. SO, EXCUSE ME. ON SLIDE ONE, IT TALKS ABOUT OUR BIG SLIDE, OUR BIG WHY. UM, MOST OF US HAVE BEEN ACCUSTOMED TO TALKING ABOUT HOUSTON AS THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY. AND I FEEL LIKE THAT CHARACTERIZATION OF HOUSTON, MRS. SOMETHING QUITE ESSENTIAL, THAT HOUSTON ITSELF IS ESSENTIAL TO THE REGION AND TO THE COUNTRY. THAT THE PORT, THE MEDICAL CENTER, ENERGY PRODUCTION, AND OUR UNIQUE ABILITY TO WELCOME AND RESETTLE PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD, THESE ARE ESSENTIAL STRENGTHS. THIS MAKES US A CITY THAT SHOULD AND SHOULD BE OPERABLE AND FUNCTIONABLE IN EVERY MANNER OF CIRCUMSTANCE AND CONDITION. AND FOCUSING ON THAT, I'D SAY, COME HELL, WIND [00:05:01] OR HIGH WATER, BECAUSE WE DO GET ALL THREE. UM, THE PRO, THE APPROACH WE'RE TAKING TO THIS IS A NEIGHBORHOOD BY NEIGHBORHOOD APPROACH. AND IF YOU'VE WORKED WITH ME AT ALL, THEN YOU KNOW THAT I BELIEVE THINGS GROW THE BEST. THINGS GROW FROM THE GROUND UP. AND A NEIGHBORHOOD APPROACH AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT WE CAN DO TO STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES AND NEIGHBORHOODS, UM, IS GONNA BE REALLY THE ROOTED, THE ROOTS OF REAL RESILIENCE FOR HOUSTON. OUR WAY OF WORKING. RESPONSE AND RECOVERY ABSOLUTELY MOVE AT THE SPEED OF TRUST AND BUILDING COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS AND CONNECTIONS TOWARD THAT END. EARLY ON LAST YEAR, WHEN THE MAYOR FIRST ASKED FOR MY HELP, I BEGAN RECRUITING THE PEOPLE WHO HAD SKIN IN THE GAME. THESE ARE INDIVIDUALS AT A MULTITUDE OF INSTITUTIONS THAT HAVE WORKED HARD AND CARED ABOUT RESPONSE IN THE PAST, AND I KNEW WOULD DO SO IN THE FUTURE. AND THAT MAYOR'S DISASTER ROUND TABLE IS STILL OPERATING, AND IT WILL MEET NEXT WEEK. ONE OF OUR BIGGEST MEETINGS WAS HELD ON THE MORNING OF MAY 16TH, UM, WHICH TURNED OUT IT APPEARED AS THOUGH I HAD HAD A QUITE, I WAS EITHER BAD LUCK FOR THE CITY, OR I HAD A MASTERFUL CRYSTAL BALL, UH, BECAUSE FOUR HOURS LATER WE WENT INTO ACTIVATION FOR THE DERECHO. UM, THE AIM THERE IS OF COURSE, TO HAVE EVERYONE WHO NEEDS TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER AND WORK TOGETHER, BE ACQUAINTED WITH ONE ANOTHER. SO WHAT WE BELIEVE IN HOW WE WORK, THE ESSENTIAL PART OF THE FOCUS HERE IS GOING TO BE A VERY PRAGMATIC ONE. WHERE THE MAYOR AND I ARE, UH, VERY DEFINITELY ALIGNED IS WE REALLY WANT, UH, HEALTH AND SAFETY, THE BASIC FUNDAMENTALS TO WORK AND EVERYTHING ELSE TO BE BUILT ON TOP OF THAT. SO IN THE SLIDE, WHICH SAYS WHAT WE BELIEVE AND HOW WE WORK, THAT FOCUS IS OUTLINED. THERE IS A PRAGMATIC PEOPLE-CENTERED FOCUS. UM, AND IT ALSO CONTAINS THE THINKING THAT OF THE MAYORS THAT WE WANT TO DO THAT WHICH THIS CITY IS UNIQUELY RESPONSIBLE FOR, AND WHICH ONLY WE CAN DO FIRST, NOT TO THE EXCLUSION OF OTHER THINGS, BUT THAT IS THE FOCUS FOR OUR PRIORITIES. WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR DRINKABLE WATER. WE WANT THE WATER TO BE DRINKABLE, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE A PRIORITY, UM, IN COME HELL WIND OR HIGH WATER, RIGHT, . SO BEYOND THAT, UH, WHAT WOULD, WHAT DO WE MEAN BY RESILIENCE? ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES I FACED COMING INTO THE PO POSITION IS THAT ALMOST, UM, IF WHATEVER YOU THINK IS A GOOD THING, UM, YOU THINK IT'S ALSO A RESILIENT THING. SO WHAT THAT COULD MEAN THEN IS SUCH A VAST ARRAY OF PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES THAT WE HAVE NO FOCUS AND NO MEANS OF DETERMINING WHETHER WE'VE MADE ANY HEADWAY OR NOT. SO IN THIS, WITH THIS, UM, THE ORIENTATION WE HAVE IS A VERY PRAGMATIC ONE. AND AT FIRST IT'S BEING CLIMATE REALIST. UM, WE ARE HAPPY TO ALLOW, UH, PEOPLE TO GO ON DEBATING ABOUT HOW WE GOT HERE. UM, BUT WE BELIEVE THAT ESSENTIALLY WE HAVE TO FACE THE FACT THAT WE LIVE IN A CITY, AN ESSENTIAL CITY VOL, UH, VERY VULNERABLE TO ALL MANNER OF UPHEAVAL, AND THAT WE HAVE TO THINK 360 DEGREES. ARE WE READY AT HOME? ARE WE READY AT WORK? ARE WE READY IN THE PLACES WE WORSHIP? ARE WE READY IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS? AND WE NEED TO THINK THAT WAY 365 DAYS A YEAR, BECAUSE WE'VE ALL LEARNED THAT, UM, THIS, THAT WE DON'T JUST HAVE A SEASON IN WHICH A DISASTER CAN BEFALL US. WE HAVE, UM, CONDITIONS THAT COULD THREATEN OUR WELLBEING ALMOST ANY TIME OF THE YEAR NOW. SO AGAIN, THE FUNDAMENTAL UNIT OF RESILIENCE IS THE NEIGHBORHOOD, AND OUR WORK IS GOING TO BE TO GUARANTEE THE BASIC SAFETY AND CORE CITY SERVICES UNDER ALL CONDITIONS. SO IN THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, I I WILL DRAW ON, IF YOU DON'T MIND, ON 40 YEARS OF WORKING TO DELIVER MEANINGFUL, IMPACTFUL PROGRAMS IN HOUSTON. THE ONES THAT LAST, THE ONES THAT HAVE THE GREATEST POSSIBLE IMPACT AND EFFECTIVENESS, THE ONES WE SUSTAIN ARE BUILT AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE PUBLIC, PRIVATE, AND PHIL PHILANTHROPIC INTEREST. WE WANT THE PUBLIC SECTOR TO DO THAT, WHICH WE UNIQUELY MUST AND CAN DO. [00:10:01] WE WANT PHILANTHROPY TO DO WHAT THEY DO REALLY WELL, AND WE WANT THEM TO FUND WHAT THEY THINK IS IMPORTANT IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR PRIORITIES. AND WE WANT THE PRIVATE SECTOR STEPPING IN FOR WHAT THEY CAN UNIQUELY OFFER, WHETHER THAT'S SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE, OR SOME OTHER FORM OF PHILANTHROPIC CONTRIBUTION THAT THEY CAN MAKE. SEEING THOSE ALIGNED THOUGH, ALLOWS US NOT ONLY TO STRUCTURE PROGRAMS IN A LASTING WAY, BUT IT ALLOWS US TO STRUCTURE THE FINANCING OF THOSE PROGRAMS IN A WAY THAT MAKES THEM EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE. UM, I CAN TALK THROUGH A FEW EXAMPLES OF THAT, UM, LATER ON. UM, THE NEXT SLIDE IS, I THINK IF, IF YOU, IF I WERE TO DISCLOSE, LIKE, WHAT IS MY FUNDAMENTAL PHILOSOPHY TOWARD BUILDING, UM, THIS IS A BIT OF MASLOW'S HIERARCHY FOR ANYTHING YOU WANNA DO. AND IT EXPRESSES WHAT I'VE ALREADY SAID. THE FOUNDATION OF EVERYTHING IS THAT INFRASTRUCTURE AND THOSE ESSENTIAL LIFESAVING THINGS, WATER, SEWER, ET CETERA, THOSE POWER, THOSE WORK. AND SO EVERYTHING IS BUILT UPON THAT. IBEL, A STRONG BELIEVER, NEIGHBORHOODS NEED RESILIENCY HUBS. THEY NEED, EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD NEEDS A PLACE OF RESPITE. EVERY COMMUNITY NEEDS ACCESS TO A PLACE WHERE THEY'RE UNDERSTOOD AND WELCOME. UM, BUT NONE OF THOSE PLACES WILL WORK IF THEY HAVE NO WATER. AND WE CAN'T OPEN THEM IF THEY DON'T HAVE WATER. WE CAN'T OPEN 'EM IF THEY DON'T HAVE POWER. SO GUARANTEEING THOSE ESSENTIAL SERVICES AS A FOUNDATION IS VERY MUCH THE FIRST YEAR PRIORITY AND FOCUS OF RESILIENCE. BUILT ON THAT ARE POLICIES AND PROGRAMS AND SO FORTH. THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT ALLOW US TO, UM, EXPAND OUR IMPACT. UM, THOSE ARE THE PROGRAMS. IF YOU THINK OF A RESILIENCE HUB, IT'S A BUILDING. IT'S GOT RESOURCES AND ASSETS ALL YEAR ROUND INSIDE. IT'S ALSO A SET OF PROGRAMS THAT ARE MEANINGFUL TO THAT COMMUNITY AND VERY MUCH TIED TO COMMUNITY PRIORITIES. SO THE TOP BOX IS INNOVATION. SINCE COMING INTO THIS ROLE, PEOPLE HAVE SENT ME A WIDE ARRAY OF VERY CREATIVE, AND QUITE FRANKLY, VERY INTERESTING, INNOVATIVE IDEAS. UM, THOSE WON'T BE A PRIORITY UNTIL THESE BOTTOM BOXES ARE ADDRESSED WITH IN SOME MEANINGFUL WAY, BECAUSE I'VE LEARNED OVER 40 YEARS THAT IF YOU BUILD CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION WITHOUT A FOUNDATION, THOSE EFFORTS GET LOST OR DISSIPATED. UM, I LIKEN IT TO THE ALLEY THEATER. WE GO TO SEE A PLAY, BUT IF THE LIGHTS DON'T WORK AND THE STAGE DOESN'T WORK AND THE CURTAINS DON'T GO UP, HOWEVER GOOD THE PRO, NO MATTER HOW GOOD THE PERFORMANCE