[Resilience Committee on February 5, 2026.]
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TO GET STARTED, UM, I'M TWILA CARTER, CHAIR OF THE RESILIENCE COMMITTEE FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.AND, UH, I'D LIKE TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.
WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OF GREAT PRESENTATIONS TODAY.
FIRST OFF, I'D LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE A LOT OF STAFF HERE THIS MORNING BROUGHT SHINY FACES.
UM, UH, FIRST FROM, UH, VICE CHAIR, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, CAYMAN'S OFFICE.
WE HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, TIFFANY THOMAS'S OFFICE, MARIO CASTILLO'S OFFICE, UH, AND ALEJANDRO SALINAS OFFICE, AND SALLY ALCORN.
UM, TODAY WE'VE GOT TWO PRESENTATIONS.
FIRST UP WILL BE, UM, BROOKE CAMPBELL, WHO IS THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND DISASTER RECOVERY FOR THE UNITED WAY FOR GREATER HOUSTON.
AND WE HAVE A COUPLE OF SPEAKERS, UH, SIGNED UP TO OFFER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS, AND WE'LL GET TO THOSE AFTER BOTH PRESENTATIONS.
SO, BROOKE, COME ON UP AND TELL US WHAT YOU'VE GOT.
I'M EXCITED TO HEAR YOUR PRESENTATION, AND IT'S A NICE SUNNY DAY, SO WE DON'T HAVE ANY DISASTERS TO WORRY ABOUT, BUT LET'S GET PREPARED.
HUGH, DO I NEED TO, OH, Y'ALL CAN HEAR ME.
AND THANK YOU FOR, UM, ALLOWING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT WE DO.
I'LL JUST START AGAIN WITH A QUICK INTRODUCTION.
I'M THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND DISASTER RECOVERY AT UNITED WAY OF GREATER HOUSTON, PRIMARILY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE GREATER HOUSTON DISASTER ALLIANCE.
UM, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT TODAY.
SO IN THE INTEREST AND SPIRIT OF, UM, REDUCING AWARENESS GAPS.
SO MY PRESENTATION TODAY IS REALLY MORE ABOUT WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE DO, AND SOME OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS WE'VE MADE OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS.
AND THEN I'LL CLOSE WITH JUST A FEW LIGHT CALLS TO ACTION.
NOTHING SERIOUS, MORE COLLABORATIVE IN NATURE.
AT ITS CORE, THE DISASTER ALLIANCE IS A PHILANTHROPIC PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE UNITED WAY OF GREATER HOUSTON AND THE GREATER HOUSTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION.
AND IT EXISTS TO ACCELERATE DISASTER RECOVERY AND STRENGTHEN LONG-TERM DISASTER RESILIENCE THROUGHOUT, UM, OR THROUGH COORDINATED PHILANTHROPY AND COORDINATED PARTNERSHIP.
UM, THE WORK WOULD NOT THAT WE DO, WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT INVESTMENTS FROM OUR LEAD SPONSORS, ENBRIDGE AND PHILLIPS 66, UM, TOGETHER THEY COMMITTED ONE AND A HALF MILLION OVER THREE YEARS, WHICH WE LOVINGLY REFER TO AS PHASE 1 20 23 TO 2026, WHICH HELPED LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR THE WORK THAT WE DO FOR A MORE PERMANENT DISASTER PHILANTHROPY MODEL, UH, THAT SERVES THIS REGION.
AND SO THAT INVESTMENT SUPPORTS, UH, POST-DISASTER PHILANTHROPIC WORK IMMEDIATELY AFTER A DISASTER STRIKES, BUT ALSO YEAR ROUND INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS YEAR ROUND, AND PREPARING PROCESSES AND TEMPLATES AND TOOLS THAT INCREASE OUR READINESS, WHICH IS REQUIRED FOR US TO ACT, UM, QUICKLY AFTER A DISASTER STRIKES QUICKLY AND EFFECTIVELY.
SO, I WANNA BEGIN BY, UH, FIRST TAKING A BRIEF LOOK AT THE LOCAL LANDSCAPE.
UM, THIS REFLECTS A REALITY THAT ALL OF US KNOW ALL TOO WELL.
WE HAVE EXPERIENCED 28 FEDERALLY DECLARED DISASTERS SINCE 1980.
AND MORE THAN HALF OF OUR RESIDENTS LIVE IN A CENSUS TRACT WITH MEDIUM TO HIGH SOCIAL VULNERABILITY.
AND THAT'S SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE DISASTERS COMPOUND THEIR EXISTING CHALLENGES RELATED TO INCOME AND HOUSING STABILITY, ACCESS TO HEALTH RELATED RESOURCES LIKE FOOD AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.
AND THEN LASTLY, HARRIS COUNTY HAS THE LARGEST NUMBER OF CEDARS FOR SHORT, UH, COMMUNITY DISASTER RESILIENCE ZONES THAT WERE DESIGNATED BY FEMA.
AND THOSE WERE ANNOUNCED IN FALL OF 2023.
SO IT'S, UM, THAT COMBINATION OF FREQUENT DISASTERS, CONCENTRATED VULNERABILITY, UM, WHICH REALLY REINFORCES WHY A COORDINATED AND DATA INFORMED RECOVERY AND PREPAREDNESS EFFORT ARE JUST NOT OPTIONAL FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
THEY, THEY REALLY ARE ESSENTIAL.
SO, THERE'S A LOT GOING ON HERE.
UH, THE EARLY YEARS ON THIS TIMELINE REPRESENT VERY WELL INTENTIONED, BUT SOMETIMES FRAGMENTED EFFORTS, UM, SPECIFIC TO DISASTER PHILANTHROPY.
ORANGE DOTS ARE, UH, FUNDS THAT WERE STARTED BY THE UNITED WAY.
BLUE DOTS WERE STARTED BY THE GREATER HOUSTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION.
THE YELLOW DOTS REPRESENT JOINT FUNDS, WE LEARNED
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AFTER A COUPLE OF DECADES.AND THEN THE GREEN DOTS REPRESENT, UH, THE FUNDS THAT WERE OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED UNDER THE GREATER HOUSTON DISASTER ALLIANCE NAME AND PARTNERSHIP.
SO WHAT THIS IS REALLY SHOWING IS A DUPLICATION OF EFFORTS FOR ONE DISASTER.
YOU'LL SEE THAT THERE WERE MULTIPLE, MULTIPLE FUNDS LAUNCHED, UM, THAT MEANT THAT DONORS WERE DONATE, HAD TO DECIDE BETWEEN WHICH FUND TO DONATE TO NONPROFITS OFTEN HAD TO SUBMIT TWO OR MORE GRANT APPLICATIONS TO RECEIVE FUNDS TO DO THE SAME WORK.
AND THAT DUPLICATION IS ONE OF THE PRIMARY REASONS WHY THE DISASTER ALLIANCE WAS CREATED IN THE FIRST PLACE.
TO SOLVE THAT IN EFFICIENCY, NOT BY REPLACING PARTNERS, BUT BY TRULY ALIGNING ALL OF US TOGETHER.
SO THIS IS OUR, OUR JOURNEY TOWARD PARTNERSHIP.
UM, FORMERLY LAUNCHED IN 2023, BUT THE ROOTS GO WAY BACK TO 2017.
