* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:28] BREAKING NEWS, I'M TRAVIS LEMON COMING AT YOU LIVE FROM THE EYE OF A HURRICANE TRAVIS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WE GOTTA GO, WE'RE GONNA BE LATE FOR OUR INTERVIEW WITH DIRECT TO MASON. I'M JUST PRACTICING FOR MY STANDUP FROM THE FIRST HURRICANE. IT'S, IT'S HURRICANE SEASON. YOU KNOW, I'M AWARE WE GOTTA GET TO THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. WE'RE GONNA BE LATE, RIGHT? INTERNS, WHIRLWIND TRAVIS. GET IN THE CAR. BUT FIRST BE CITY HEADLINES. STANDARD AND POORS HAS REVISED THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S GENERAL OBLIGATION OUTLOOK FROM NEGATIVE TO STABLE, CITING THE ACTIONS TAKEN IN THE FY 2027 BUDGET AS A KEY DRIVER OF THE IMPROVED OUTLOOK. THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND AN IMPORTANT VALIDATION OF THE DIFFICULT WORK UNDERTAKEN BY MAYOR WHITMEYER CITY COUNCIL AND THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT THROUGHOUT THE BUDGET SEASON. IT'S THE BEGINNING OF A MULTI-YEAR EFFORT TO STABILIZE THE CITY'S FINANCES AND LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR A STRUCTURALLY BALANCED FUTURE. THERE IS STILL SIGNIFICANT WORK AHEAD, BUT THIS IS AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE AND A CLEAR SIGNAL THAT HOUSTON IS MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. MAYOR WHITMEYER JOINED COUNCIL MEMBER JOAQUIN MARTINEZ AND THE FAMILY OF KOREAN WAR VETERAN JOE CHACO RAMIREZ. TO UNVEIL A STREET SIGN AND HONOR OF THE HOUSTON HERO, THE RENAMING REPLACES CESAR CHAVEZ BOULEVARD. RAMIREZ EMBODIED THE BEST OF HOUSTON SERVICE, SACRIFICE, HUMILITY, AND LOVE FOR COMMUNITY. HIS LEGACY WILL NOW BE REMEMBERED FOR GENERATIONS ALONG THE STREET. HE PROUDLY CALLED HOME. US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT HAS RANKED THE CITY OF HOUSTON AS THE FIFTH CONVENTION CITY IN THE COUNTRY AND THE LEADER IN TEXAS. IN THE WORDS OF MAYOR WHITMEYER HOUSTON IS A STRONG CITY AND WE'RE GETTING STRONGER EVERY DAY. CONVENTIONS CREATE JOBS, ATTRACT VISITORS, AND GENERATE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY. BY SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASING THE SIZE OF THE GEORGE R. BROWN CONVENTION CENTER AND THE ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT, WE ARE INVESTING IN HOUSTON'S FUTURE AND ENSURING OUR CITY REMAINS A TOP DESTINATION FOR BUSINESS TOURISM AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THIS RANKING VALIDATES THAT HOUSTON IS HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. WE'RE HERE AT THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, THE CHIEF COORDINATING AGENCY FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. TODAY WE'LL BE TALKING HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS. HURRICANE SEASON RUNS FROM JUNE THROUGH THE END OF NOVEMBER, WHILE TECHNICALLY STORMS CONFORM OUTSIDE THIS PERIOD. OVER 97% OF TROPICAL CYCLONES OCCUR DURING THESE MONTHS. FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS, THE HIGHEST RISK IS DURING AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER. LOOK AT YOU SOUNDING LIKE A METEOROLOGIST, BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO IN A WEATHER