IS, THE PLAY FAILS. SO FROM THE BOTTOM UP LOOKING NEIGHBORHOOD BY NEIGHBORHOOD AT THE INFRASTRUCTURE ELEMENTS, THEN THE PEOPLE IN THE PROGRAMS, AND THEN CREATIVITY ON TOP OF THAT. UM, SO WHAT ARE THE THREE BIG BUCKETS OF ATTENTION? UM, I WANNA TALK ABOUT THE RESILIENCE SCORECARD, AND THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF A BETTER DESCRIPTION OF THAT FURTHER ON, SO I'LL SAVE IT. RESILIENCY HUBS PLANS HAD BEEN DEVELOPED IN THE PAST, AND MANY OF THOSE PLANS HAD GREAT COMMUNITY INPUT. THEY SOUGHT THOSE PLANS, REALLY CAPTURED IN SOME MEASURE WHAT PEOPLE IN THIRD WARD OR SET AGHAST OR SUNNYSIDE THOUGHT RESILIENCY WAS AND WHAT THEY WANTED IT TO MEAN IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. WE'D LIKE TO PUT SOME MEAT ON THOSE BONES AND FLESH OUT THOSE PLANS AND START TO MAKE THEM ACTIONABLE AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO DELIVER 'EM AND DRIVE THEM INTO THE GROUND AND KEEP THEM FUNDED, NOT ONCE, BUT OVER TIME. AND THEN INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION. WHEN MY ROLE IN THAT IS TO WORK WITH ALL MY, UH, CITY DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS AND COORDINATE AND PRIORITIZE THOSE ELEMENTS THAT MAKE FOR THE FUNDAMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY NEIGHBORHOOD BY NEIGHBORHOOD. UM, UH, THE BEST WAY TO SUMMARIZE EVERYTHING WE'RE WORKING ON IS THIS IS A RATHER DENSE SLIDE, AND YOU'LL SEE TWO COLUMNS ON THE RECOVERY SIDE. WHAT YOU'RE SEEING, THERE WAS A KIND OF COMMUNITY AND CROWDSOURCED, UH, LIST MENU OF ITEMS. SO AS THE YEAR WORE ON LAST YEAR, AND WE WERE BRINGING THE LIKES OF HEB AND THE FOOD BANK AND WEST STREET RECOVERY, AND, UM, MEMBERS OF, UH, THE, [00:15:01] UH, EMERGENCY RESPONSE FROM HARRIS COUNTY AND SOME COMMISSIONER STAFF AND THAT THREE-LEGGED STOOL, ESSENTIALLY, WE ASK PEOPLE, WHERE CAN WE STRENGTHEN THE WAY WE RESPOND? HOW DO WE STITCH UP RESPONSE? SO FROM INCIDENT TO RECOVERY, THOSE, THAT ENTIRE ARC IS CONNECTED, AND EACH STAGE OF PLAYERS IS CONNECTED TO THE ONE BEFORE AND THE ONE AFTER ONE OF THE STRUGGLES, AND THIS IS NOT UNIQUE TO HOUSTON, THIS IS WORLDWIDE. IN RESPONSE, YOU SEE A HEAVY DUTY RESPONSE IN THE EARLY STAGES OF A DISASTER THAT'S COMING OUT OF OEM. WE CALL 'EM THE UNIFORMS. THESE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT SHOW UP. THESE ARE HIERARCHICAL ORGANIZATIONS. THEY OPERATE IN A COMMAND AND CONTROL VERY STRUCTURED WAY. THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INTENSE EMERGENCY PHASE, AND THEN THEY DEACTIVATE. NOW WHAT? SO IN THE PAST, THERE'S A GAP THAT HAS EXISTED, SIGNIFICANT GAP BETWEEN THOSE RESPONSES AND THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE IN THAT STAGE. AND THE PLAYERS THAT COME NEXT, UH, LONG TERM WE CALL 'EM THE T-SHIRT FOLK. UM, MANY OF YOU FALL INTO THAT CATEGORY. YOU SHOW UP WITH YOUR CONNECTIONS, YOUR RELATIONSHIPS, THANK GOD, COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER WITH HER VAST LIST OF WILLING VOLUNTEERS. UM, AND THEN WE GO INTO THE LONG TERM PIECE. IT IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT THAT OCCURS AROUND TABLES. LEGAL LEADERS WHO ARE, UH, CONSCIOUSLY AWARE OF THEIR CAPACITY IN THEIR ORGANIZATIONS, AND THEY BRING THAT TO BEAR IN A COLLABORATIVE WAY FOR THE THREE TO FIVE YEARS. IT TAKES US TO HAVE A MEANINGFUL RECOVERY. SO THIS RECOVERY SIDE, THIS MENU ARE SOME THINGS THAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND STAKEHOLDERS AND INSTITUTIONAL LEADERS IDENTIFIED AS STRUGGLES. FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE'RE SERVING MEALS, ARE WE CLEAR ABOUT WHO'S DOING THE EMERGENCY HOT MEALS IN THE MIDST OF THE EVENT? WHO'S DOING THE PANTRY RESUPPLY FOOD AT AS THE EVENT WEARS ON? AND THEN WHO'S DOING THE ONGOING WORK OF SUPPLYING EMERGENCY FOOD TO PEOPLE WHO ARE, UM, MOVING FROM, UM, RELATIVES TO RELATIVES HOMES? RIGHT? SO THAT'S JUST A SINGLE EXAMPLE. ALL OF THESE REPRESENT THINGS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED PRIOR OR DOING, UM, PRIOR TO DERECHO OR AMPLIFIED DURING DERECHO AND BARRELL. MANY OF YOU WERE WEIGHED IN ON SOME OF THIS AND, AND GAVE FEEDBACK. UM, ON THE RESILIENCE SIDE, THE RESILIENCE SCORECARD, UM, IDEA CAME FROM US EXAMINING A LOT OF THE PLANS AND INVESTMENTS THE CITY HAS MADE PREVIOUSLY. SO SOME HUNDRED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF CITY MONEY HAS GONE INTO CONSULTANTS WHO SPEND A GREAT DEAL OF TIME COLLECTING A LOT OF INFORMATION AND PRODUCING REPORTS THAT KEEP US A PART OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE ACTION ORGANIZATIONS OF ONE KIND OF OR ANOTHER. THESE ARE NOT MEANINGLESS EXERCISES, BUT MUCH OF WHAT THEY SCORE ON. I MEAN, IT'S A LITTLE, WHEN HOUSTON SHOWS UP, IT'S A LITTLE LIKE GOING TO TAKE A COURSE AND A TEST, AND YOU WILL NEVER PASS IT. YOU WILL SIMPLY ALWAYS BE THE SLOWEST KID IN THE CLASS. AND YOUR SCORE ON A CURVE YOU WON'T DO WELL. WHAT WE WANTED TO TAKE A STAB AT, AND THIS IS WHERE ALL OF YOU REALLY COME IN AS AN INVITATION, I BEGAN THE WORK OF TALKING TO INSTITUTIONAL LEADERS, PEOPLE AT THE MEDICAL CENTER WHO LEAD THOSE CRITICAL INSTITUTIONS. UM, PEOPLE IN COMPANIES THAT HAVE MADE HUGE INVESTMENTS IN RESILIENCE, SCHOOLS THAT HAVE MADE INVESTMENTS IN RESILIENCE, LOOKING AT WHERE HOUSTON'S ALREADY EXCELLING. AND THOSE OF YOU WHO KNOW MY WORK AND NEIGHBORHOODS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHERE I STARTED IN NEIGHBORHOODS. WHAT'S WORKING HERE? WHAT HAVE THE PEOPLE HERE CREATED FOR THEMSELVES THAT THEY VALUE? HOW DO WE BUILD ON THAT? SO THE SCORECARD, I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT BECOME A COMPOSITE OF THE UNIQUE STRENGTHS OF HOUSTON. 'CAUSE LET'S FACE IT, IF WE WEREN'T RESILIENT, WE WOULDN'T BE HERE. SO WHAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON IN THE RESILIENCE SCORECARD IS COLLECTING. AND, AND I WANT IT TO BE GROUNDED IN REALITY. UH, I USED TO, UH, SHARE WITH MY TEAM, IF AN ORGANIZATION SAYS THEY DO SOMETHING, BUT THERE'S NO LINE ITEM IN THE BUDGET FOR IT, THEY DON'T DO IT. SO WE ARE GOING TO THOSE INSTITUTIONS AND SAYING, SHOW ME THE INVESTMENTS [00:20:01] YOU'RE MAKING IN RESILIENCE. WHAT DO THOSE LOOK LIKE? WHAT CHARACTER AND FORM HAVE THEY TAKEN? AND WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO COME TOGETHER IN MUCH THE SAME WAY WE'VE DONE THE DISASTER ROUND TABLE TO TALK ABOUT THOSE INVESTMENTS. SO WE HAVE SIGHT LINES INTO ONE INSTITUTION, INTO ANOTHER, SO WE CAN LEVERAGE ONE ANOTHER'S EFFORTS. AND, AND THIS EXTENDS, THIS INCLUDES EVERYTHING FROM THE EFFORT THAT, UM, MS. RIVERA'S MAKING IN SET, AGA, YOU KNOW, SITTING IN HER LIVING ROOM AND THEN VISITING THE HUB THAT SHE SET UP FOR HER OWN NEIGHBORHOOD, ALL THE WAY TO SOME OF THE LARGEST ENERGY COMPANIES, AND THE MONEY THEY'VE PUT BEHIND RESILIENCE THAT CARRIES BENEFITS BEYOND THEIR OWN COMPANY. SO THAT INVENTORY TOWARD THAT END, UM, UH, WE'VE ASKED GREATER HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP TO START. THEY'VE COLLECTED, UH, A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF INFORMATION FROM THEIR COMPANIES, AND WE'LL CONTINUE THAT EFFORT UNTIL WE CAN BUILD OUR OWN SCORECARD. WHAT IS MEANINGFUL IN THE WAY OF A MEASURE OF RESILIENCE FOR THIS ECOLOGY, THIS ECONOMY? UM, SO ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD RESILIENCE HUBS, YOU ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH THAT CONCEPT. UM, THE SORT OF PLACE WE COME FROM ON THAT IS ALL AROUND THE WORLD. THESE ARE BEING CREATED OR, OR WHETHER DISPLACED PEOPLE CONSTANTLY AND PEOPLE NEED LANDING PLACES AND ON RAMPS AND MOST PEOPLE'S JOURNEY AFTER