AFTER HURRICANE HARVEY, WHICH IS 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY NEXT YEAR, UH, LEADERS FROM BOTH OF OUR ORGANIZATIONS REALLY BEGAN EXPLORING A DEEPER COLLABORATIONAL EFFORT, UM, TO SHARE DATA, TO TALK ABOUT WHAT IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE TO RAISE AND DIS AND DISTRIBUTE DOLLARS TOGETHER.
THOSE INITIAL EXPLORATORY CONVERSATIONS REALLY SET THE STAGE FOR A MORE COMBINED RESPONSE IN 2020 WHEN WE ALL EXPERIENCED THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
UM, SO AT THAT TIME, WE PARTNERED TO ASSESS COMMUNITY NEEDS TOGETHER TO REVIEW THAT DATA, UM, AS WELL AS AS CONDUCT A SURVEY TO ASSESS OUR NONPROFIT SECTOR'S CAPACITY TO RESPOND.
OUR NONPROFIT STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONS ARE ALSO AFFECTED BY THESE DISASTERS, AND THEY MAY NOT BE IN A POSITION TO PROVIDE SERVICES THAT THE COMMUNITY TYPICALLY RELIES ON THEM TO PROVIDE.
UM, SO FUNDS WERE ACTUALLY GRANTED BACK TO THE COMMUNITY WITHIN 24 DAYS AFTER THAT DISASTER.
UM, WE ALSO THEN SIGNED AN MOU, UH, TO COMMITTING TO WORK TOGETHER FOR, UM, FUTURE DISASTERS.
AND JUST ONE MORE LATER, WE ALL EXPERIENCED WINTER STORM URI IN 2021.
SO WE LAUNCHED ANOTHER JOINT FUND THAT TIME WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND HARRIS COUNTY LEADERSHIP.
AND WE WERE ABLE TO DISTRIBUTE FUNDS WITHIN 16 DAYS TO THE COMMUNITY, WHICH IS A TRULY DRAMATIC CHANGE IN THE TIME IT TYPICALLY TAKES TRADITIONAL GRANTING INSTITUTIONS TO GET THE DOLLARS INTO THE COMMUNITY WHERE THEY'RE NEEDED MOST.
AND SO THOSE EXPERIENCES WITH THE PANDEMIC AND THE WINTER STORM REALLY SOLIDIFIED OUR PARTNERSHIP, AND IT LED TO THE CREATION OF THE GREATER HOUSTON DISASTER ALLIANCE IN 2023, WHERE WE NOW HAVE SHARED GOVERNANCE, SHARED STRATEGY, SHARED GRANT MAKING, SHARED GIFT PROCESSING, AND DATA ANALYSIS, AND EVEN REPORTING IS MORE CENTRALIZED.
SO WE REALLY ARE GUIDED BY THREE STRATEGIC GOALS, ULTIMATELY TO RAISE AND DEPLOY FUNDS FASTER AFTER A DISASTER STRIKES, TO INCREASE THAT EQUITABLE ACCESS TO RESOURCES AND TO CATALYZE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE COLLABORATION, ALL ULTIMATELY WITH THE GOAL OF ACCELERATING RECOVERY AFTER A DISASTER STRIKES, UM, IN INCREASING THE RESILIENCY OF OUR REGION DURING BLUE SKIES AND GRAY SKIES.
FOR CLARITY, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE EXPLICIT ABOUT WHO WE ARE AND WHO WE ARE NOT.
SO WE ARE THAT PHILANTHROPIC PARTNER.
WE'RE A CONNECTOR AND CONVENER ACROSS SECTORS OF ALL OF OUR PARTNERS, AND WE'RE COMMITTED TO PREPAREDNESS, RECOVERY, AND RESILIENCE BY LEVERAGING ALL OF THESE PARTNERSHIPS.
I WANNA PAUSE FOR A MOMENT AND CALL OUT THAT WE ARE INTENTIONALLY LISTING PREPAREDNESS, RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE.
IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE PHASES OF DISASTER, YOU DON'T SEE, UH, RESPONSE THERE.
THAT'S USUALLY THOSE FIRST DAYS AND WEEKS AFTER A DISASTER.
AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE PARTNERS IN THIS COMMUNITY THAT ALREADY HAVE A HOLD
BUT THEY ARE LEADING IN THAT, IN THAT PHASE, WE ARE TRULY FOCUSED ON LONGER TERM RECOVERY, MONTHS AND YEARS AFTER A DISASTER IS OVER.
THERE ARE STILL FAMILIES AND HOUSEHOLDS RECOVERING, AND THAT'S WHERE WE WANT TO MAKE THE MOST IMPACT.
SO WE REALLY ARE NOT THE DISASTER RESPONDERS, WE'RE NOT THE BOOTS ON THE GROUND.
UM, WE'RE NOT THE DIRECT SERVICE PROVIDER, AND WE'RE NOT FUNDING YEAR ROUND OPERATIONS.
WE REALLY ARE FOCUSED ON DISASTER EFFORTS.
I ALSO WANT TO, UM, OH, WE'LL TALK ABOUT WHAT WE DO IN POST-DISASTER IN YEAR ROUND.
AGAIN, JUST FOR COMPLETE CLARITY.
AFTER DISASTER STRIKES, WE'RE FOCUSED ON ACCELERATING THAT RECOVERY.
WE'RE ACTIVATING THE FUNDS WHEN CERTAIN PARAMETERS ARE MET.
WE'RE FUNDRAISING AND GRANT MAKING.
AND THEN YEAR ROUND, WE'RE MORE FOCUSED ON STRENGTHENING PREPAREDNESS AND RESILIENCE.
SO WE'RE CONVENING OUR PARTNERS TYPICALLY
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ON A QUARTERLY BASIS, UM, MAINTAINING OUR INTERNAL READINESS, BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS, AND ATTRACTING AND INVESTING IN RESILIENCE INITIATIVES.SO I ALSO WANT TO TOUCH ON OUR NONPROFIT ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY.
WE LEARNED SOME HARD LESSONS AFTER ACTIVATING TWO DISASTER RECOVERY FUNDS IN 2024 FOR THE DETO AND HURRICANE BARREL.
IT BECAME VERY CLEAR THAT WE NEEDED, UH, MORE STRUCTURE AND MORE TRANSPARENCY ABOUT HOW WE ENGAGE THOSE NONPROFIT PARTNERS.
SO WHAT YOU SEE ON THIS SCREEN IS OUR THREE CLASSIFICATIONS.
OUR CORE PARTNERS ARE THE NONPROFITS THAT QUICKLY ACTIVATE AT LEAST ONE PRIMARY DISASTER SERVICE AFTER A DISASTER STRIKES.
UM, THEY SERVE BROAD POPULATIONS AND ARE MORE LIKELY TO RECEIVE AN INVITATION TO APPLY FOR FUNDING AF IF WE DO IN FACT ACTIVATE A FUND.
OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, UH, PROVIDE EITHER A PRIMARY OR SECONDARY DISASTER SERVICE, AND THEY MAY SERVE A NICHE POPULATION, WHICH COULD, FOR EXAMPLE, DISASTERS OF, UM, NOT DISASTER, SORRY, SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OR VETERANS LGBTQIA PLUS POPULATION, AND MANY OTHERS.