EMERGENCY? DIDN'T THINK SO. NOW WE'RE GONNA TALK TO AN EXPERT WHO WILL TELL US WHAT WE NEED TO DO. OKAY. WE ARE INSIDE THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER AT THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, AND JOINING US IS DIRECTOR BRIAN MASON OF OEM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. SO TELL US ABOUT OEM. WHAT DOES OEM DO? SO, I, I TRY TO SAY, YOU KNOW, OEM WE'RE THE ONES THAT, UH, COMMUNICATE AND COORDINATE WITH ALL THE PARTNERS ACROSS THE CITY. UM, ALMOST KINDA LIKE AN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL PERSON. PEOPLE GIVE US REQUESTS, WE TRY TO TRACK DOWN RESOURCES, UM, MAKING SURE WE'RE BRIEFING THE MAYOR AND THE PUBLIC ON WHAT'S GOING ON. BUT REALLY JUST A COMMUNICATION AND COORDINATION AGENCY FOR THE CITY AND FOR THE RESIDENTS. SO YOU'RE LIKE A NICE FACIL FACILITATOR, MIDDLEMAN, TRYING TO GET PEOPLE WHERE THEY NEED TO BE. CORRECT. SO USUALLY WHEN PEOPLE CALL US AND THEY NEED SOMETHING, IT'S 'CAUSE THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIND IT ON THEIR OWN. SO, UM, USUALLY LET LET US KNOW THEY NEED A SPECIFIC RESOURCE OR THEY HAVE SOME CHALLENGES IN THE FIELD AND WE'RE ABLE TO HELP SOLVE THAT PROBLEM FOR THEM. AND BECAUSE WE JUST STARTED HURRICANE SEASON, YOU SAY YOU NEED TO GET PEOPLE WHERE THEY NEED TO GO. ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO START OFF WITH IS TO MAKE A PLAN AND WHAT IS THE BEST APPROACH IN MAKING A PLAN DURING A HURRICANE SEASON? THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT GO INTO IT. SO MAKING A PLAN'S A BIG ONE. WE WILL TALK ABOUT HAVING A KID AS WELL, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING A PLAN, UM, JUST SOME BASIC THINGS. KNOW IF YOU LIVE IN AN EVACUATION ZONE, KNOW IF YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY WHERE YOU'RE GONNA GO. UM, I TEND TO SHARE STORIES ABOUT MY FAMILY PLAN. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, FOR OUR FAMILY, UM, WE DON'T LIVE IN AN EVACUATION ZONE, BUT IF WE HAVE A BIG HURRICANE COMING, WE DON'T WANNA BE A PART OF THE BIG MASSIVE EVACUATION THAT MAY [00:05:01] HAPPEN AT THE MINUS 24 HOUR OR MINUS 48 HOUR MARK. SO MY FAMILY PLAN IS, MY FAMILY PICKS UP AND GOES TO AUSTIN AT MINUS 72 HOURS THEY GET OUTTA TOWN. THEY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT. NOW IN MY WIFE'S DEFENSE, THERE HAS BEEN SEVERAL TIMES SHE'S EVACUATED FOR NO REASON. UM, BUT IT'S BETTER FOR US TO BE OVER PREPARED AND, AND JUST BE OUTTA HERE IN CASE SOMETHING HAPPENS. THAT'S AWESOME. AWESOME. SO IN THE EFFORT OF PREPAREDNESS THIS KIT YOU MAY MENTION OF WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT PEOPLE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE IN THEIR KIT THAT DOESN'T, IT'S NOT TOO PRICEY. UH, A PLAN OF ACTION TO BUILD A KIT ALONG THE WAY. WHAT SHOULD THEY DO? SO WE HAVE A LOT OF GOOD THINGS ON OUR WEBSITE, HOUSTON OEM.ORG THAT CAN GIVE YOU THAT INFORMATION, BUT I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE, DON'T LET PERFECT BE THE ENEMY OF GOOD. YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO OUT AND SPEND A THOUSAND DOLLARS THIS WEEKEND TO BUILD SOME BIG KIT. EVERY TIME YOU GO TO THE GROCERY STORE, BUY AN EXTRA PACK OF BATTERIES, BUY AN EXTRA JAR OF PEANUT BUTTER, BUY AN EXTRA COUPLE CANS OF TUNA. UM, AND REAL QUICK, YOU CAN BUILD A PRETTY GOOD KIT, UM, TO WHERE IF SOMETHING HAPPENS, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE SOME, SOME SUPPLIES AVAILABLE. AND DON'T GO OVERBOARD WITH LIKE BUYING TOILET PAPER OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. NO, PLEASE, NO, PLEASE DON'T. , MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SOME BASIC THINGS. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, A GOOD FIRST AID KIT, RIGHT? IN CASE YOU GET A CUT OR SCRATCH AT HOME. UM, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AT LEAST THREE DAYS. WE TRY TO GET EVERYBODY TO WORK TOWARDS SEVEN DAYS OF SUPPLIES. SO THE STANDARD USED TO BE THREE DAYS OF SUPPLIES, BUT WE WANT PEOPLE TO BE A LITTLE MORE RESILIENT. SO THAT COMES TO YOUR CRITICAL MEDICATIONS, ALL THOSE ITEMS THAT YOU MAY NEED, NOT JUST FOR YOURSELF, BUT FOR YOUR DOG OR YOUR PETS, YOU KNOW, SO ALL THOSE THINGS YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE 'EM AVAILABLE FOR A MINIMUM OF THREE DAYS, PREFERABLY SEVEN DAYS. SO LET'S TALK ABOUT CASH ON HAND. THIS HAPPENED TO ME PERSONALLY DURING DERECHO AND BARREL. I DIDN'T HAVE ANY CASH AND I WASN'T ABLE TO GET GAS. HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT AND WHAT SHOULD THEY DO? YEAH, WE'VE ALL BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO OUR CREDIT CARDS AND, AND JUST, OR APPLE PAY OR THOSE ITEMS. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU CAN TRY TO HAVE A COUPLE HUNDRED DOLLARS IN CASH, UH, YOU DON'T NEED A COUPLE THOUSAND DOLLARS IN CASH, BUT IF YOU JUST HAVE A COUPLE HUNDRED DOLLARS, IF THE CREDIT CARD MACHINES GO DOWN AND YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO GET SOME GAS OR BUY SOME THINGS, IT'S ALWAYS NICE, NICE TO HAVE SOME CASH IN IN YOUR WALLET OR IN YOUR PURSE. ALSO, THE IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS, YOU KNOW, YOU SAY TO KEEP STUFF IN THE ZIPLOC BAG, BUT WHAT, LIKE IF IT'S A SEVERE WEATHER EVENT AND YOU KNOW THEY HAVE TO EVACUATE, WHAT ARE THE DOCUMENTS THAT THEY SHOULD BE TAKING WITH THEM? YEAH, ONCE AGAIN, YOU DON'T NEED TO GO OUT AND BUY SOME EXPENSIVE SAFE OR HAVE A BUNCH OF YOUR STUFF IN THERE. YOU CAN PUT A LOT OF YOUR IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS JUST IN A ZIPLOC BAG. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, TITLES FOR CARS OR, OR PAPERS FOR YOUR HOUSE, YOUR INSURANCE POLICY, UM, MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES, THINGS LIKE THAT. BIRTH CERTIFICATES, THINGS THAT IF THINGS ARE DESTROYED OR DAMAGED AT YOUR HOUSE, SOCIAL SECURITY CARDS, ALL THOSE TYPE OF THINGS THAT YOU ALWAYS GET ASKED FOR. UM, MAKING SURE YOU HAVE THEM IN A SAFE PLACE TO WHERE YOU CAN JUST GRAB 'EM AND GO. DON'T BE FUMBLING AND LOOKING AROUND FOR THEM AND, YOU KNOW, WHERE'S THAT THING THAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE? HAVE 'EM ALL IN A NICE LITTLE KIT, YOU'RE ABLE TO GRAB IT AND, AND HIT THE ROAD IF YOU NEED TO. SO HOW DO PEOPLE SIGN UP FOR ALERTS AND KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON SO THEY CAN STAY AHEAD AND BE PREPARED? SO WE HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR ALERTS. SO, UM, FIRST OFF WE HAVE ALERT HOUSTON, WHICH IS, UH, ALLOWS ME TO, UM, SEND INFORMATION TO YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL. UM, IF WE HAVE A STORM COMING OR JUST SOME GENERAL PREPAREDNESS STUFF, WE CAN SEND YOU INFORMATION SO YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR ALERT HOUSTON BY TEXTING ALERT HOUSTON, ALL ONE WORD TO 8 8 8 7 7 7 AND YOU'LL ENROLL IN OUR SYSTEM. UM, WE ALSO, THE STATE OF TEXAS HAS A PROGRAM CALLED THE STEER PROGRAM, THE STATE OF TEXAS EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE REGISTRY. AND WHAT THAT ALLOWS US TO DO IS YOU CAN GO ON AND SIGN UP. IT'S USUALLY TAILORED FOR MORE OF OUR, UM, YOU KNOW, ELDERLY POPULATIONS OR PEOPLE THAT HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS OR NEEDS SPECIAL ASSISTANCE. YOU CAN GO IN AND ENROLL IN THAT SYSTEM AND THAT ALLOWS US TO REACH OUT TO YOU DURING AN INCIDENT. BUT ALSO ONE OF THE BIG THING IT PROVIDES IS DURING A DECLARED DISASTER OR STORM, WE WILL GO BY AND CHECK ON THAT INDIVIDUAL TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE OKAY. SO SOMEONE LIKE ME SHOULD NOT BE SIGNING UP FOR STEER SOMEONE LIKE MY, YOU KNOW, MY, MY PARENTS. THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF PEOPLE THAT SHOULD BE SIGNING UP FOR STEER TO WHERE WE CAN PROVIDE THAT ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE AND, AND MAKING SURE THEY'RE OKAY. WELL, DIRECTOR MASON, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO TALK ABOUT EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, ESPECIALLY DURING HURRICANE SEASON WHEN CITY POST RETURNS, WE'LL GIVE YOU HEALTHIER TIPS FOR MAKING A HURRICANE PREP KIT AND WE GO TO EMANCIPATION PARK FOR A CELEBRATION OF UNITY. [00:10:03] SAM HOUSTON PARK IS PICTURESQUE WITH WADDLING DUCKS AND NINE FROZEN IN TIME HISTORIC BUILDINGS. WELCOME BACK TO CITY PULSE. UM, REBECCA, WHAT'S WITH ALL THE SNACKS? I'M PREPARING MY ESSENTIALS FOR MY HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS KIT. WHAT DO YOU THINK? ONE BAG OR TWO YOU CAN'T PACK JUNK FOOD. HI, HERE'S A MAYA LEE WITH HR WELLNESS ON HOW TO HURRICANE PREP WITH HEALTH IN MIND. HELLO. AS YOU PREPARE YOUR HURRICANE SUPPLIES THIS SEASON, HERE ARE SOME NUTRITION TIPS TO CONSIDER, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR FOLKS WHO HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE OR HIGH BLOOD SUGAR, BUT GENERALLY SOME GOOD TIPS FOR EVERYONE. SO FOR OUR CANNED FOODS LIKE SOUPS OR BEANS, LOOKING FOR SOME OPTIONS THAT ARE GONNA BE LOW OR NO SODIUM IS GONNA BE YOUR BEST OPTION FOR OUR PROTEIN. PREFERABLY SOME THINGS CANNED IN WATER AND ALSO LOOKING FOR THE LABELS OF NO OR LOW SODIUM. AND OF COURSE WE DIDN'T FORGET THE SNACKS. SO REACHING FOR SOME UNSALTED NUTS AND SEEDS ARE GONNA BE A GREAT CHOICE. AND SOME FRUITS THAT YOU DON'T REALLY HAVE TO WASH, LIKE A BANANA OR AN ORANGE. OUR NEXT STORY IS A PART OF THE FIRST PHASE OF THE COLUMBIA TAP TRAIL, ONE OF HOUSTON'S MOST HISTORIC COMMUNITY CORRIDORS. SEVERAL CITY LEADERS WERE PRESENT TO SEE THE IMPROVEMENTS MADE, INCLUDING AN ENERGY EFFICIENT WAY TO IMPROVE SAFETY. LET'S CHECK IT OUT. WE DON'T HAVE PATIENCE ANYMORE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO GIVE PEOPLE THE QUALITY OF LIFE THAT THEY DESERVE. I LIVE IN THE BLOCK OF COLUMBIA TAP AND SO I'M GONNA SAY, YOU KNOW, LET THERE BE LIGHT. RIGHT? THAT VISION STARTS TONIGHT WITH PHASE ONE OF THE 7.5 MILLION COMPREHENSIVE IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVE. WE'RE INSTALLING OVER 300 SOLAR POWERED LIGHTS ALONG THE ENTIRE FOUR MILE CORRIDOR. 