DISPLACEMENT BEGINS AGAIN IN A NEIGHBORHOOD. SO PLACING THOSE RESOURCES IN NEIGHBORHOODS IS VITAL. THEN WE DON'T WANNA LEAVE THE INTERNATIONAL CONVERSATION ON CLIMATE ACTION OR, OR CLIMATE RESPONSE. WE DON'T WANT TO DIVORCE OURSELVES FROM IT. BUT OUR APPROACH GOING FORWARD IS TO DO THAT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COUNTY SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE COUNTY AND THE CITY PAYING FOR THE SAME EFFORT. AND SO THAT IT'S A REALLY INTEGRATED AND COORDINATED PLAN. AND, UM, WE, WE BELIEVE THAT THAT'S GOING TO BE POSSIBLE AND THE COUNTIES, UM, EXPRESS SOME INTEREST IN DOING THAT WITH US. UM, THEN INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION. I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT MOST OF YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT THAT THAN I DO. UM, BUT OUR FOCUS IS ON LOOKING AT INDIVIDUAL NEIGHBORHOODS. WHAT ARE THE ASSETS IN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT NEED PROTECTION? HOW CAN WE PROTECT THOSE INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS AND OTHER THINGS AT THE SAME TIME, UM, THAT ARE A VALUE? FIRE POLICE, UM, MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS. OKAY, ON THE SCORECARD, THIS IS A LITTLE DESCRIPTION, UM, OF HOW WE IMAGINE IT WORKING YOUR IDEAS AND INTERESTS IN THIS. UH, IT'S SOMETHING I'D LOVE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT FROM YOU OR YOUR DESIGNATED STAFF, UM, BOTH IN TERMS OF WHERE WE SHOULD BE SEEKING MEMBERS AND INPUT AND ANY THOUGHTS YOU HAVE ABOUT THE TRUE MEANING OF RESILIENCE FOR THE REGION. UM, THE OTHER INVITATION I HAVE FOR YOU IS, UM, HAS TO DO WITH READINESS. I WAS, UM, THERE'S A SOURCE OF, UH, DATA REGARDING HOW PEOPLE PREPARE AND HOW MANY PREPARE FOR UPHEAVAL. AND, UM, IT, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT PROMISING. ABOUT A THIRD OF US MAKE PREPARATIONS. SO, YOU KNOW, THAT MEANS THE TWO THIRDS THAT ARE NOT DOING IT ARE MANY ARE NOT DOING IT BECAUSE THEY BARELY HAVE THE RESOURCES TO GET THROUGH THE MONTH. THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO STOCK UP FOR THE UNEXPECTED. BUT MANY PEOPLE ARE NOT DOING IT BECAUSE IT'S, UM, I LIKE TO SAY WE KINDA LIVE IN A HOUSTON STRONG CULTURE, NOT IN HOUSTON GETS READY CULTURE. SO THE MORE WE CAN SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE 360 DEGREES EVERYWHERE YOU GO, AND THEN 365 DAY YEAR READINESS, UH, WE INVITE YOU TO BE OUR AMBASSADORS ON THAT FRONT. 'CAUSE WE'RE STILL LEARNING FROM THESE LAST TWO EVENTS. AGAIN, HOW MANY PEOPLE DIDN'T HAVE THE BARE NECESSITIES TO MAKE IT THROUGH TWO OR THREE DAYS. AND IN SOME CASES, WE CAN HELP THEM DO THAT IF THEY REACH OUT. IN OTHER CASES, THEY COULD IN THERE JUST, UH, NEEDING A BIT OF A N NUDGE FROM GOOD LEADERS LIKE ALL OF YOU. SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE DEAL FOR TODAY THAT I PREPARED. AND NOW I'M INTERESTED IN YOUR THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS. WELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. UM, I'LL CUT A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS AND THEN WE DO HAVE SOME COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THE C BUT IN THE [00:25:01] MEANTIME, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER AMY PECK FROM DISTRICT A HAS JOINED US AS WELL AS STAFF, UH, FROM COUNCIL MEMBER TASHA JACKSON, DISTRICT B, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CAROLYN EVANS SHABAZ, DISTRICT D AS WELL AS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JOAQUIN MARTINEZ'S OFFICE DISTRICT. I, I DON'T THINK I MISSED ANYONE. UM, GOOD PRESENTATION. ANGELA, THANK YOU FOR, FOR BEING HERE. I'M GONNA LEAD WITH A QUESTION THAT IRONICALLY, UM, WE JUST TALKED ABOUT. HOW CAN WE HELP? THAT'S THE ANSWER THAT PEOPLE ARE WANTING TO KNOW. HOW CAN WE HELP? SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT A TO FLATTER YOU OR, OR MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE EITHER. BUT WHAT YOU DID DURING, UM, BOTH THE DERECHO AND BARRELL, UM, YOU DID A COUPLE OF THINGS. ONE IS CALLING OUT THE FACT THAT WE HAD NO CENTRAL SOURCE OF STRUCTURE OF ORGANIZATION FOR THE, THE COLLECTION AND DEPLOYMENT OF VOLUNTEERS LENDING YOUR TEAM AND STAFF AND YOUR RESOURCES TO US GAVE US A, THAT'S ANOTHER DISASTER ROUND TABLE ISSUE. AND BECAUSE OF IT, WE ARE COMING TO THE TABLE AND EVERY INSTITUTION THAT HAS A RESPONSIBILITY FOR THAT IS ACTUALLY WORKING TO DETERMINE WHAT THEY CAN CONTRIBUTE AND IDENTIFY THE GAPS. AND IN THAT ROUND TABLE ARE ALSO THE PEOPLE THAT FUND ALL OF THIS, UH, UNITED WAY ENERGY BANK AND THE LIKE. SO, UM, WHAT YOU ON EARTH AS YOU, UH, DEDICATE YOURSELVES TO, UH, SERVING YOUR CONSTITUENTS, FORWARDING THAT TO US IS A PROBLEM OR A CHALLENGE, PARTICULARLY IN A, PUTTING IT IN A WORKABLE QUESTION, UH, IS VERY HELPFUL. THE SCORECARD IS REALLY IMPORTANT. YOUR, YOUR, YOUR INPUT TO THAT, UH, WHAT YOU HAVE BOTH SEEN AND THAT YOU PRIORITIZE YOURSELVES FOR WHAT CONSTITUTES RESILIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE YOU REPRESENT. WE'RE GONNA BUILD THAT INTO HOW WE'RE GOING TO, UH, RATE OURSELVES ON AS A REGION ON OUR PROGRESS. SO, UM, SOME OTHER WAYS I COULD PROBABLY THINK OF TOO, BUT THOSE ARE TWO, UM, MANY OF YOU, AS YOU SERVE YOUR CONSTITUENTS, CHALLENGES ARISE. AND WHEN YOU FORM THOSE UP IN THE, IN A SHAPE OF A QUESTION OR A CHALLENGE, AND YOU GIVE US INFORMATION, THEN WE CAN ACT ON THAT. MOREOVER, I CAN GET THE 65 TO 70 PARTNERS THAT HAVE JOINED THAT ROUND TABLE TO ACT ON IT AS WELL. THANK YOU. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, HOUSTON IS STRONG. HOUSTON IS RESILIENCE, BUT HOUSTON IS HUNGRY FOR A PLAN. YES. AND I, I THINK, YOU KNOW, AS WELL AS I DO THAT, UM, WE ALL WANT TO SEE THAT MAGIC SWITCH FLIPPED AT THE TIME OF NEED A TIME OF WHEN THERE'S A DISASTER, WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENS. UM, WE WANNA SEE THAT MAGIC, MAGIC LIGHT GO ON. NOT LITERALLY LIGHTS AT TIMES, BUT, UM, ELECTRICITY. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, TIMING I THINK IS WHAT I HEAR TIME AND TIME AGAIN. LITERALLY. UM, WE'RE AT A TOWN HALL THIS PAST WEEK, AND THE QUESTION IS WHAT'S THE TIMELINE? WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? AND, AND I KNOW THAT THAT'S PROBABLY NOT SOMETHING YOU HAVE AN IMMEDIATE ANSWER TO, BUT, UM, REALLY TIMING IS, IS ESSENTIAL HERE, I THINK FOR, FOR HOUSTON. YEAH, DEPENDS ON WHAT IT IS THAT TIMING FOR THE SCORECARD IS. WE NEED ABOUT FOUR MONTHS OF SOLID INPUT ON THAT BEFORE WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT WE START, IT STARTS FRAMING OUT WHAT WE'RE GONNA ACT UPON. JUST WHAT YOU SAW IN THE, ON THE RECOVERY SIDE OF THAT, UH, TWO COLUMN, UH, SLIDE. UH, WE SAW IT FOR ABOUT FIVE MONTHS. INPUT FROM THIS FULL ARRAY OF ACTORS. HOW DO YOU SEE THESE CHALLENGES? HOW ARE YOU ADDRESSING THESE CHALLENGES? WHERE DO YOU SEE THE CONNECTIONS THAT NEED TO BE MADE, THAT SET THE TABLE, THAT SET THE MENU SO THAT WE'RE GOING TO MEAN IT BY NOW? I THINK YOU ALL KNOW, THE MAYOR DOESN'T JUST SAY COLLABORATION. HE REALLY MEANS IT. SO, AND, AND THAT ALSO TAKES THE SHAPE OF BEING VERY OPEN AND TRANSPARENT. SO THAT MENU THAT EMERGED FROM THAT IS SOMETHING WE GAVE TO ANYBODY WHO ASKED FOR IT AND THEN SAW IT AND INVITED ANYBODY WHO WANTED TO COME AND HELP. WE, WE DON'T NEED MORE SPECTATORS, , WE NEED, IF YOU JUST WANNA COME AND WATCH, EH, IF YOU GOT SOMETHING TO OFFER AND YOU'RE COMMITTED, PLEASE SHOW UP. SAME ON RESILIENCE. SO WE'RE GONNA TAKE A FEW MONTHS, WE'RE GONNA KEEP COLLECTING INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT MAJOR INSTITUTIONS ARE DOING. THEN WE'RE GONNA FORM UP THAT SCORECARD. AND I HOPE YOU'LL INVITE ME BACK SO THAT WE CAN REVIEW IT TOGETHER AND SEE WHAT [00:30:01] THAT MENU LOOKS LIKE FOR RESILIENCE, UH, ON RESILIENCE HUBS UNTIL WE CAN GUARANTEE THAT WE HAVE A STRONG CONVICTION THAT THE FUNDAMENTALS ARE GONNA WORK. WATER, SEWER POWER. UH, WE'RE GONNA CONCENTRATE ON THAT WHILE WE LOOK AT THE BEST PROGRAM MODELS FOR EACH NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE BEST FACILITIES FOR EACH NEIGHBORHOOD. SO WE'RE IN AN EVALUATION PERIOD ON THAT. UM, IT'S A GOOD START. YEAH. UM, I'VE GOT A FEW MORE QUESTIONS, BUT I'M GONNA DEFER TO MY, UH, FELLOW COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE Q UH, COUNCIL MEMBER PECK. THANK YOU CHAIR. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING. UM, I'M REALLY RELIEVED TO SEE THAT THE CITY IS FINALLY TAKING RECOVERY SERIOUSLY. UM, FOR MANY YEARS THERE REALLY HASN'T BEEN A PLAN OTHER THAN JUST SEND PEOPLE DOWNTOWN, WHICH AS WE'VE DISCUSSED IN THE PAST, THAT DOESN'T WORK FOR DISTRICT A AND MANY OTHER DISTRICTS WHERE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WANNA STAY IN THEIR COMMUNITIES, THEY DON'T WANNA GO DOWNTOWN. UM, AND IN DISTRICT A, WE HAD TO CREATE OUR OWN DISASTER RECOVERY PLAN BECAUSE THERE WAS NO PLAN AT THE CITY. SO IT'S REALLY GREAT TO SEE THAT, THAT WE'RE MOVING FORWARD FINALLY WITH AN ACTUAL PLAN HERE. UM, MY QUESTION WAS ALSO ABOUT TIMING. AND YOU KIND OF TOUCHED ON THAT, UM, AND YOU KIND OF ANSWERED THAT TOO. BUT AS FAR AS WHEN WE GET TO HURRICANE SEASON THIS YEAR, HOW FAR INTO THIS PLAN DO YOU EXPECT US TO BE? YEAH. SO WHEN IT COMES TO, SO LET'S SEPARATE RESILIENCE AND ANTICIPATING HURRICANES. SO, UH, YOU ARE ACTUALLY ALSO LEADING IN EXACTLY THE WAY WE HOPE COUNCIL MEMBERS WILL, THAT REALLY INFORMS THE WAY WE ACTIVATE. SO WHAT YOU HAVE BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION IS THAT FACILITY WISE, THERE'S BEEN A GAP IN SOME OF THE AREAS YOU SERVE. AND WE SAW WHAT HAPPENED, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH, UH, THE FAMILY DEVELOPMENT CENTER KIND OF EMERGED, BUT WE DIDN'T NECESSARILY HAVE THEM ON THE MAP FOR RELY TO RELY ON THEM. AND SO TWO THINGS ARE HAPPENING THAT RECENTLY, I THINK STEVE AND DAVID ISSUED AN INVITATION TO ALL OF YOU TO SUBMIT THOSE LOCATIONS THAT YOU FELT NEEDED TO BE A PART OF OUR PLAN. AND THIS IS WHERE WE'VE REALLY, WE'VE REALLY GOT A BIG LIFT HERE. WE SAW OVER AND OVER AGAIN, PEOPLE GET CONFUSED AND WASTE TIME. SO I DON'T BLAME OUR RESIDENTS OF OUR CITY. IT'S ON US. WE NEED TO BE COMMUNICATING HERE. YOU CAN PLUG YOUR PHONE IN AND GET SOME WATER, OR YOU CAN PLUG YOUR PHONE IN AND COOL OFF OR WARM UP. HERE'S A POD. YOU CAN GET WATER AND ICE. HERE'S A, A FULL FLEDGED RESOURCE CENTER, WHICH IS WHAT, UM, THE FAMILY DEVELOPMENT CENTER BECAME. UH, YOU CAN GET FOOD, YOU CAN REGISTER FOR FEMA. YOU CAN DO ALL OF THESE THINGS AT A CENTER ALREADY TRUSTED BY THE COMMUNITY. SO WE HAVE TWO CHALLENGES IN ANTICIPATING HURRICANE SEASON, AND WE'RE TRYING TO MEET, MOST OF THEM, YOU GUYS ARE TURNING IN WHERE YOU REALLY PLAN TO ACTIVATE HELP FOR YOUR COMMUNITIES. AND WE'RE PUTTING THEM IN ONE OF THOSE CATEGORIES. THIS IS COOLING AND FOR PHONE RECHARGING, THIS IS A DRC, WHICH IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT THING. SO THAT'S AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE PLAN. AND THEN IDENTIFYING FOR US WHERE THOSE TRUSTED INSTITUTIONS AND FACILITIES EXIST SO THAT WE CAN PRIOR PLAN TO HAVE THE RESOURCES THERE. WHAT WE FOUND IN BOTH OF THE LAST INCIDENCES IS THAT WHEN PEOPLE POPPED UP WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A REALLY, ESSENTIALLY NEEDED SITE WITHOUT ANY ADVANCE NOTICE, IT WAS HARD FOR US TO SUPPORT THEM. AND I THINK YOU'VE IDENTIFIED TO ME AT LEAST TWO THAT WE NEED TO TAKE A HARD LOOK AT, AND THAT'S PART OF THAT EVALUATION PROCESS. THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND, AND THANK YOU FOR WORKING WITH US ON THOSE OTHER LOCATIONS BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW, IN DISTRICT A, WE DON'T HAVE ANY MULTIPURPOSE CENTERS. I KNOW WE HAVE ONE COMMUNITY CENTER THAT REALLY NEEDS TO BE REDONE AND IS WAY TOO SMALL FOR ANYTHING REALLY, YOU KNOW, MEANINGFUL FOR THE COMMUNITY IN THOSE DISASTER SITUATIONS. SO THANK YOU FOR WORKING WITH US ON OTHER LOCATIONS. WELL, WE PUT ABOUT 300 LOCATIONS ON A MAP THIS WEEK, PUT WAY OUT COVERAGE, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING IN YOUR AREA. SO THANKS FOR YOUR WORK ON THAT AND HOLD US ACCOUNTABLE ON IT. COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, THANK YOU CHAIR. AND THANK YOU, ANGELA. IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE AND REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, YOU SETTING THE, THE KIND OF PHILOSOPHICAL FRAMEWORK FOR US TODAY. UM, TALK ABOUT GENERATORS. WHAT, WHAT ARE WE DOING ON GENERATORS? OH, I GOT MEETINGS ACROSS THE TOWN. THEY JUST WANNA KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON WITH GENERATORS. I KNOW IT'S NOT THE [00:35:01] END ALL BE ALL ANSWER TO EVERY PROBLEM WE HAVE, BUT PEOPLE REALLY WANNA KNOW ABOUT GENERATORS. SO IS THERE SOME KIND OF GENERATOR PLAN OR WHAT'S GOING ON? UM, SO I THINK I, I, IF YOU'LL LET ME, I, I JUST WOULD LIKE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT PROCESS. SO, UM, TO WE, WE COULD IN A, A SUPREMELY REACTIVE WAY JUST GO OUT AND EVERYONE WHO SAYS THEY'RE NEED A GENERATOR WOULD JUST BE BUYING GENERATORS. SO WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS THERE ARE, THERE ARE EFFORTS TO PROCURE GENERATORS UNDERWAY, AND YOU ALL WILL, YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT 'EM. 'CAUSE SOME OF THEM HAVE COME TO YOU FOR APPROVAL. UH, BUT WE'RE ALSO, WE'RE FOCUSING A LOT ON THE PROCESS BECAUSE WE NEED 'EM AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. SO STREAMLINING, I THINK A COUPLE OF YOU HAVE ALSO ADDRESSED WITH ME YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT THE TIME IT TAKES SOMETIMES FOR THINGS TO MOVE. SO WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO MOVE, REMOVE WHAT I CALL BARNACLES IN THE PROCESS. SO, UM, AND I, AND I REALLY WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK, UH, A LITTLE AHEAD BECAUSE THE MAYOR WILL HAVE A MORE SUBSTANTIAL ANNOUNCEMENT AND A MORE COMPLETE ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING ON THAT FRONT. BUT IT REQUIRES TWO THINGS. ONE IS MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN PROCURE AN ASSET AND DOING IT AS QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY AND SPENDING AS LOW AS WE, OKAY, SO MORE, MORE TO COME ON GENERATORS, I GUESS. WAY, WAY MORE, WAY MORE TO COME. OKAY. UH, THE, THE RESILIENCE ROUND TABLES OR WHAT, WHAT DID YOU CALL IT? THE DISASTER ROUND TABLE? THAT DISASTER, THAT ROUND TABLE. YES. THAT'S LIKE 60. HOW MANY PEOPLE ON THIS THING? IT'S CLOSE TO 70 NOW. AND HOW MUCH, HOW OFTEN DO YOU MEET? QUARTERLY. QUARTERLY. MEET QUARTERLY. AND IS THIS KIND OTHER THAN YOU DESCRIBED OEM AND THE KIND OF THE, THE MILITARY WAY WE COME INTO A, A DISASTER AT THE BEGINNING. I CAN USE THAT WORD. AND THEN ONCE, ONCE IT'S O ONCE THAT, ONCE THEY, YOU KNOW, GO BACK. AND THEN IS THAT KIND OF WHEN THE DISASTER ROUND TABLE KICKS IN? ABSOLUTELY. AND, AND THIS SCORECARD AND, AND YOUR, YOUR EFFORTS ON RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE, LIKE EVERYBODY WILL HAVE DEFINED ROLES. I MEAN, IS THE CITY LEADING THIS? IS, ARE YOU THE LEADER OF THE DISASTER ROUND TABLE? HOW, HOW DOES, HOW WILL IT, SO YOU LEAD IT AND EVERYBODY HAS LIKE A, AND IT IS THE MAYOR'S ROUND TABLE. SURE. YEAH. OKAY. AND I, I ABSOLUTELY FACILITATE IT. AND THE BEST WAY, AND I KNOW I CAN SAY THIS TO YOU COUNCIL MEMBER, 'CAUSE I'VE SEEN YOU OPERATE IN COMMUNITY. SO IT'S VERY MUCH A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MODEL. YOU KNOW, THINK EXACTLY WHAT WE HAPPENS OVER AT THE COFFEE SHOP IN THIRD WORD. UM, IT'S OPEN. IT'S NEVER GONNA BE CLOSED. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO ATTEND IF YOU HAVE SKIN IN THE CA GAME AND YOU CAN DELIVER SOMETHING. UM, THE O OBJECT IS FOR THESE WORKING GROUPS TO GET TOGETHER IN BETWEEN THE QUARTERLY MEETINGS, WHICH IS HAPPENING. OKAY. UM, IT'S, UH, PROBLEM SOLVING AND MAINLY, UM, WHAT WE WANNA IMPROVE THE COORDINATION ACROSS THAT FULL ARC. SO ONE OF THE THINGS, YOU KNOW, ONCE YOU LEAVE THAT EMERGENCY PHASE, IF WE'RE GONNA ORCHESTRATE A RECOVERY, WE HAVE TO START WITH GOOD DATA AND INFORMATION. WHERE ARE WE MOST AFFECTED? WHERE IS THE DEBRIS THE HIGHEST? WHERE IS THE MOST PEOPLE FLOODED? WHERE ARE WE? WHERE DO WE REALLY, WHO DO WE REALLY NEED TO GET TO? AND HOW MANY ARE THERE? SO THAT DATA AND INFORMATION THEN HAS BEEN SOMEWHAT CONTAINED WITHIN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. WE'RE NOW LOOKING FOR WAYS TO HAND THAT OFF AND THE HANDOFF. THEN YOU START TO SEE THE UNITED WAYS AND THE I INTERFAITH MINISTRIES AND NAM, ALL OF THOSE, ALL OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS. HGB, WHICH I JOKINGLY, I JUST TELL LISA, HELP ME. YOU'RE JUST REALLY A BUNCH OF COMMUNITY CENTERS, THE SKIES AS A GROCERY STORE. BUT I THINK THAT'S WHEN ALL OF THAT OPERATION KICKS IN AND IT ISN'T COMMAND AND CONTROL. THE STRUCTURE OF THAT IS A ROUND TABLE. WHAT DO WE EACH KNOW? WHAT CAN WE BRING TO THE TABLE? HOW DO WE SOLVE THIS? ONE OF THE MOST CRITICAL TABLES THAT I KNOW KELLY SAY THIS, THAT WHERE WE NEED THE MOST HELP IS ON VULNERABLE POPULATIONS. UM, BECAUSE WEST STREET BROUGHT SOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO THAT ROUND TABLE AND THEY DESCRIBED WHAT HAD BEEN HAPPENING WITH THEM WITH STEER MM-HMM . WE TRACKED DOWN THE EXACT DETAILS OF WHAT THEY REPORTED AND DISCOVERED. THERE WAS A GLITCH IN STEER AND IT WAS STATEWIDE AND IT WAS A TECHNOLOGY GLITCH, HAD TO DO WITH THE NUMBER OF DIGITS THAT WAS ATTACHED TO THE LOCATOR INFORMATION, THE LOCATOR DATA. AND BECAUSE IT, THERE WAS A FUNKY THING THAT HAPPENED IN THAT LOCATOR. LOTS OF PEOPLE THAT WERE REGISTERED, SOME HUNDRED AND SOMETHING WERE NOT GETTING CALLED 'CAUSE OF THEIR PARTICIPATION BECAUSE WE RAN IT DOWN UNTIL [00:40:01] WE GOT TO THE BOTTOM OF IT. IT'S FIXED. UM, STEER IS ABSOLUTELY ONE OF THE WAYS THAT YOU CAN HELP BECAUSE WE ONLY HAVE ABOUT FOUR OR 5,000 PEOPLE REGISTERED AND WE KNOW THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE, VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN THIS REGION THAT NEED STEER THAN HAVE REGISTERED. THE OTHER WAY YOU CAN HELP IS WE DID TWO RECENT STEER OUTREACHES IN WHICH WE CONTACTED PEOPLE ABOUT HALF REPLIED OR ACKNOWLEDGED IN A REAL, IN A REALLY SEVERE CRISIS. THAT WOULD MEAN WE WOULD BE MAKING CALLS ON THE OTHER HALF, OVER 2000 CALLS. I THINK PEOPLE ARE NOT SURE THAT THEY SHOULD PICK UP THOSE CALLS AND ANSWER THOSE TEXTS. SO EDUCATING PEOPLE AND OUR VULNERABLE FOLKS OR MORE, MORE VULNERABLE FOLKS ABOUT THE USE OF STEER IS, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S COME COMPLETELY OUTTA THE ROUND TABLE. EVERYBODY LOOKING AT THE THINGS FROM GROUND UP, HOW THEY AFFECT INDIVIDUALS, WHAT CAN INSTITUTIONS DO? IS THERE A POLICY CHANGE RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, WE ARE LOOKING AT THE POLICY SHIFTS THAT COULD MOVE THE NEEDLE ON WHAT'S REQUIRED OF LICENSED SENIOR CARE FACILITIES. YEAH. AND ONCE WE MAKE SOME HEADWAY ON THAT, WE WANNA ALSO LOOK AT WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT THE UNLICENSED ONES THAT REALLY NEED TO TAKE BETTER CARE OF OUR SENIORS. SO ON THAT, ON THAT NOTE WITH THE, WITH THE SENIOR FACILITIES, YOU BROUGHT IT UP, BUT OKAY. I KNOW THEY'RE, THEY'RE WE'RE LOOKING THIS AT STATE LEGISLATURE TO POSSIBLY DO SOMETHING AND THEN HARRIS COUNTY PASSED SOMETHING. YES. UM, DOES THAT AFFECT, THAT'S JUST INCORPORATED HARRIS COUNTY THOUGH. CORRECT? YOUR HONOR, I THINK THERE, UM, I I WANNA GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT. 'CAUSE THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE IN THE WORKS THAT THE STATE LEVEL THAT APPLIES TO US TOO, AND THE DETAILS AREN'T COMING TO MIND RIGHT NOW. OKAY. BUT IT WOULD IMPOSE ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR POWER PROTECTION ON SENIOR FACILITIES. MM-HMM . WHAT I THINK WHAT THE COUNTY IS DOING, AGAIN, IS FOCUSED ON THE LICENSED FACILITIES. SO WE KNOW WE HAVE CHALLENGES THAT GO BEYOND JUST THE LICENSED FACILITIES. YEAH. SO IF, IF, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED OR IF YOU HAVE STAFF THAT YOU CAN WORK, YOU CAN PUT WITH US WORKING ON THAT ROUND TABLE WHEN WE MEET NEXT WEEK, I KNOW THAT'S THE TABLE. THAT'S NOT GONNA BE AS FULL AS I'D LIKE IT TO BE, GIVEN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WE ARE CONCERNED WITH. YEAH. AND FINALLY, ON THE RESILIENCE SIDE, UM, ARE, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT MORE LIKE, YOU KNOW, HARDENING FACILITIES AND STUFF? NOT LIKE INFRASTRUCTURE DRAINAGE PROJECTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT? NO. BECAUSE I KNOW THE RECOVERY OFFICE IN THE PAST HAS DEALT MORE WITH LIKE THE NORTH NOW PROJECT AND THINGS THAT ARE GONNA PROTECT US FROM FUTURE THINGS. HAS THAT MORE, HAS THAT, HAS THAT KIND OF SHIFTED TO PUBLIC WORKS OR? IT HAS. OKAY. THOSE, AND THOSE WERE ALWAYS IN PUBLIC WORKS. UM, AND THEY RECEIVED INPUT AND GUIDANCE FROM STEVE COSTELLO. RIGHT. BECAUSE OF HIS BACKGROUND IN ENGINEERING. UH, THE WAY WE'RE INVOLVED, THIS OFFICE IS INVOLVED IN THOSE PROJECTS IS TO LOOK HOW THEY MIGHT AFFECT DECISIONS ABOUT WHERE WE CAN HOUSE RESOURCES AND REFUGE FOR RESIDENTS. WHAT, WHAT IS GOING ON THERE THAT IS INTERFERING WITH REACHING PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE IN TROUBLE OR THEM REACHING, UH, SOME FORM OF HELP. SO THIS IS VERY MUCH A PEOPLE FOCUSED APPROACH. YEAH. I'M JUST TRYING TO BETTER, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTAND HOW THE NEW ALIGNMENT IS, WHAT'S GOING ON. YEAH. SO WE WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE A SWAT PROGRAM THAT MIGHT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, UH, THAT, UH, THAT MIGHT ADDRESS SOME SPECIFIC AREA, SOME SPECIFIC NEIGHBORHOOD ISSUE THAT'S REALLY JUST INTERFERING IN AN ONGOING WAY WITH THE QUALITY OF LIFE THERE. OKAY. THANK YOU. SO YOU MENTIONED THE STEER PROGRAM AND CERTAINLY WE HAD EXPERIENCE WITH CALLS OUT AT OEM. UM, THAT'S KIND OF A HURRICANE IN ITSELF, THE STEER PROGRAM. YES. YES. UM, YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS TO ME, I ALWAYS TRY TO THINK BIG AND OUTSIDE THE BOX SEEMS TO ME THAT, THAT, UH, THERE SHOULD BE A WAY OF GETTING THE INFORMATION, WHETHER IT'S IN UTILITY BILLS OR, YOU KNOW, LIKE FOR STEER AND WATER BILLS AND LIGHT BILLS AND, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT'S THE MAIN TOUCH POINT FOR ALL THESE PEOPLE AND HOW DO YOU GET TO THEM? AND IT'S EITHER THROUGH THE COMMUNICATIONS RIGHT HERE OR YOU KNOW, THE ESSENTIALS. YEAH. HERE'S WHERE WE'RE CHALLENGED COUNCIL MEMBER. AT THE SAME TIME WE'RE TELLING SENIORS, BE VERY CAREFUL. DON'T CLICK ON UNKNOWN LINKS. IT BE, BE BE CONCERNED ABOUT ANYTHING COMING FROM SOMEONE YOU DON'T KNOW. WE'RE ALSO SAYING, HERE'S YOUR TEXT, PLEASE CLICK ON A LINK AND TELL US IF YOU'RE OKAY. AND THAT'S WHY I THINK