* 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. [00:00:12] GOOD MORNING AND THANK EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE. PURPOSE IN OUR PRESS CONFERENCE IS TO CLARIFY OUR RISK AND TO EMPHASIZE TO HOUSTONIANS AND THE REGION THAT WE ARE PREPARED FOR. THE TROPICAL DISTURBANCE AT WARD ACTUALLY DOESN'T HAVE A NO AT THE END. AT WARD, WE OPENED THE EMERGENCY CENTER SUNDAY. IT'S BEEN ALL HANDS ON DECK. I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT HOUSTON, MY ADMINISTRATION STAYS PREPARED EACH AND EVERY DAY. THE RISK, WHICH I WILL CALL ON BRIAN MASON, WHO OPENED THE EMERGENCY CENTER, OPERATES. IT WILL GIVE US THE BEST INFORMATION POSSIBLE FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. WE WILL ISSUE A CONTACT GOING FORWARD FOR WHERE THE PUBLIC CAN GET REAL TIME INFORMATION. I'M VERY HESITANT TO HAVE PRESS CONFERENCES ABOUT THE WEATHER BECAUSE IT'S SO UNPREDICTABLE. BARREL ON SATURDAY MORNING, WAS SUPPOSED TO GO INTO MEXICO, TURN CAME HERE. WE WERE PREPARED, BUT WE'RE BETTER PREPARED TODAY THAN EVER IN HOUSTON'S HISTORY, QUITE FRANKLY, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE GOT BARREL AND THE , WE DIDN'T HAVE GENERATORS AT FIRST RESPONDERS, HEADQUARTERS, FIRE, POLICE STATION, MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS, COOLING CENTERS, WARMING CENTERS WE'RE SO MUCH BETTER PREPARED. AND THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF CLARIFYING THE RISK AND LETTING HOUSTONIANS IS WE GOT YOU COVERED. WE'VE HIRED AN ADDITIONAL THOUSAND POLICE OFFICERS SINCE I WAS SWORN IN 800 MORE FIREFIGHTERS. THEY TRAIN FOR MOMENTS LIKE THIS. IT APPEARS THAT THE REAL IMPACT OF THE STORM IS GONNA BE EAST OF 45. MOST SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THAT AREA HAVE CLOSED. THE CITY IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS. HID IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS, BUT WE ARE MONITORING THINGS HOURLY. IF THERE'S ANY CHANGE, WE WILL BE VERY TRANSPARENT, BUT I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THE TEAM THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE, PROFESSIONALS. I DON'T HESITATE TO SAY THEY'RE THE BEST IN AMERICA. WE STAND READY ALSO TO ASSIST COMMUNITIES NEAR HOUSTON. IF BEAUMONT, DAYTON, LIBERTY COUNTY, ANYONE NEEDS ASSISTANCE, WE'RE GOOD AT REACHING OUT AND SENDING THEM RESOURCES. SO THANK YOU TO HOUSTONIANS FOR LISTENING. SOME OF THE MEASURES WE'VE TAKEN, WE LOWERED LAKE HOUSTON BY FOOT IN PREPARATION TO BE PREPARED. WE HAVE HAD THE EMERGENCY CENTER OPEN. WE BARRICADED ABOUT 45 HOUSTON LOCATIONS THAT HAVE FLOODING ISSUES. UNDERPASSES LARGELY BY THE WAY THEY WERE CONSTRUCTED. HOUSTON AVENUE, WHEN YOU COMMONWEALTH 45 ALLEN PARKWAY, WE PUT UP BARRICADES TO MAKE HOUSTONIANS SAFE. SO WE'LL BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, WHAT ON YOUR MIND, BUT WHETHER IT'S CHIEF DIAZ, CHIEF MUNOZ, PUBLIC WORKS, FIRST RESPONDERS THAT WORKED THROUGH THE NIGHT TO KEEP US SAFE ARE PREPARED. I CAN GO AROUND EVEN OUR HOMELAND SECURITY PREPARED TO HELP THE HOMELESS RELOCATE IF NECESSARY. CENTER POINT IS WITH US THIS MORNING TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE HAVE THE UTILITIES THAT WE NEED. SO ALL HANDS ARE ON DECK. THAT'S THE REASON TO COME TOGETHER THIS MORNING. COLLABORATION WITH THE COUNTY, THE STATE, THE STATE EMERGENCY CENTER IS IN TOUCH WITH US. SO, LIKE I SAID, IT'S ALWAYS [00:05:03] A JUDGMENT CALL. DO YOU HAVE A PRESS CONFERENCE TO TALK ABOUT A STORM THAT WE BELIEVE IN EVERY ESTIMATE AND REAL TIME INFORMATION IS GONNA GO EAST OF 45. IT'S AMAZING. YOU MIGHT REMIND OUR LISTENERS, HOUSTON'S 