UM, SO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO RECEIVE AN INVITATION TO APPLY FOR FUNDING AFTER A WIDESPREAD DISASTER WHEN WE TYPICALLY WOULD RAISE TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
SO THERE ARE MORE RESOURCES TO BE DISTRIBUTED, AND THEN OUR FRIENDS OF THE DISASTER ALLIANCE, UM, TO EITHER DO NOT MEET OUR BASIC ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS OR THEY'RE NOT PROVIDING A DISASTER SERVICE.
SO THIS STRUCTURE, UH, REALLY HELPS US MANAGE EXPECTATIONS IN THE COMMUNITY, BUILD TRUST WITH OUR NONPROFIT PARTNERS, AND, AND SO THAT WE CAN BE A BETTER, MORE PREDICTABLE PHILANTHROPIC PARTNER.
I ALSO WANNA TOUCH ON, UH, DATA.
I MEAN, IT REALLY UNDERPINS EVERYTHING WE DO.
SO WE PRIORITIZE DATA INFORMED STRATEGIES.
UH, WE MAINTAIN DATA SHARING AGREEMENTS WITH OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS.
UH, WE CONDUCT RAPID POST-DISASTER ANALYSIS TO IDENTIFY THOSE DISPROPORTIONATELY CONNECT, UH, UM, IMPACTED ZIP CODES DURING BLUE SKY DAY PERIODS.
UM, WE IDENTIFIED THE DISASTER SERVICES, WHICH REALLY GUIDE OUR PREPAREDNESS AND RESILIENCE INVESTMENTS.
AND THEN POST-DISASTER, WE EVALUATE THAT IMPACT DATA, UM, USING INFORMATION THAT'S REPORTED NOT ONLY THROUGH OUR GRANTEES, BUT ALSO THROUGH, UM, OUR GRANTEES CLIENTS.
OUR KEY DATA PARTNERS YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN ARE 2 1 1 TEXAS, UNITED WAY HELPLINE, WHERE WE GET SOME OF THAT INITIAL, UM, HIGH LEVEL NEEDS DATA.
CONNECTIVE IS OUR SYSTEM COORDINATION PARTNER, HOW THEY COLLECT SIMILAR DATA, BUT MUCH MORE DETAILED AND ROBUST.
AND THEN TDO, UH, WE WILL GATHER THE I STAT DATA THAT, UH, SHOWS WHERE PROPERTY DAMAGE IS, AND THEN WE LAYER ALL OF THAT WITH THE SOCIAL VULNERABILITY DATA FROM THE CDC TO IDENTIFY THOSE MOST DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED ZIP CODES, WHICH IS WHERE WE DIRECT OUR FUNDING, UH, AFTER, UH, WHEN WE DO ACTIVATE A FUND.
UM, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE DO.
I'D JUST LIKE TO SPEND A FEW MORE MINUTES TALKING ABOUT SOME OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS SINCE WE LAUNCHED IN 2023 AND YEAR ONE.
UM, WE FOCUS MORE ON BUILDING OUR OWN INFRASTRUCTURE AND READINESS.
SO WE REENGAGED OUR CITY AND COUNCIL.
UM, COUNTY LEADERSHIP FORMALLY LAUNCHED THE DISASTER ALLIANCE PUBLICLY.
WE WELCOMED TWO FULL-TIME STAFF THAT ARE DEDICATED TO THIS WORK OF THE DISASTER ALLIANCE YEAR ROUND.
AND WE REENGAGED NEARLY 200 NONPROFIT PARTNERS, UM, AHEAD OF THE 2024 HURRICANE SEASON, WHICH REALLY HAD NOT BEEN ENGAGED OR CONVENED IN ALMOST THREE YEARS SINCE, UM, THE WINTER STORM.
SO WE ALSO ESTABLISHED THE DISASTER RECOVERY COUNCIL, OUR GOVERNING BODY, UM, THAT INCLUDES REPRESENTATION FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND HARRIS COUNTY.
UM, WE CRAFTED JOINT FUND AND GRANT MAKING PROCESSES AND TOOLS AND TEMPLATES.
NOT REALLY, BUT IT WAS SO IMPORTANT
UM, AND I I WILL JUST SAY, UM, AS FAR AS CITY AND COUNTY REPRESENTATION ON OUR GOVERNING BODY, THE DISASTER RECOVERY COUNCIL, THAT'S, UH, CYNTHIA WILSON FROM MAYOR TURNER'S OFFICE.
AND THEN JUDGE HIDALGO APPOINTED WEELL HERRON, UH, FROM HEB.
SHE'S THE SENIOR VP OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS.
AND SO, IN OUR SECOND YEAR, AGAIN, WE REALLY TESTED THAT INFRASTRUCTURE.
WE HAD SPENT SO MUCH TIME BUILDING, UM, THAT'S WHEN WE HAD THE DERECHO AND, AND HURRICANE, UM, BARREL JUST SIX WEEKS APART.
WE WERE ABLE TO GRANT $8.7 MILLION TO 35 DIFFERENT NONPROFIT PARTNERS.
UM, THOSE NONPROFIT PARTNERS SERVED OVER 12,000 HOUSEHOLDS OR INDIVIDUALS
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IN, UM, NEARLY 4,100 HOUSEHOLDS WITH OUR PRIMARY DISASTER SERVICES, WHICH ARE HOME REPAIR, EMERGENCY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, AND DISASTER RESOURCE NAVIGATION.UM, WE REDUCE THE TIME IT TAKES TO GET THOSE DOLLARS INTO THE COMMUNITY, UM, DOWN TO AN AP AVERAGE FROM 34 TO 22 DAYS, STRENGTHEN THOSE DATA RE UM, PARTNERSHIPS AND REALLY REFINED OUR DATA ANALYSIS PROCESS.
WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO INVEST FUNDS IN OUR, OUR FIRST RESILIENCY INVESTMENT, AND THAT WAS WITH DOLLARS THAT CAME FROM OUTSIDE OF THE RECOVERY FUNDS THEMSELVES.
AND THAT WAS SPECIFICALLY, UM, TO PILOT A, UH, COORDINATED INTAKE FOR EMERGENCY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.
WE ALSO CONVENED OUR NONPROFIT PARTNERS.
THAT'S WHAT WE DO ALL YEAR, EVERY YEAR.
UM, TALKED TO OUR DONORS ABOUT A SUSTAINABLE FUNDRAISING MODEL FOR THIS INNOVATIVE NEW PHILANTHROPIC PARTNERSHIP.
UM, THEY TOLD US WHAT THEY REALLY THOUGHT AND THEN CONTINUED REFINING OUR RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE FRAMEWORK, WHICH REALLY INCLUDES COMPONENTS AND CONTENT FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S RESILIENCE PLAN.
SO IN, IN YEAR THREE, WHICH WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDST OF OUR PROGRAM YEAR ENDS IN APRIL, UM, WE FINALLY HAD THE BANDWIDTH TO BEGIN TRANSITIONING OUR WORK FROM RECOVERY AND THE DISASTER FUNDS TO, AND FOCUSING ON OUR INTERNAL INFRASTRUCTURE TO SYSTEM COORDINATION AND MORE STRATEGIC RESILIENCE WORK.
WE'VE EXECUTED MOUS WITH 18 NONPROFIT PARTNERS, UH, TO ESSENTIALLY BYPASS THE FIRST ROUND OF GRANT FUNDING AND GET DOLLARS INTO THE COMMUNITY LESS THAN A WEEK AFTER A DISASTER STRIKES.
AND I'LL JUST STOP THERE TO GIVE YOU A, A LITTLE STORY ON, ON HOW SIGNIFICANT THAT IS.