50 OF THOSE LIGHTS ARE ALREADY UNDERWAY AHEAD OF THE WORLD CUP THIS SUMMER, THAT THESE IMPROVEMENTS ARE IMPORTANT INVESTMENTS IN THE FUTURE OF COLUMBIA TAP TRAIL. AT THE HEART OF THIS PROJECT, IT'S A COMMITMENT TO MAKING A TRAIL SAFER, MORE ACCESSIBLE, AND MORE WELCOMING TO EVERYONE WHO DEPENDS ON IT. THIS IS JUST REALLY A DAY THAT WE NEED TO CELEBRATE BECAUSE HOUSTON'S HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. THIS IS DONE FOR OUR YOUTH TSU STUDENTS. SENIORS WALK HIS PATH, IT'S GONNA BE LIT. STICKING WITH COMMUNITY NEWS, IT WAS A DAY OF MUCH CELEBRATION AS THOUSANDS CAME OUT TO MEN'S TO PATIENT PARK TO CELEBRATE JUNETEENTH. HERE'S HOUSTON PARKS AND RECREATION COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR MATT MUSEL WITH THE STORY. SO MUCH FUN. ENJOY BEING PART OF THE CELEBRATION. HELLO AGAIN. THIS IS MATT MUSEL AND WE'VE COME TO EMANCIPATION PARK JUST ON THE SOUTHEAST EDGE OF DOWNTOWN HOUSTON AND WHAT A GREAT DAY TO BE HERE AS WE CELEBRATE THE 2026 JUNETEENTH REUNION. THIRD WAR STAND UP. THOUSANDS OF HOUSTONIANS DESCENDED UPON THE PARK FOR THE OCCASION. THIS YEAR'S EVENT MARKED THE DEBUT OF THE NEW 5,000 SQUARE FOOT STAGE WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART, AUDIO AND VIDEO BOARDS. IT'S PART OF AN $18.5 MILLION RENOVATION OF THIS HISTORICAL PARK. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE NEED MORE EVENTS LIKE THIS WHERE WE MAKE A STATEMENT OF OUR UNITY 50 AWAY FROM THE MAIN STAGE. EVERY TYPE OF VENDOR IMAGINABLE WAS ON HAND WITH HOT FOOD, COLD DRINKS, FASHION WEAR, BAKED GOODS AND MORE. THIS FACILITY IN THESE GROUNDS ARE FOR YOU, YOUR KIDS, YOUR GRANDKIDS, AND YOUR KIDS' KIDS. THE LEGACY WILL LIVE ON WHEN WE'RE NOT HERE. AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES THIS PLACE SO SPECIAL. THE CELEBRATION OF JUNETEENTH GOES BACK GENERATIONS AT THIS PARK, WHICH WAS FOUNDED BY THE LATE JACK YATES. SO I SAY, SURE, LET'S ENJOY TODAY. LET'S REMEMBER WHAT OUR FOLK AUTHORS DID AND WHAT THEY ACCOMPLISHED. BUT THERE'S STILL SO MUCH MORE WORK TO BE DONE AND IT'S UP TO US TO DO IT. 2026 JUNETEENTH REUNION AT EMANCIPATION PARK. ONE MORE GREAT REASON WHY WE LIKE TO SAY HOUSTON PARKS AND REC, WHERE YOU BELONG. OKAY, THIS WAS FUN IN EDUCATIONAL, REBECCA. YES, BUT I NEED MORE CHIPS. NO MORE CHIP. NO, YOU DON'T. BUT WE DID LEARN [00:15:01] HOW TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY PLAN. YES. AND HOW TO MAKE HEALTHIER CHOICES IN THE EVENT OF A HURRICANE. RIGHT? AND WE GOT TO SEE SOME AMAZING IMPROVEMENTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON. YES, YES, WE DID. . SO FOR HTV HOUSTON TELEVISION, THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, PARKS AND RECREATION AND HR WELLNESS. I'M REBECCA WILLIAMS. AND I'M TRAVIS LEMONS. UNTIL NEXT TIME, WE CAN ALWAYS DO BETTER. AND KINDNESS IS FREE. * 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.