IT'S SOME EXPLANATION WITH THE UTILITY BILLS, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WHETHER YOU'RE A RENTER OR WHETHER YOU OWN, I THINK YOU, YOU PAY UTILITIES, RIGHT? AND [00:45:01] SO THERE HAS TO BE THAT SEPARATION OF THIS AND THE REAL DEAL. AND I, I DON'T KNOW, I THINK IT'S JUST A, YOU KNOW, I'M THINKING HOW, HOW DO WE GET TO THESE PEOPLE? BECAUSE CERTAINLY, AND THEN ALSO THE SYSTEM AND THE SOFTWARE AND THE GLITCHES. AND THAT WAS AN INTERESTING PROCESS BACK LAST YEAR. UM, BUT IT ALSO, UH, LEADS ME TO A ANOTHER QUESTION. SO WE TALKED ABOUT GENERATORS AND TIMING. UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT SOUNDS LIKE, UM, THERE IS A, A MAGIC SWITCH THAT'S ALMOST READY TO BE FLIPPED. DO YOU HAVE ANY TYPE OF, UH, I GUESS AN UPSIDE DOWN ORG CHART, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD SHOW HOW THAT, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS RESOURCES AND NEEDS OR GAPS OR THAT YOU COULD SHARE WITH US MAYBE IN THE NEAR FUTURE WITH RESPECT TO GENERATORS? WITH RESPECT TO, I'M SORRY, WITH RESPECT TO RESOURCES, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S, IF YOU'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, THIS GROUP OVER HERE WHO HAS WATER OR THIS, YOU KNOW, LIKE OH, KIND OF A, A, A, YES. OKAY. I HAVE A BETTER SENSE OF WHAT YOU'RE ASKING, I THINK, BUT IF I START AND IT'S NOT CORRECT. SO ONE OF THE TABLES THAT AT, ARE YOU SPEAKING OF DURING DISASTERS AT OEM? YES. SO AT OEM, ONE OF THE, UH, ONE OF, I WORK CLOSELY WITH BRIAN MASON AND ONE OF THE, WE'VE MADE MAJOR HEADWAY IN ORGANIZING THROUGH THE ROUND TABLE AND THROUGH OTHER PARTNERS CONNECTED TO OEM, THE IDENTIFICATION OF WHAT EXISTS IN THE WAY OF CAPABILITIES. I HAD AN ORGANIZATION JUST TODAY SAY, OH, WE'D LIKE TO HELP WITH SO AND SO, AND I'D SAID, JUST STOP BECAUSE IF YOU WANNA HELP DURING THE FREEZE NEXT WEEK, I DON'T WANT WHAT YOU MAY POSSIBLY COULD UNDER MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO. I WANT YOU TO SEND ME SOMETHING THAT SAYS, THESE ARE THE RESOURCES ON DECK OVER WHICH I HAVE AUTHORITY AND THIS IS THE WAY I COULD DEPLOY 'EM IF YOU'RE CALLED UPON. SO THAT'S THE KIND OF DISCIPLINE THAT WE'RE BRINGING TO WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE IN THE DISASTER RESPONSE ARENA. ON THE RESILIENCE SIDE, LIKE I SAID EARLIER, THAT INVENTORY IS STILL BEING UNDERTAKEN TO FIND OUT WHAT, NOT ONLY WHAT ARE PEOPLE SPENDING, BUT WHAT ARE THEY CONTRIBUTING OUTSIDE THEIR OWN COMPANIES TO RESILIENCE OR THEIR OWN INSTITUTIONS RATHER. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WAS ASKING. YEAH. GOOD. GOOD JOB IN DECIPHERING THAT FOR ME. YEAH. UM, WE HAVE A COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN HAS A QUESTION OVER HERE. HER OFFICE DOES. HI. THANK YOU SO MUCH MS. B BLANCHARD, NICE TO SEE YOU. UM, YEAH, GOOD TO SEE YOU TOO. UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WORK YOU'RE DOING. I WANNA ECHO WHAT EVERYONE ELSE HAS SAID. Y'ALL ARE DOING REALLY FANTASTIC WORK, AND ESPECIALLY WITH THE INCLEMENT WEATHER COMING UP. WE APPRECIATE THIS PRESENTATION AND THE EFFORTS UNDERWAY. FINGERS CROSSED. UM, BUT, UH, ONE OF THE SLIDES, I THINK THE ONE, UH, RIGHT BEFORE THIS ONE MENTIONS THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN UPDATE. YEAH. UM, UNDER THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. AS A LOT OF Y'ALL KNOW, HOUSTON WAS ONE OF THE FIRST CITIES IN THE NATION TO HAVE SUCH A PLAN AND IT'S BEEN RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY. YES. AND WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF IT. AS WE LOOK AT UPDATING IT, IS THERE A PLAN OR DO WE HAVE A PLAN IN PLACE TO BRING IN OUTSIDE EXPERTS AND FUND A COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE THAT ALLOWS FOR MORE PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT? YES. THE, THE, I, I DON'T KNOW THE ALLOWS REPUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PIECE. OKAY. UM, I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER FOR YOU ON THAT YET. RIGHT NOW WHAT WE ARE EXPLORING IS HOW WE DO THAT WITH THE COUNTY THROUGH HVAC AND OTHER PLAYERS. WE HAVE, WE HAVE CONTRIBUTORS THAT, UH, FUNDED THE INITIAL PLAN AND THEY HAVE SOME INTEREST IN HELPING US DO THIS NEXT PLAN. UH, WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO THIS TIME AROUND IS NOT SPEND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON THE PLAN, BUT MAYBE SET ASIDE SOME OF THAT TO DO SOME OF THE PLAN. YOU KNOW, IT'S A, WE ARE A LITTLE LEANING THAT DIRECTION. UM, AND I THINK BY LEVERAGING THE COUNTY'S EFFORTS AND, UH, PREVIOUS GRANTS, WE CAN DO IT. I, I'LL HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU ON THE EXTENT HOW WE'LL INVOLVE, UH, THE COMMUNITY THAT THERE LONG LIST OF PEOPLE THAT PARTICIPATED AND GAVE A LOT OF TIME TO THE ORIGINAL PLAN. HOW WE DO THAT, I GUESS MY LEANING IS TOWARD, I'D RATHER GO BACK TO THOSE PEOPLE AND TELL THEM WHICH PART OF IT WE DID, RATHER THAN ASK THEM TO OPINE AGAIN ON WHAT WE OUGHT TO DO. MM-HMM . BUT, UH, WE'LL PROBABLY I THINK CHASE, MAYBE A MONTH, WITHIN A MONTH, WE'LL HAVE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA OF WHAT OUR APPROACH IS GONNA BE TO GREAT. TO UPDATING IT. AND THAT, UM, MEANT THAT, LIKE TO UPDATING IT IN THE APPROACH, DO YOU KNOW WHEN THAT WORK WILL START? UM, THE ACTUAL PLAN WORK OR THE JUST [00:50:01] US FIGURING IT OUT? I THINK THE WORK, LIKE THE ACTUAL UPDATE, LIKE WHAT NEED THE WORK DON'T. OKAY. YEAH. THAT'LL BE A NEXT MONTH THING. OKAY. IF YOU, IF YOU MEET AGAIN NEXT MONTH, I'LL BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE THINGS WE DISCUSSED TODAY AND ANY OTHER QUESTIONS THAT COME UP. ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. AND ONE MORE QUESTION, UH, CHAIR. THANK YOU. UM, WITH THE RESILIENCE WORKING GROUP, WILL COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE NAMES AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED? YES. THAT WAS, AND WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT? DID, DID I, DID I FAIL TO CONVEY THAT INVITATION SUFFICIENTLY? I MAY HAVE MISSED IT. I KNOW THAT WE WERE, THERE WAS A COUPLE PLACES FOR US TO OFFER INPUT, BUT WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT Y'ALL ARE ALSO TAKING INTO THAT'S SCORECARD, ESPECIALLY. THAT'S YOUR, THAT'S YOUR BIG, YOU KNOW, EMBOSSED INVITATION, PLEASE. AND WE JUST SEND THAT OVER TO Y'ALL, TO YOUR OFFICE WITH THAT. YES. OKAY. YES, PLEASE. YOU KNOW, PLEASE JUST REACH OUT TO US PEOPLE WITH EXPERTISE, PEOPLE THAT HAVE PUT SOME SKIN IN THE GAME. UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, I THINK IF YOU WANT TO BE HEARD, YOU SHOULD HAVE SHOWN SOME DEDICATION TO THE EFFORT. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, CHAIR. THANK YOU. I WAS ACTUALLY, UH, I WANTED TO COMMENT. I WAS, UH, GLAD TO SEE THAT THE NOTE ON THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, THAT THAT HAD MOVED OVER A BIT TO A PLATFORM OF COLLABORATIVE WORK WITH HARRIS COUNTY, UM, AND BEEN DOING A BIT OF WORK WITH SOME OF THE DISTRICT B SPECIFICALLY. AND THAT'S REALLY ABOUT CLIMATE AND ACTION THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN AND NOT NECESSARILY ABOUT RECOVERY AND RESILIENCY. SO I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT LITTLE BIT OF SEPARATION BECAUSE I THINK, UM, TO FOCUS ON BOTH ARE THREE THINGS OR SO. IT MAKES IT A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT. AND I, I, YOU KNOW, REALLY YOU'VE HONED IN ON WHAT YOUR PURPOSE HERE IN THE CITY AND, AND WHAT THE MAYOR'S PRIORITIES ARE. AND I THINK THIS MAKES REALLY GOOD SENSE AND, UH, WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO THE ACTION CLIMATE PLAN DOWN THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. YEAH. WELL, WE, YOU KNOW, WE JUST COULDN'T GET THE CLIMATE TO JUST STAY WITHIN THAT LIMITS. IT'S IN THE CITY LIMITS OF THE CITY LIMITS. IT'S DIFFICULT TO GET IT TO STOP RIGHT HERE. IT'S KIND OF HARD TO HARNESS. WELL, AND, AND HAVING LOOKED AT A LITTLE BIT OF THAT, IT IS ABOUT WHAT WE SAID WE WERE GONNA DO, BUT WHAT WE'VE DONE ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. YEAH. UM, VERY DIFFERENT. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. UH, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ'S OFFICE. THANK YOU. YEAH. UM, HI. THANKS. UM, JUST A COUPLE QUICK QUESTIONS. UH, THE FIRST ONE IS, CAN YOU, WE'VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OEM MM-HMM . CAN YOU KIND OF CRYSTALLIZE IN MY MIND WHAT'S THE DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILITIES BETWEEN WHAT THEY DO AND WHAT YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR? WHAT, WHAT THEIR RESPONSIBLE OEM AND WHAT I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR? YEAH. SO OEM IS THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. THEY, THEY MANAGE THE EMERGENCY PHASE OF THE DISASTER. UM, OR, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF UPHEAVAL. SOME WE HAVE UPHEAVAL THAT IS NOT DISASTER. ALSO, WHEN, YOU KNOW, HALF A MILLION PEOPLE COME TO VISIT US, SO THEY ACTIVATE TO HANDLE THE EMERGENCY PHASE OF DISASTER, TO ORCHESTRATE ALL THE ELEMENTS THAT ARE NECESSARY TO IMMEDIATELY RESTORE HEALTH AND SAFETY. THAT'S THEIR AIM. UM, I WORK CLOSELY WITH THEM BECAUSE HOW THEY DO THAT AND THE WAY WE HAND THAT OFF DETERMINES THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE RESPONSE AND RECOVERY PHASE. SO OUR ROLE STARTS WHEN ACTIVATION ENDS ON THE, ON PAPER. BUT WELL BEFORE THAT, MY OLD, YOU KNOW, MY, IN MY AROUND THE WORLD MODE ROLE, WE SAY RECOVERY BEGINS AT THE START OF THE EVENT. AND IT REALLY BEGINS WITH PREPARATION. SO WHEN I, WHEN WE WORK WITH OEM, IT'S TO IDENTIFY THROUGH, UH, THE DATA THEY COLLECT AND THE RESPONSES THEY MAKE, WHERE THE CRITICAL NEEDS AND PROBLEMS AND ISSUES, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LINING UP THE RELEVANT COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND PLAYERS TO HANDLE THE RESPONSE TO THOSE CONDITIONS. BECAUSE OEM IS GONNA HAVE THE BEST DATA AND INFORMATION ABOUT WHO'S IMPACTED AND HOW SEVERELY MM-HMM . SO JUST AS A, AN EXAMPLE, SO, UM, YOU KNOW, TALKING ABOUT WHERE THE PODS SHOULD BE, WHERE THE DISTRIBUTION SHOULD BE. YEAH. THAT'S YOU GUYS, OR THAT'S OEM? IT'S BOTH. BECAUSE O-E-M-O-E-M HAS RESPONSIBILITY FOR NAMING THEM RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE EVENT. THEY HAVE TO HAVE A PLAN AND THEY PUT THAT IN THE PLAN. UH, THE ACT OF IDENTIFYING POSSIBLE RESOURCES IS A JOINT EFFORT ACROSS THE CITY, WHICH IS WHY ALL OF YOU WERE INVITED TO OFFER UP YOUR SUGGESTIONS. GOTCHA. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, ALSO, THANKS FOR THE INVITATION TO GIVE INPUT ON THE, ON THE SCORECARD. IS THERE A DOCUMENT WITH A FEW MORE DETAILS OR A WORKING DRAFT OR SOMETHING THAT WE COULD GIVE FEEDBACK ON OR YEAH, WE'LL GIVE YOU THAT WHEN IT'S AVAILABLE AND WHEN THE MAYOR IS SIGNED OFF ON IT. YEAH. [00:55:01] OKAY. UH, LAST QUESTION IS, UM, JUST TO CHECK MY UNDERSTANDING, SO Y'ALL ARE NOT GONNA HAVE YOUR OWN SORT OF BUDGET. YOU'RE GONNA BE ADVISING OTHER DEPARTMENTS ON HOW TO LEVERAGE THEIR ASSETS FOR THE PRIORITIES. IS THAT RIGHT? OR? THERE ARE. WE HAVE, UM, WE HAVE SOURCES OF FUNDING IN THE FORM OF GRANTS AND SOME, UH, FUNDING THAT COMES THROUGH OTHER DEPARTMENT BUDGETS FOR US TO DO OUR WORK. AND THEN TEAMS THAT, UH, WORK ON PROJECTS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO THE MAYOR THAT ARE BEING LED BY THIS OFFICE, BUT TEAMS THAT ARE COMPOSED OF STAFF FROM VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS. YEAH. THANK YOU. YEAH. UM, YEAH, WE DO HAVE SOME PEOPLE STILL CONTRIBUTING. STILL A FEW MORE QUESTIONS. WE, WE, NO, UH, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABA. THANK YOU CHAIR. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU FOR THAT REALLY WONDERFUL, INFORMATIVE PRESENTATION. UH, WE'VE BEEN RAISED ON THE MINDSET TO BE PARTICIPANT NOT SPECTATORS. SO WHEN YOU MENTIONED THAT EARLIER, YES. COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ HAS BEEN WORKING WITH OUR COMMUNITY CIVIC CLUB LEADERS ABOUT RECOVERY EFFORTS. AND WE HAVE A WORKSHOP THAT WE'RE DEVELOPING IN COORDINATION WITH OEM THAT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A FURTHER DETAILED CONVERSATION WITH YOU ABOUT NEIGHBORHOOD RECOVERY. THAT WOULD BE WONDERFUL. SO, SO I'M LOOKING YEAH. SHOULD I TELL YOU? I KNOW A TEENY BIT ABOUT THAT. OKAY. 'CAUSE I LIVE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, , SO YES, I'VE HEARD, AND I, I APPLAUD THE EFFORT. YEAH. THANK YOU. SHE'S MY COUNSEL. COUNCIL MEMBER. JUST ONE QUICK THING, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER AND I WERE OUTTA TOWN HALL THIS WEEK, JUST WHEN YOU WERE MEETING WITH ALL YOUR, UH, ROUND TABLE PEOPLE ABOUT, UM, HOW THE FOOD LINES ARE SO LONG AND THE ICE LINES ARE SO LONG AND THE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE JUST LIKE LONG, LONG, LONG LINES. YOU MEAN DURING, DURING THIS? YEAH. YEAH. YEAH. AND, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW, I MEAN, THE NEED IS SO GREAT. I DON'T KNOW HOW WE REALLY TACKLE THAT. THERE'S A HUGE CITY WITH A JILLION PEOPLE, BUT, BUT I SAID I'D PASS THAT ALONG AT THIS MEETING, SO I'M PASSING IT ALONG. IF THERE'S A WAY TO KIND OF LIKE IN FUTURE, UH, RECOVERY EFFORTS TO, I DON'T KNOW, HAVE MORE OF 'EM, SPREAD 'EM OUT, I DON'T KNOW, HAVE PEOPLE DOWN THE LINE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ANSWER IS, BUT THE LINES ARE TOO LONG TO GET A, YOU'RE WAITING FOUR HOURS FOR A, A CASE OF WATER AND A BAG OF ICE. ICE MELTED ICE, NOT GREAT. SO, SO THE DISCUSSION THERE WAS ALSO TO DOVETAIL OFF THAT, UM, THERE WAS A, THE LADY THAT WAS SPEAKING TO IN THE BACK, SHE TALKED ABOUT HOW THE LINES WERE LONG, I THINK TWO DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS. BUT SHE SAID, YOU KNOW, WHILE THERE'S PRODUCT OVER HERE, YOU'VE GOT THE VULNERABLE PEOPLE WHO ARE OVER HERE THAT CAN'T GET TO IT. YEAH. AND IT WAS KIND OF LIKE, CAN WE HAVE MORE SATELLITE AREAS OR CAN SOMEONE COME? AND AS WE'VE DISCUSSED, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT A SEMI FULL OF ICE AND YOU'RE TRYING TO GET RID OF IT AND YOU'VE GOT A, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY TWO BLOCKS AWAY THAT NEEDS A PALLET OF ICE. LOOK, LOGISTICS ARE ALWAYS GONNA BE, WE WE'RE, YOU KNOW, UH, OCCASIONALLY BECAUSE I WORK, YOU KNOW, WITH PEOPLE WHO DO THIS ALL OVER THE WORLD, ESSENTIALLY, I'M ALWAYS GETTING ADVICE FROM PEOPLE WHO OCCUPY A CITY THAT WOULD REALLY FIT INSIDE OF, YOU KNOW, MY NEIGHBORHOOD. AND, AND YOU KNOW, THEY, HOUSTON WILL ALWAYS FACE A HUGE CHALLENGE. MM-HMM . FOR ONE THING. WE CAN PLAN ALL WE LIKE, BUT THE WIND AND THE WATER, WATER JUST WON'T OBEY OUR PLANTS. WE ARE ALWAYS GONNA HAVE SOME CONDITIONS LIKE THAT IN WHICH YOU JUST SEE A PAIN POINT AND YOU'VE ALREADY DONE EVERYTHING YOU COULD THINK OF. THAT'S WHEN BACKUP IDEAS AND SECOND OPTIONS EXIST. AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT, UH, THE WAY BRIAN IS LEADING OEM IS VERY MUCH THAT WAY. WE KNOW WE NEED TO SOLIDIFY BIG LOCATIONS, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A FEW MORE IN OUR POCKET IF NECESSARY. AND YOU SAW THAT RECENTLY WHEN, YOU KNOW, THE