UM, OFTENTIMES OUR COMMUNITY IS, IS WITHOUT POWER OR BUSINESSES CLOSE.
AND FOR WHATEVER REASON, MAYBE THERE'S FLOODING AND PEOPLE CAN'T WORK.
AND FOR THOSE HOUSEHOLDS THAT ARE, UH, LIVING PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK, IF THEY CAN'T WORK FOR A WEEK OR TWO WEEKS AND THEY BECOME BEHIND ON RENT, UM, THEY ARE FACING EVICTIONS.
SO BY GETTING THOSE DOLLARS INTO THEIR HANDS WITHIN A WEEK, IT REALLY PUTS THEM IN A POSITION WHERE THEY HAVE MORE STABILITY AND WILL NOT SUFFER AS MUCH AS MANY CHALLENGES AFTER THAT DISASTER.
UM, WE'VE ALSO CONVENED OUR NONPROFIT, UM, PARTNERS, OVER 200 STAFF.
WE'VE REALLY STARTED MEASURING THE LEARNING THAT'S TAKING PLACE AT THOSE CONVENINGS TO DOCUMENT THE INCREASE IN PREPAREDNESS THAT THIS COMMUNITY HAS BECAUSE OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING AND THE CONVENINGS THAT WE'RE FACILITATING.
WE'VE ALSO INVESTED IN CONNECTIVE, WHICH IS OUR SYSTEM COORDINATION PARTNER TO CENTRALIZE ALL OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING.
UM, AGAIN, THEY ARE VITAL IN, IN COLLECTING AND REPORTING BACK ON THAT DATA.
WE'VE IDENTIFIED 29 HIGHLY VULNERABLE ZIP CODES, 10 OF WHICH WE CONSIDER A DISASTER SERVICE DESERT, MEANING THERE ARE LESS THAN TWO NONPROFITS THAT ARE PROVIDING DISASTER SERVICES TO THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THAT ZIP CODE.
UM, AND WE'VE SERVED ON MAYOR WHIT MEYER'S, UH, HOUSTON READY ROUND TABLE ON THE HANDOFF AND DATA WORK GROUPS.
SO, UM, I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO SAY THAT MANY OF THESE ACHIEVEMENTS WERE NOT PLANNED.
WE, UH, BE VERY, WE ARE VERY INTENTIONAL IN OUR PLANNING AND OUR STRATEGIES IN IMPROVING AND, AND BECOMING MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE IN THE WORK WE DO.
BUT BECAUSE WE HAD THE DISASTERS IN 2024, UM, WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO ACHIEVE MORE THAN WE HAD PLANNED.
OUR ASK OF THE RESILIENCE COMMITTEE IS, IS INTENTIONALLY VERY LIGHT.
UH, WE INVITE YOU ALL TO THINK OF US AS THOUGHT PARTNERS, UM, SOMEONE YOU CAN COLLABORATE WITH, SHARE INSIGHTS WITH.
UM, LEVERAGE US WHEN IT'S HELPFUL.
WE ASK THAT YOU HELP PROMOTE AWARENESS OF THE DISASTER ALLIANCE WITHIN YOUR NETWORKS.
AND IF YOU HAPPEN TO COME ACROSS NATIONAL, UM, PUBLIC OR PRIVATE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES THAT YOU THINK ALIGN WITH OUR WORK, WE WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE THE CONNECTION.
JUST THANK YOU AGAIN FOR, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT WE DO.
UM, AND WE ARE THANKFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO SHARE THIS INFORMATION.
AND I WELCOME CONTINUED DIALOGUE.
UM, PLEASE DON'T EVER HESITATE TO REACH OUT TO ME, UM, WITH QUESTIONS OR IDEAS.
IF ANYTHING COMES UP IN THE FUTURE, UH, MY CONTACT INFORMATION IS ON THE SLIDE.
UH, YOU KNOW, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, BEFORE I MAKE A COUPLE COMMENTS, I DO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, THAT WE'VE BEEN JOINED BY VICE MAYOR PRO TEM, UH, AMY PECK AND ONLINE WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER FRED FLICKINGER, AS WELL AS,
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UH, WE HAVE STAFF ONLINE FROM, UH, MAYOR PRO, TEM CASTEX TATUM, AS WELL AS, UM, STAFF JOINED BY STAFF, UH, FROM RAMIREZ, MARTINEZ, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON AND THOMAS'S OFFICE.UM, MUSIC TO MY EARS, DON'T GO AWAY, BROOKE.
YOU'RE NOT OUTTA THE HOT SEAT YET.
UM, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE, OVER THE PAST, THE, THE 28 DISASTERS IN 45 YEARS, YOU KNOW, THAT SEEMS LIKE I REMEMBER THEM ALL.
SO I GUESS I'M TELLING MY AGE, BUT, WELL, WHAT A AND WHEN WE TALKED FEDERALLY DECLARED DISASTERS AND THE IMPACT, UH, TO OUR COMMUNITY, UM, OVER THE LONG HAUL IS SIGNIFICANT.
I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S WHEN WE LOOK BACK AND TO, TO SEE ON THE TIMELINE, WHICH I THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING THAT TIMELINE.
UM, YOU KNOW, TO ME HARVEY SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY.
AND THEN YOU LOOK FOR FAST FORWARD TO 2020, THAT SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY MORNING.
I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S CRAZY HOW TIME FLIES.
SO THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION, AND I HOPE EVERYONE AROUND THIS HORSESHOE WILL REACH OUT AND, AND MAKE SURE TO UTILIZE YOUR RESOURCES AND JUST THE GOOD INFORMATION THAT YOU ALL HAVE AVAILABLE.
I DON'T HAVE ANYBODY IN THE QUEUE SIGNED UP.
UM, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ONLINE? I GUESS NOT.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AGAIN SOON.
SO WE'RE READY FOR PRESENTATION TOO.
AND THAT IS COMING FROM STEVE STELZER WITH, HE IS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF CITIZENS ENVIRONMENTAL COALITION.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, STEVE.
IT'S, UH, AN ABSOLUTE PLEASURE TO BE IN THIS, UH, WAP BUILDING, UM, THAT'S HISTORIC.
UM, AS A CAREER ARCHITECT, UM, I'M SO HAPPY THAT HOUSTON HAS PRESERVED THIS.
UH, ANOTHER REAL GEM IS ACROSS THE STREET WITH THE JULIE IEN LIBRARY AND, UH, KUDOS.
UM, I AM, UH, RETIRED FROM THE CITY, UH, AFTER 16 YEARS OF SERVICE, UM, IN THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
SO IT'S GREAT TO BE BACK HERE.
UM, NOW THAT I'M KIND OF MY, MY PART-TIME JOB
AND SO I'M, I'M THRILLED TO, UM, TO WALK YOU THROUGH WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.
SO WHY ARE WE ALL HERE? YOU MENTIONED HARVEY
I THINK THAT'S WHAT RESILIENCE IS ALL ABOUT.
AND SO WHO ARE WE? THE CITIZENS ENVIRONMENTAL COALITION.
WE ACTUALLY, UH, CAME INTO EXISTENCE IN, UM, 71, 19 71.
SO WE'VE BEEN AROUND FOR A WHILE.
UM, STARTED BY TERRY HERSHEY, UM, WHO STARTED A FEW OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL NONPROFITS.