600 SQUARE MILES. YOU CAN HAVE SOME BAD WEATHER ON THE EAST AND THE EAST SIDE WILL LITERALLY BE DRY, BUT WE'RE PREPARED FOR ANY CHANGE IN DIRECTION AND THE EMERGENCY CENTER WILL BE OPEN AND ALL HANDS ON DECK THIS MORNING. AS YOU CAN SEE, BRIAN, WILL YOU GIVE US YOUR BEST REALTIME INFORMATION ON THE WEATHER? YES, SIR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, JUST KIND OF A FEW HIGH LEVEL UPDATES ON A FEW THINGS. SO, UH, FOR US, THIS TROPICAL STORM WILL BE MUCH MORE OF A RAIN EVENT FOR CITY OF HOUSTON VERSUS A WIND EVENT. UM, THE STORM'S ABOUT 30 TO 35 MILES OFF THE, UH, THE, THE COAST RIGHT NOW, WHICH SHOULD MAKE A LANDFALL IN THE NEXT THREE TO FOUR HOURS, UM, AT THE LOUISIANA, TEXAS STATE LINE AREA. UM, AS FAR AS A LOT OF OUR COORDINATION AND PARTNERSHIP WITH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT, WHEN IT COMES TO PRECIPITATION TOTALS, UM, THEY'RE FORECASTING THREE TO FIVE INCHES ACROSS THE AREA WITH AN ISOLATED SIX TO NINE INCHES. UM, DEPENDING ON THE TRACK AND HOW THE SYSTEM MOVES, UM, THERE MAY EVEN BE SOME ISOLATED AREAS ON THE EAST SIDE OF HOUSTON, SO NOT IN CITY LIMITS OF HOUSTON, BUT MAYBE TO THE EAST AND TO THE NORTH. UM, THAT MAY BE AN ISOLATED 10 TO 12 INCHES OF RAIN. SO PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THIS IS A TROPICAL AIR MASS THAT'S MOVING IN HERE. VERY HUMID, VERY MOIST. WE COULD HAVE VERY HIGH RAINFALL RATES OF TWO TO THREE TO FOUR INCHES AN HOUR, UH, DEPENDING ON HOW THE SYSTEM UNFOLDS. UM, AS FAR AS TIMING GOES, UH, RAIN'S GONNA START PRETTY SOON. IT STARTED ON THE EAST, UH, AND DOWN ON THE COAST ALREADY. BUT RAIN SHOULD BE MOVING INTO OUR AREA. AND THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO, UH, THE HEAVY RAIN, WE'LL CALL KIND OF ROUND ONE WILL BE THIS AFTERNOON AND THROUGH THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. UM, AND THEN TOMORROW WE'LL HAVE KIND OF A ROUND TWO, WHICH WILL BE MORE IN THE AFTERNOON. MORE OF A SCATTERED, UH, RAIN EVENT WON'T BE AS WIDESPREAD AS WHAT WE'RE GONNA SEE UH, TODAY. UM, AS FAR AS MONITORING THE STORM FOR US, WE STARTED MONITORING THE STORM LAST FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. UM, SUNDAY WAS A VERY INTERESTING DAY FOR US. SUNDAY, WE WENT FROM A 20% CHANCE OF POTENTIAL FORMATION ALL THE WAY UP TO A 70% CHANCE. UM, HAPPENED PRETTY QUICK IN ABOUT FIVE OR SIX HOURS. UM, SO AS A RESULT, CITY OF HOUSTON, OEM MOVED TO A LEVEL THREE ACTIVATION, WHICH IS INCREASED READINESS. UM, AND THEN THIS MORNING AT 9:00 AM WE MOVED TO A LEVEL TWO ACTIVATION, WHICH IS HIGH READINESS. UM, TO PIGGYBACK ON SOME OF THE STUFF THAT THE MAYOR SAID, UM, IN PREPARATION WE HAVE LOWERED LAKE HOUSTON ONE FOOT BELOW FULL POOL, UM, THAT ALLOWS THE LAKE TO DETAIN AND ABSORB SOME OF THE RUNOFF THAT MAY HAPPEN UP IN THE, UH, KINGWOOD AREA. UM, AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED, WE HAVE STAGE BARRICADES ACROSS OUR FLOOD PRONE LOCATIONS. SO UNDERPASSES KIND OF LOOPY LUS THROUGH THE ROADS WHERE WATER CAN GET PRETTY DEEP. UM, AND THEN WE HAVE COORDINATED WITH ALL OF OUR PARTNERS, YOU KNOW, ONE OF MAYOR WHITTIER'S BIG ITEMS IS PARTNERSHIP AND COLLABORATION AND COORDINATION. UH, SO WE AS THE CITY HAVE BEEN COORDINATING FIRE POLICE, HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF OFFICE, FIRE MARSHAL, OFFICE T DM, OUR PARTNERS AT T DM, WE'VE ALL BEEN WORKING TOGETHER TO INVENTORY AND ASSESS OUR HIGH WATER RESCUE VEHICLES, OUR BOATS, AND WE HAVE THEM STAGED AROUND THE REGION TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER, UM, AS THE SITUATION UNFOLDS. UH, I THINK THE MAIN THINGS THAT WE LIKE TO