FREEZING COLD THE OTHER NIGHT, WE, WE ACTIVATED THE CITY FACILITIES WE COULD CONTROL BECAUSE WE WANTED TO MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE WE COULD GET PEOPLE TO A WARM PLACE ON THE LINES FOR WATER. I, YOU KNOW, THE, THE ALTERNATIVE IS JUST TO HAVE EVERYBODY PARK AND GET OUTTA THE CAR AND GET IT. THAT'S NOT WHAT PEOPLE WANNA DO. THAT CAR IS AIR CONDITIONED , YOU KNOW, SO WE'RE, WE'RE JUST DEFEATED ON THAT ONE A LITTLE, AND IT'S GONNA BE PART OF THE HARDSHIP OF A STORM, BUT YOUR INPUT ABOUT WHERE THESE NEED TO GO, THIS MAP EXERCISE THAT WE DO ALMOST EVERY MEETING THAT LOOKS AT WHAT WE'VE COVERED AND WHO'S COVERED AND WHAT RESOURCES ARE THERE, THAT'S, I THINK, UH, THE BEST THAT WE CAN DO. YEAH. THE LINES ARE LONG. I JUST HAD A BRILLIANT IDEA. WHAT YOU NEED IS A, A, A TRUCK, [01:00:01] LIKE AN 18 WHEELER AND THEN A ANOTHER TRUCK WITH A FORKLIFT AND PALLET JACKS AND, AND, AND YOU NEED MOBILE POPUPS. OH MY GOSH, THAT'S SO TRUE. WELL, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH TALK DURING BARREL AND, AND, AND, AND RECHO. THERE WAS ABOUT, BUT FOR THE ONE OF A FORKLIFT , SO, UH, YOU KNOW, WE USED TO SAY ANY GUY WITH A CHAINSAW WAS THEN IMMEDIATELY A HERO. I THINK IT'S NOW ANYBODY WITH A FORKLIFT SUPERHERO STATUS. BUT IT ALSO INVOLVES, YOU KNOW, US MAKING SURE WE DON'T SEND AN 18 WHEELER WITH 30 POUND BAGS OF ICE TO A SITE WHERE WE DON'T HAVE ANYBODY THAT CAN PULL IT OFF. SO THAT'S LOGISTICS. AND, YOU KNOW, WE WILL, WE WILL ABSOLUTELY DO EVERYTHING HUMANLY POSSIBLE AT OEM TO AVOID THAT. AND A LOT OF THAT DEPENDS ON JUST KNOWING WHERE WE'RE GONNA PUT IT. DO YOU HAVE ANY, UH, PARTNERS ON BOARD IN THE LOGISTICS BUSINESS? I COULD RECOMMEND YOU IF YOU, I, WE WOULD TAKE THAT RECOMMENDATION BECAUSE I THINK THAT THERE ARE TIMES WHEN WE ARE THINKING ABOUT WHAT'S BEST FOR PEOPLE, UH, WHEN IT'D BE REALLY HELPFUL TO HAVE SOMEONE SAY, THAT SOUNDS GREAT, BUT IT'D BE PRETTY HARD TO CONNECT THE DOTS ON IT. SO YES, BIG YES TO THAT. THAT'S, I THINK THAT'S A KEY FACTOR BECAUSE BEING IN THE LOGISTICS BUSINESS A FEW YEARS BACK, LEGIS, IT'S ALL ABOUT LOGISTICS. AND SOMETIMES, LIKE YOU SAID, WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING HERE WHEN THEY'RE ABLE TO LOOK THERE AND SAY, NOW WE CAN LOOP BACK AND GET THIS DONE. AND KIND OF GIVE US A LITTLE GUIDANCE, UH, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO'S OFFICE. THANK YOU, CHAIR. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. UM, I DID HAVE A FEW QUICK QUESTIONS. SO WE DID HOST A TOWN HALL AT THE DENVER HARBOR MULTI-SERVICE CENTER, UM, THIS PAST WEEKEND. I'M SORRY, I'M LOSING, I'M NO, IT'S OKAY. THINK YOU'RE SPEAKING FASTER THAN I CAN. LISTEN, I'M SO SORRY. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO HOSTED A TOWN HALL AT THE DENVER HARBOR MULTI-SERVICE CENTER, UH, THIS PAST WEEKEND. AND A LOT OF QUESTIONS DID COME UP ABOUT THAT. I KNOW WE'VE TALKED, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN BROUGHT UP GENERATORS, BUT WHEN THAT, WHEN YOU MENTIONED THAT MORE INFORMATION WILL COME OUT ON THOSE AT SOME POINT WITH THAT, WILL THERE BE, UH, DETAILS REGARDING, UM, HOW THEY'RE GONNA BE PROTECTED AND THE COST OF THE MAINTENANCE AND UPKEEP ON THOSE GENERATORS? YEAH, YOU'RE FOCUSED ON THE THING THAT WE WERE MOST CONCERNED ABOUT. WE COULD THROW A LOT OF GENERATORS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT WORK WHEN THE TIME COMES AT THIS PROBLEM. 'CAUSE THAT'S THE REACTIVE WAY TO DO IT. WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO BE THOUGHTFUL AND STRATEGIC. AND SINCE THAT HAS COME FROM THE MAYOR, IT IS FAIR FOR HIM TO TELL YOU WHAT HE'S THINKING AND WHAT HE'S DIRECTED US TO DO. UM, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE THINKING AND ABOUT AND WORKING ON EVERY SINGLE DAY. GOT IT. SO, YEAH, NO, NO ONE, NO ONE ON HIS TEAM, UM, IS UNAWARE THAT THIS IS AT THE TOP OF THE LIST AND HE, AND HE'S GOT SOME GOOD THINGS TO TELL Y'ALL ABOUT HOW HE'S WE'RE APPROACHING IT. OKAY, PERFECT. UM, BECAUSE I THINK IT WAS DURING EITHER BARREL, IT WAS DURING THE BARREL THAT I TOLD, UM, THE MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS, LIKE MANY OTHERS ACTUALLY WENT DOWN AND THEN CAME BACK UP FOR A LITTLE BIT. AND THEN THE POWER WENT OUT AGAIN ON THAT ONE. AND THAT ONE SPECIFICALLY IN DENVER HARBOR, UM, IS REALLY USED A LOT BY, UH, SENIORS, UH, THROUGH BAKER RIPLEY. SO THEY HAVE A, THE GROUP OF THIS, I THINK IT'S UP TO 75 NOW. I THINK I KNOW A LITTLE BIT , SO I'VE HEARD, UM, BUT I THINK IT'S UP TO 75 NOW. SO THAT WAS ONE QUESTION WE WANTED TO ASK AS, AS WAS FOR THAT, AS THEY'RE GONNA BE THE UPKEEP AND MAINTENANCE AND STUFF. BUT, UM, THANK YOU. YEAH, I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT PROCURING THESE KINDS OF ASSETS IS YOU HAVE TO PROCURE THE CARE OF THEM, THAT IT NEEDS TO BE PART OF THE PACKAGE. RIGHT? YEAH. SO, UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I DON'T HAVE ANYONE IN THE QUEUE, BUT, UM, I'M GONNA LEAVE YOU WITH ONE FINAL THOUGHT. I I REALLY, YOUR PRESENTATION WAS GREAT. THE KIND OF THE LAYOUT, THE, OF WHAT HAPPENS NEXT AND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT AND THAT'S, IT ALL LOOKS GREAT. BUT, UM, I HAVE THAT ONE KIND OF FLASHING RED LIGHT AND IT'S, UM, IN THE MEANTIME. YEAH. IN THE MEANTIME. AND THAT'S REALLY THE QUESTION IS, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE, AND I KNOW YOU ALL ARE WORKING, UH, DILIGENTLY TO ADDRESS THIS, BUT YOU KNOW, PEOPLE JUST WANT TO KNOW, OKAY, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING. BUT IN THE MEANTIME, BECAUSE THIS IS GONNA TAKE A WHILE, IN THE MEANTIME, WE'VE GOT TO I THINK, SOMEHOW SHARE A, IN THE MEANTIME PLAN. YEAH. BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THOSE RE THOSE, UH, GENERATORS ARE GONNA TAKE A WHILE, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, YEAH. UH, SO TWO THINGS ABOUT THAT, YES, IN THE MEANTIME MATTERS, BUT THE OLD WAY OF PROCUREMENT WAS GENERATORS TAKING TWO AND A HALF YEARS STICKING THE MIC. AND, UM, AND THE PROCESS, WE ARE MODIFYING THE PROCESS [01:05:01] FOR, UH, THAT FOR GENERATORS TO HAPPEN. SO WE ARE VERY MUCH FOCUSED ON SHIFTING THAT PROCESS BECAUSE TWO AND A HALF YEARS IS TOO LONG, AND YOU ALL SAW WHAT HAPPENED WITH CASHMERE GENERATOR, THAT IT'S GOING TO BE OPERABLE THIS YEAR. AND, AND ALSO YOU CAN HELP US EDUCATE THE PUBLIC BECAUSE I HAD A VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE, SMART PERSON SAY TO ME, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. I GOT A GENERAC IN TWO MONTHS. SO THIS IDEA OF A WHOLE BUILDING, PERMANENTLY CONNECTED GENERATOR, TOTALLY RELIABLE IS, IT'S A BIT MORE OF A PROJECT THAN THE PUBLIC IS AWARE OF. UH, BUT IT STILL DOESN'T HAVE TO TAKE TWO AND A HALF YEARS. AND WE'VE CLEANED THAT UP. YEAH. YEAH. WELL, I WAS DRIVING THE OTHER DAY AND I FORGET, HE WAS RIDING WITH ME AND THEY SAID, WHAT IS THAT? I SAID, THAT'S A GENERATOR. YEAH. YOU KNOW, IT'S THE SIZE OF HALF THE SIZE OF A SEMI, SO THAT'S A GENERATOR. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS MAYBE NOT QUITE THAT LARGE, BUT IT'S, IT'S A BIG PROJECT. BUT YEAH, TWO AND A HALF YEARS IS A LONG TIME. BUT IN THE MEANTIME, I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING WHAT THE, IN THE MEANTIME PLAN IS. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. WE DON'T HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS, SO PUBLIC, NO PUBLIC SPEAKERS HAD SIGNED UP, BUT THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO BEING UPDATED REAL SOON. THANK YOU. WE ARE ADJOURNED. * 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.