AND SO OVER THE YEARS WE'VE SORT OF BEEN THIS, UM, CONNECTOR, UM, ORGANIZATION FOR THE MYRIAD OF ENVIRONMENTAL NONPROFITS THAT WE HAVE.
AND SO THERE WE ARE CONNECTING THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY, UH, WITH A DIVERSE RANGE OF PROGRAMS, RESOURCES, AND EVENTS.
AND WE ARE, OUR AIM IS TO CREATE ACCESS TO ADVOCACY AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, FOSTER APPRECIATION FOR NATURE, AND CONNECT STAKEHOLDERS TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY ON LOCAL SOLUTIONS.
SO WE ARE REPRESENTING OVER A HUNDRED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, AND WE HAVE THIS, UH, NIFTY MAP ON OUR WEBSITE.
AND WE ARE A 5 0 1 C3, AGAIN, FOUNDED IN 71 BY TERRY HERSHEY.
SO OUR MISSION IS TO FOSTER DIALOGUE, EDUCATION, AND COLLABORATION ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN THE HOUSTON GULF COAST REGION.
AND OUR MISSION AREA IS THE SAME NUMBER, UH, 13 COUNTIES THAT, UH, THE HGAC IS, UM, TAKEN CARE OF.
AND, UH, OUR VISION IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY RECOGNIZED
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AS A VITAL PART OF THE FABRIC OF OUR SOCIETY.SO THIS VISION, I DON'T THINK WE'VE, UH, ACCOMPLISHED THAT YET.
UM, BUT ONE OF THESE DAYS I THINK WE WILL BE A VITAL PART OF THE VITAL OF THE FABRIC OF OUR SOCIETY.
SO, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, THERE'S, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT I'D LIKE TO ASK.
UM, IF YOU WOULD PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE WEEKLY CEC ENVIRONMENTAL NEWSLETTER.
AND IT'S NOT LIKE YOU HAVE TO READ IT, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU MIGHT WANNA CHECK IT OUT ONCE IN A WHILE.
WE HAVE A GREEN JOBS DIRECTORY.
THIS HAS BEEN EXTREMELY USEFUL FOR PEOPLE THAT WANT TO BE IN AN ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATION.
WE KEEP HEARING FROM PEOPLE AND OUR MEMBER ORGANIZATION GOING, YOU KNOW, I GOT MY JOB THROUGH THE CEC GREEN JOB BOARD, AND THEY'RE JUST THRILLED ABOUT THAT.
AND SO, UH, WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE PROVIDING A VITAL SERVICE.
AND THEN WE HAVE, UH, AN ENVIRONMENTAL CALENDAR.
I THINK GOOGLE MIGHT BE CATCHING UP IN THE, WHAT'S GOING ON TODAY, ENVIRONMENTALLY, THERE SEEMS TO BE WITH AI, UH, THEY'RE KIND OF CATCHING UP, BUT WE'RE IT, WE HAVE THIS CALENDAR AND, AND THESE NONPROFITS GIVE US THESE ACTIVITIES THAT THEY'RE DOING, AND WE PUT IT ON THIS CALENDAR.
SO IF ANYBODY WANTS TO DO ANYTHING ON ANY GIVEN DAY, THEY CAN LOOK AT OUR CALENDAR.
UM, WE STARTED AN ENVIRONMENTAL BOOK CLUB AND WE'RE IN OUR SECOND YEAR.
BUT IT'S INCREDIBLY INVIGORATING FOR ME.
UM, IN FACT, MY, UH, EXTENSIVE BOOK LIST IS STILL ON THE GREEN BUILDING RESOURCE CENTER WEBSITE OF ALL KINDS OF ENVIRONMENTAL BOOK TITLES.
AND, UM, IT'S JUST LOVELY AND I REALLY ENJOY DOING IT.
UM, AND THEN THERE ARE, UH, WE ALSO INVITE PEOPLE TO BECOME VOLUNTEERS WITH US, BUT THOSE ARE SORT OF THE, UM, THE MAIN ACTIVITIES THAT, UH, WE WOULD, WE WOULD ASK.
UM, AND THE REASON WHY I ASK IS NOT LIKE WE NEED, UH, CITY COUNCIL TO NECESSARILY SUPPORT US OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT, UM, WE HAVE CITY ORGANIZ ENTITIES THAT ARE, ARE MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS, UH, HOUSTON PARKS AND REC, FOR INSTANCE, UM, THE HOUSTON PARKS BOARD.
THEY, THEY ALL PARTICIPATE WITH CEC, AND, AND I'M VERY HAPPY ABOUT THAT, UH, GREEN BUILDING RESOURCE CENTER DOES TOO.
UM, SO IT'S A, IT'S A USEFUL, I THINK, RESOURCE WHENEVER ANY OF THE CONSTITUENTS WOULD CONTACT YOU ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE.
SO, UM, WE HAVE, UH, OUR BIG EVENT EACH YEAR IS THE ENVIRONMENTAL SUMMIT.
AND, UH, IN 2024, WE, UM, DECIDED THAT WE NEEDED TO START SOME WORKING GROUPS.
AND OUR THEME AT THE TIME WAS UNITING FOR HEALTH EQUITY AND RESILIENCE TO COLLABORATE ON REGIONAL SOLUTIONS.
AND SO, UM, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
WE STARTED A WORKING GROUP THAT IS CALLED BUILT FOR RESILIENCE.
AND, UH, WE HAVE, UH, UH, PRETTY SMALL COMMITTEE, BUT STILL WORKING ON TRYING TO HELP WITH RESILIENCE EFFORTS IN THIS REGION.
AND SO WE WANT TO ASSIST THIS COMMITTEE.
SO WE WOULD INVITE YOU TO CONTACT US IF THERE'S ANY COORDINATION AMONG THE NON, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL NONPROFITS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE.
AND, UM, SO YOU CAN SEE, UH, IN THESE VARIOUS BOXES, OUR VISION AND OUR GOALS AND WHAT HAVE YOU.
SO WE JUST WANT TO GET TO WHERE SOMEONE COULD GET ON OUR WEBSITE AND SEARCH THROUGH SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE INTERESTED IN ENVIRONMENTALLY.
AND I DON'T MEAN INTERESTED IN ANY KIND OF A CASUAL, BUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THEY INTERESTED IN? UM, WHAT SORT OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE DO THEY HAVE AT THEIR HOUSE? WHAT, UM, UM, THERE THEY ARE.
UM, PERHAPS THEY WANT TO, UH, STEER THEIR CAREER TOWARDS THE ENVIRONMENT OR WHAT HAVE YOU.
SO, UM, THAT IS WHAT WE WANT IT BE.
WE WANNA, UM, WE WANNA HAVE SPECIFIC PEOPLE AND, UM, LINKS TO THE IMPORTANT ENTITIES, FOR INSTANCE, UM, MUCH AS, UM,
I MEAN, SO ANYBODY WHO DOESN'T KNOW WHO THEY'RE LOOKING FOR IS IN TROUBLE.
[00:30:01]
ANYTHING ENVIRONMENTAL, WE WANNA BE ABLE TO HAVE A LINK TO THAT, UM, PARTICULAR DEPARTMENT OR WHAT HAVE YOU.AND, UM, WE ALSO WANT TO, UM, SORT OF NOT BE AS DENSE.
SO, YOU KNOW, THE RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN, WHICH I APPLAUD, AND THAT WAS, UH, AN, A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT BY THE CITY OF HOUSTON IN 2020, WAS 188 PAGES 18 TARGETS.
SO GETTING YOUR AVERAGE PERSON OUT THERE, UM, WILLING TO COMB THROUGH 188 PAGES IS JUST, I DON'T THINK IT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
SO THE COUNTY, UM, CAME OUT WITH LAST YEAR THEIR, UM, RESILIENCE PLAN, UH, RESILIENCE EQUITY PLAN, AND, UH, THEY, I THINK DECIDED IT DIDN'T NEED TO BE AS LONG OR AS EXTENSIVE.
AND THEY'RE AT 59 PAGES STILL AT ABOUT 18 GOALS.
AND THEN I ALSO GOT ON THE WEBSITE AND LOOKED AT, UH, THIS COMMITTEE'S, UM, KIND OF WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING, AND, AND YOU'VE BEEN STARTED IN 2024 AND YOU'VE HAD 17 AGENDAS.
THAT'S SHOWING INTEREST, UH, AND STAYING POWER.
SO WE WENT THROUGH A CHARETTE PROCESS.
UM, WE HAD 18 PEOPLE ATTEND, UH, THIS PAST OCTOBER.
AND WE ARE TRYING TO GET DOWN TO THREE OR FOUR ITEMS, WHICH ARE SOMEWHAT, UH, BROAD, BUT UH, THAT WOULD HELP CEC GIVE THE MOST IMPACT FOR, UM, OUR MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS AND THE PUBLIC.
AND SO, OUT OF OUR TOP 10 PRIORITIES, THE GROUP DECIDED TO FOCUS ON THREE MAIN PRIORITIES AND THESE PRIORITIES, COMBINE THESE THREE ITEMS INTO ONE, AND THEN FOCUS ON TWO OTHERS.
SO, PRIORITY ONE IS CONSERVATION, PROTECTION OF NATURAL RESOURCES, RESTORE HABITAT, REDUCE FLOODING AND WATER USE AND SUPPORTS HEALTHY ECOSYSTEM, CLEAN AIR, WATER, AND SOIL SUPPORTS THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF ALL LIVING THINGS, PRETTY BROAD BASED, BUT, AND, AND CERTAINLY, UM, RIGHT IN THERE WITH WHAT THE RESILIENCE COMMITTEE HERE WANTS TO DO.
WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE ALL COMMUNITIES HAVING, UH, ACCESSIBLE AND HIGH QUALITY PARKS AND OPEN SPACES.
AGAIN, HOUSTON PARKS AND, AND REC, I THINK ARE DOING A GREAT JOB THAT REDUCE HEAT ISLANDS ABSORB, FLOWED WATER, AND MITIGATE THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
AND THEN WE WANNA PROMOTE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, INCLUDING NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS.
THAT WAS QUITE A POPULAR TERM TO SUPPORT THE INITIATIVE OF COMPLETE 100 NEW GREEN STORMWATER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS BY 2025, WHICH WAS THE CITY OF HOUSTON INITIATIVE.
SO AGAIN, WE REALLY WANT TO BE IN TOUCH WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF FABULOUS INITIATIVES DEVELOPED.
PRIOR, TWO IS RECYCLING AND REUSE.
AND THAT, UH, I THINK WE ALL KNOW IS, UH, QUITE A TOPIC
AND NEXT SLIDE, PRIORITY THREE, MODERNIZE OUR ENERGY AND WATER INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT THE DEMANDS OF ELECTRIFICATION ON THE DIGITAL ECONOMY, ENSURING GRID RESILIENCE AND LONG-TERM RESOURCE SUSTAINABILITY.
WE'RE NOT REINVENTING THE WHEEL, WE'RE JUST TRYING TO FOCUS AND BE A, A, A REASONABLE RESOURCE TO PEOPLE.
SO OUR KEY TAKEAWAYS, UM, WE REALLY WANT TO TRY TO COLLABORATE AND BECOME MORE EFFICIENT BY REDUCING DUPLICATION ACROSS ORGANIZATIONS AND INCREASE INTERDEPARTMENTAL COOPERATION.
IT'S A PRETTY LOFTY GOAL, BUT WE'RE GOING FOR IT.
LEVERAGE EXISTING EXPERTISE ACROSS NONPROFITS, ACADEMIA, AND GOVERNMENT, AND ENGAGE MAJOR PLAYERS LIKE AI, DATA CENTER DEVELOPERS AND PROGRESSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATIONS REQUIRING WATER REUSE AND LOCALIZED RESOURCE SYSTEMS. SO, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
AND OUR COMMUNITY ADVOCACY AND EDUCATION.
UM, OUR FOCUS IS ON PUBLIC AWARENESS OF AVAILABLE RESOURCES.
SO THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, ENCOURAGE BEHAVIORAL CHANGE AND RECOGNIZED CULTURE AND SOCIOECONOMIC BARRIERS.
AND SO THAT AGAIN, IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.
WE, UH, IN 2026 RIGHT NOW, WE'RE AGAIN, NARROW NARROWING OUR FOCUS TO A SMALLER SET OF HIGH IMPACT ACHIEVABLE GOALS.
WE WANNA SERVE AS A CONNECTOR AND WE WANNA BUILD VISIBILITY FOR RESILIENCE, EDUCATION AND STORY, UH, THROUGH PUBLIC EVENTS, STORYTELLING AND ARTS COLLABORATIONS.
[00:35:01]
AND OF COURSE, WE'RE GONNA BE EXPLORING FUNDING AND PARTNERSHIPS TO SUPPORT GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, DISASTER PREPAREDNESS, AND RESOURCE CONSERVATION.SO THOSE ARE, UH, THREE MORE OF OUR, OUR EFFORTS HERE.
OUR NEXT EVENT IS, UH, EARTH DAY WITH DISCOVERY GREEN, WHICH, UM, HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS HAS BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE OF FOR A FEW YEARS NOW.
SO I HOPE THAT THEY CONTINUE TO BE, UM, SUPPORTIVE GOING FORWARD.
UM, IT'S USUALLY DRAWS A PRETTY BIG CROWD.
I WOULD, UM, INVITE EVERYONE HERE, UH, TO, YOU MIGHT WANNA COME BY.
UM, WE'RE GONNA BE OF COURSE ASKING SOME, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS TO MAYBE SPEAK FOR A FEW MINUTES.
UM, AND SO WE'RE WORKING ON THAT.
THAT'S APRIL 25TH AT DISCOVERY GREEN.
AND SO THESE ARE SOME OF THESE KIND OF WONDERFUL GRAPHICS THAT, UH, PEOPLE DO THESE DAYS, UH, FROM OUR, UM, OUR SUMMITS AND, UM, NATURALLY, UH, FOREMOST AND RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE WE HAVE RESILIENCE WHERE EVERYONE WANTS TO BE MORE RESILIENT.
HEALTH VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES, ALL THESE THINGS THAT YOU KNOW ALL ABOUT.
THE, UM, HEAT MAPPING IS KIND OF NOTICED HERE.
I PARTICIPATED IN ONE OF THE HEAT MAPPINGS.
I THINK THAT WAS A SUPER INCREDIBLE EXERCISE TO GO THROUGH.
I THINK, UH, THAT, UH, THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT, UH, URBAN HEAT ISLAND IS A BIG DEAL, ESPECIALLY IN THE CITY LIKE HOUSTON.
AND HERE WE GO, MAKING HEALTH ON, UH, MAKING PROGRESS ON HEALTH EQUITY AND RESILIENCE WITH WINNING STRATEGY.
SO WE'RE, UM, WORK IN PROGRESS.
WE'RE, UM, COMING BACK FROM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAD OUR, UM, WATERSHED DISASTER MOMENT WAS, UH, OF COURSE, UM, COVID.
WE GOT DOWN TO FOUR BOARD MEMBERS, BUT WE ARE ON THE COMEBACK TRAIL.
AND, UM, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT, UH, JUST REALLY GETTING OUR GROOVE BACK AND, UH, BECOMING AS VITAL AS WE CAN TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND TO THE, UM, REGION OF OTHER COUNTIES AS WELL AS HARRIS COUNTY.
UM, PLEASE MAYBE VISIT CITIZENS ENVIRONMENTAL COALITION SOMETIME.
UH, THE WEBSITE IS CE C HOUSTON.ORG.
AND JUST TAKE A LOOK AT THE SORT OF RESOURCES THAT WE OFFER AND, UH, HOPEFULLY THEY WILL LOOK, UM, VALUABLE TO YOU AND WE CAN BE OF ASSISTANCE TO ALL OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS AND PERHAPS TO, UM, SAVE HOUSTON EMPLOYEES AND THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS.
AND, UM, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH ALL.
UM, CERTAINLY I'LL BE SIGNING UP FOR YOUR NEWSLETTER.
I'M INTERESTED IN SEEING WHAT, WHAT YOU, WHAT YOU GUYS ARE UP TO.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT OVERVIEW.
UM, AND SOUNDS LIKE YOU, YOU, UH, ARE REALLY ON A GREAT PATH, ONWARD AND UPWARD AND, AND, UH, WORKING WITH, UH, MANY GREAT ORGANIZATIONS AND CERTAINLY, UH, APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE TODAY TO PRESENT.
WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF PUBLIC SPEAKERS, UH, UH, WHO A COUPLE OF SPEAKERS WHO HAVE SIGNED UP FOR QUESTIONS.
AND SO WE'LL LET YOU TAKE YOUR SEAT AND MAYBE WE'LL HAVE A QUESTION OR TWO.
FIRST, UH, UP IS MR. DOMINIC MAZO, COME ON DOWN.
HOW ARE YOU THIS MORNING? OH, OKAY.
ME, I WANNA SHOW THIS PICTURE FIRST BEFORE I GET UP HERE.
WHAT I WANNA TALK ABOUT IS, AND THIS THOUGHT OCCURRED TO ME DURING THE MOODY PARK CELEBRATION, ONE OF THE HAM GROUPS THAT WAS THERE, AND I BELONG TO THE GROUP, THIS THE SOUTHEAST TEXAS EXAMINER GROUP.
WE POP A A, A HAM RADIO STATION AND WE LET PEOPLE TALK ON THE RADIO WITH, AND THAT'S LEGAL OF THIRD PARTY SERVICES.
BUT THERE WAS QUESTIONS THAT PEOPLE WERE BRINGING UP, UH, PARTICULARLY LIKE PEOPLE WHO ARE INTO THINGS IN THAT PARTICULAR, UM, SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD.
IS THERE IS A TEST, BUT YOU DON'T, DO NOT NEED MORSE CODE ANYMORE.
MORSE CODE IS A VALID OPERATING MODE, BUT YOU DO NOT NEED IT TO PASS THE TEST.
AND SO THE QUESTION BECAME, UM, WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO FOR NEIGHBORHOODS, OR, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENS IF THE CELL PHONE SYSTEM GOES OUT? AND WE'VE HAD CELL PHONE ALLERGISTS,
[00:40:02]
UH, AND FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, THAT IS THE ONLY WAY THEY'RE GONNA GET INFORMATION.SO, UH, I'M JUST BRINGING THIS UP.
THIS IS A HANDHELD HAND RADIO, AND IT ALSO COMES IN A NON-TEST VERSION CALLED GMRS. BOTH NEED LICENSES, BUT, UH, THEY'RE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT SERVICES.
BUT WHAT I'M, AND I DIDN'T BRING EVERYTHING WITH ME, AND THE PHONE THAT'S GOING AROUND IS THE POP-UP STATION I DID TO HELP WITH, UM, RES ACROSS AMERICA.
I WAS AT THE PARKING RIDE A LOT AND I WAS TALKING TO THE, UH, PEOPLE OVER IN THE, IN THE CEMETERY ITSELF.
SO WE, SO I CAN COME IN OR WE CAN COME IN AND PUT THIS STUFF UP, BUT I THINK THERE'S SOME MERIT, PARTICULARLY I'M THINKING OF THE GENERAL MO RADIO SERVICE AND I CAN BRING A DEMONSTRATION LATER.
MAYBE I, I'LL FEEL WHAT Y'ALL YEAH.
UH, THAT IN CASE THE CELL SYSTEM GOES OUT OR YOU JUST NEED, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE WATCHING YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD OR WHATEVER, UH, THESE, A RATE LIKE THIS IS $25.
SO I, I'M BEGINNING TO WONDER IF, UM, I CAN COME IN WITH A MORE DETAILED PRESENTATION LATER AS THE TWO GROUPS IN IN FRONT OF ME HAVE AND, UH, SHOW THIS COMMITTEE.
WHAT, UH, CITIZENS BASED RADIO, AND I'M TALKING HERE, HAM, DMRS, CITIZEN FANS AND SO FORTH, MIGHT BE HELPFUL IN GETTING COMMUNICATIONS OUT, PARTICULARLY IN AREAS OF THE CITY THAT THERE'S NO CELL PHONE SERVICE OR, OR VERY, UM, CELL PHONE DESERT THERE.
THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT DON'T HAVE THE MONEY FOR A, YOU KNOW, A MONTHLY CELL PHONE.
AND TWO, UM, WITH THE HAM RADIO, PARTICULARLY THE HAM RADIO COMMITTEE, LIKE FOR INSTANCE, WHEN WE, WHEN WE HAD THE ICE STORM, UH, A 10 DAYS AGO, UH, WE WAS ON, SOME OF US WERE, UH, WERE ON PARTICULAR FREQUENCIES AND WE WERE PASSING TRAFFIC TO TRANS STAR ABOUT ROAD CLOSURES OR, OR, AND THAT SORT OF THING.
AND WE WERE GETTING STUFF FROM THE WEATHER SERVICE.
AND WHEN THE WEATHER SERVICE, I'LL FINISH MY SENTENCE HERE.
UH, WHEN THE WEATHER SERVICE, UM, HAD A, A, A MESSAGE, IT WAS PUT OUT ON THE HAM RADIO, UH, FREQUENCIES FOR HARRIS COUNTY, BUT I DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING UP IN LIFE IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY FOR THEIR VERSION OF THEIR EOC.
SO I GOT A NCE, CAN I PASS THIS TRAFFIC UP? I SAID, SURE.
SO, SO AGAIN, UM, I'M NOT KNOCKING CELL PHONE SERVICE, I'M NOT KNOCKING ANYTHING.
BUT I THINK THE MORE, UH, OPEN, THE MORE STUFF THAT WE HAVE, UH, THE MORE LIVES WE CAN SAVE.
I THINK THE, THE DISASTER IN THE HILL COUNTRY SHOWS US GET HAVING THE RADIO, IT WAKES YOU UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND YOU GOTTA GET OUTTA BED AND GET OUT DODGE SAVE LIVES.
BUT THAT, I HAVE NO OTHER COMMENTS.
AND, YOU KNOW, UH, I REMEMBER WHEN THE HAM RADIOS AND ALL WHAT THE TECHNOLOGY CAME ALONG AND WHAT A, WHAT A WONDERFUL INVENTION, BUT IT'S THAT SAFE STANDBY, UH, THAT WE DO NEED KIND OF IN OUR BACK POCKET.
UH, UM, AND CERTAINLY HAPPY TO VISIT WITH YOU FURTHER ON THAT.
AND ALSO TOO, THE WEATHER RADIO.
I THOUGHT MY MOTHER WAS THE ONLY PERSON THAT STILL HAD ONE OF THOSE, BUT EVIDENTLY NOT.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHICH COMMITTEE TO GO TO WITH THIS, AND I THINK, I THINK THE MANAGER OF THE COMMITTEE, BUT I THINK ON THE WEBSITE, EACH COMMITTEE SHOULD HAVE A MISSION STATEMENT.
WHAT, WHAT, WHAT IS THEIR OPERATIONS? WHAT, WHAT PART SHOULD GOVERNMENT BET LIKE RESILIENCY.
I, I WAS, I WAS GOING WITH THIS BECAUSE OF RECOVERY FROM A DISASTER.
SO I THINK THAT MIGHT BE, YOU KNOW, ON THE, EACH OF THE WEBPAGE FOR THE, THE BARRY COMMITTEE'S, UH, MISSION STATEMENT, WHAT DO HE DO? THAT'S, THAT'S A GOOD IDEA.
ALSO TOO, YOU MAY WANT TO, SORRY KELLY TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT, BUT YOU MAY WANNA VISIT WITH KELLY, UH, FROM THE MAYOR'S ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS OVER HERE AFTER THE, AFTER THE MEETING.
YEAH, I DON'T SAY THIS ROUND TWO.
UH, NEXT UP PASTOR DEB, YOU WANNA COME ON DOWN? HOW ARE YOU TODAY? HAVE A SEAT IN THE CHAIR OR YOU CAN STAND.
OH,
I THANK THE COMMITTEE TODAY, UM, FOR THE SPACE AND GRACE, I AM PASTOR DEB BERIO MARTIN.
I'M A CO-FOUNDER OF ZELMA, FRIENDS OF NORTH HOUSTON.
UH, WE IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH IN OUR NORTH SIDE NORTHLINE AREA.
[00:45:01]
I'M RECENTLY ELECTED AS THE PRESIDENT OF SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 45.THAT ENDEAVOR STARTED AFTER HURRICANE HARVEY.
IT'S TAKEN A LONG TIME FOR A GRASSROOTS, AND I'M AN ACTUAL GRASSROOTS PERSON, UM, IN THE FLESH
I AM ALSO A CHAPLAIN WITH THE NORTHEAST SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD UNITED.
THAT'S 17 CHAPTERS OF SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, WORKING REGIONALLY.
AND BECAUSE OUR TERRITORY IS RIGHT AT THE COUNTY LINE AT MELROSE PARK, I BELIEVE REGIONAL WORK IS VERY IMPORTANT.
AND I WOULD ASK ALL OF YOU TO LOOK AT THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE, THE MODEL, UH, WHEN WE STARTED OF 88, THERE WAS ONLY, I THINK 50 OF THEM IN THERE, 30 WERE DEFUNCT.
UH, BUT WE FOUND IN AREAS LIKE OURS, UH, 7 7 0 7 6 NORTHLINE THAT CIVIC CLUBS WERE FAILING TO MATERIALIZE AND OR WERE INFEASIBLE.
AND WE STARTED CIVIC GROUPS AND WE ASK THAT TRAILER PARKS AND LOW INCOME APARTMENTS, ANY APARTMENTS BE ALLOWED IN THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD, ANYTIME WE COULD PUT A TOOLKIT AND HAVE THREE TO FIVE PEOPLE RELIABLY GATHERING AT LEAST TWICE A YEAR.
AND SO I WOULD BELIEVE THAT, UM, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO CONGRATULATE THE REMARKS OF, UH, BROOKE AND OF STEVE.
'CAUSE WE, I KNOW OF THEIR WORK.
AND, UM, OUR DEAL IS CONSERVATION, STEWARDSHIP AND RECIPROCITY.
I THINK IT COULD BE THAT SIMPLE.
UM, BUT EACH ONE OF THOSE WOULD HAVE, UH, A BUCKET.
I AM ALSO A CO-CHAIR FOR THE COMMITTEE OF PERSONS AT RISK, VULNERABLE AND SPECIAL NEEDS WITH THE HOUSTON CLIMATE MOVEMENT.
AND WE HOLD A YEARLY SUMMIT, AND I RUN THAT SUMMIT ON ZOOM SO THAT PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF WHO DISABLED, UH, MAYBE CAN'T GET OUT DUE TO CAREGIVING OR TRANSPORTATION.
I BELIEVE THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON NEEDS TO LOOK MORE AT HYBRID AND VIRTUAL AND SMALL GATHERINGS AND LOOK INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, THERE'S A LOT OF WORK BEING DONE THAT Y'ALL DON'T KNOW ABOUT, THAT I DON'T KNOW ABOUT, BUT I FIND IT EVERY DAY.
AND I THINK THAT ORDINARY CITIZENS ARE OUT HERE TRYING TO IMPROVE THE CITY AND TO IMPROVE CONDITIONS AND TO, AND TO SAVE THE BUDGET.
SO WE ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT THAT.
UM, I WOULD ONLY ALSO SAY THAT, UM, THAT HAVING THIS MEETING IN PARTICULAR, I'D LIKE TO PROMOTE THIS MEETING MORE.
I THINK THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT WANT TO KNOW MORE AND DO MORE.
AND SO I WOULD JUST ENCOURAGE YOU ALL AS THE OTHER SPEAKERS HAVE, UH, TO REMEMBER THAT THE PEOPLE ON THE GROUND IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS, MANY WITHOUT TRANSPORTATION, A LOT OF THEM IN A DIGITAL DIVIDE, SORT OF WITHOUT MAYBE A PHONE.
AND SO THAT'S REALLY ALL I HAVE TO SAY, EXCEPT THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY AND I KEEP UP WITH THIS COMMITTEE.
I DON'T GET TO COME HERE VERY OFTEN, UH, BUT I WOULD ASK YOU TO SUPPORT SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 45, UH, BECAUSE WE WORKED HARD AT IT AND, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE WAY BEHIND
WELL, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, PASTOR.
AND ALSO TOO, UH, THANK YOU FOR THE WORK YOU DO OUT THERE.
AND, UH, I KNOW YOU EMAIL MY OFFICE, UH, OFTEN AND PLEASE CONTINUE TO DO SO IN ANYTHING THAT YOU WANT TO MAKE US AWARE OF.
PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO, TO, UH, REACH OUT AND CERTAINLY WE SUPPORT SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 45 AND WE'LL POP IN TO SEE YOU ALL HERE SOON.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK AND THIS COMMITTEE.
WE HAVE NO QUESTIONS IN THE QUEUE AND WE HAVE NO OTHER SPEAKERS SIGNED UP.