SHARE TO THE PUBLIC. SO WHAT CAN THE PUBLIC DO TO HELP AND SUPPORT US? UM, I'D SAY THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ARE MONITORING AND GETTING WEATHER UPDATES FROM A TRUSTED RESOURCE. THERE'S A LOT OF BLOGGERS AND YOUTUBE VIDEOS OUT THERE THAT MAY SPREAD MISINFORMATION OR DISINFORMATION. SO PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU'RE GETTING INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. HOUSTON, OEM. THERE'S A LOT OF TRUSTED RESOURCES TO GET INFORMATION COMMON SENSE THING, BUT PEOPLE DON'T ALWAYS FOLLOW IT. PLEASE DON'T DRIVE AND STAND IT OR PONDED WATER. WE KNOW WE HAVE AREAS THAT TEND TO HOLD WATER AROUND THE CITY. UM, A LOT OF LOCATIONS IN THE CITY, UM, IF YOU JUST WAIT A FEW HOURS AND THE RAIN STOPS, THINGS ARE GONNA DRAIN AND THEY'RE GONNA BE OKAY. SO OUR BIG REQUEST TO EVERYBODY IS PLEASE PACK YOUR PATIENTS IF YOU'RE OUT AND ABOUT. UM, AND PLEASE DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH PONDED WATER. PLEASE SIGN UP FOR ALERT HOUSTON. THAT'S OUR NOTIFICATION SYSTEM. SO IF YOU TEXT ALERT HOUSTON ALL ONE WORD TO 8 8 8 7 7 7, YOU WILL ENROLL IN OUR SYSTEM TO WE'LL BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU AND GIVE YOU INFORMATION. UM, PLEASE MONITOR THE TRANS STAR TRAFFIC MAP. SO WE HAVE THE TRANS STAR TRAFFIC MAP THAT SHOWS YOU POTENTIAL FLOODED ROADWAYS AND, UM, HOW THE MOBILITY'S GOING ON AROUND THE REGION. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, I THINK MOST IMPORTANTLY, UNLESS YOU REALLY NEED TO BE SOMEWHERE THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT, PLEASE STAY OFF THE ROAD. UM, ONCE WE GET EVERYBODY HOME FROM SCHOOL AND WE GET SITUATED FOR THE NIGHT BEING OUT TONIGHT WHEN WE HAVE SOME RAIN, IT'S DIFFICULT TO SEE PONDED WATER OR FLOATED ROAD FLOODED ROADWAYS AT NIGHT. SO OUR BIG REQUEST THERE TO EVERYBODY IS, UNLESS YOU JUST [00:10:01] REALLY HAVE TO BE SOMEWHERE TONIGHT, HANG INSIDE, MAYBE BINGE WATCH A TV SHOW AND, AND, UH, SPEND SOME TIME WITH THE FAMILY. SO THAT'S JUST A QUICK UPDATE OF WHAT WE WERE DOING. UM, TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU. YOU, SIR. I, I WOULD EMPHASIZE WE DON'T ANTICIPATE ANY REDUCTION IN SERVICES CITY AND CERTAINLY INCLUDING METRO. SO WE'RE GONNA BE PREPARED, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, CURRENTLY IT LOOKS LIKE, UH, WITH EXCEPTION OF MAYBE SOME HIGH WATER AND, AND OBVIOUSLY USE COMMON SENSE, DO NOT GO IN, YOU'LL DAMAGE YOUR CAR AND YOU'LL JEOPARDIZE YOUR LIFE. BUT THE CITY IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS AND I THINK ALL THESE, UH, DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS AND WE ARE IN CONTACT WITH THE COUNTY ON A REGULAR BASIS. ANY QUESTIONS OF ANY OF THE PARTIES? I WOULD LIKE TO ASK MAYOR OR SENATOR POINT AND JUST PROVIDE US A, YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED THIS IS GONNA BE A, PRIMARILY A RAIN EVENT, BUT THAT COULD STILL POTENTIALLY POSE SOME POWER ISSUES. JUST WERE Y'ALL, YOU KNOW, PREDICTING FROM THAT STANCE AND HOW ARE Y'ALL READY TO ADDRESS ANY POWER ISSUES THAT THE CITY, WELL, OBVIOUSLY PREPARATION AND, AND I'LL LET CENTER POINT SPEAK FOR THEMSELF, BUT YOU GET OUT OF THE IMMEDIATE HOUSTON AREA AND, AND THEY HAVE A NEW PROVIDER, I THINK THE CLOSER YOU GET TO THE LOUISIANA BORDER. BUT WHY DON'T YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND YEAH, ANSWER THE QUESTION. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, MAYOR WHITMEYER. UH, YEAH, SO ED DE VERONA, I'M SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF, UH, CENTER POINT ENERGY'S ELECTRIC BUSINESS. UH, HAD THE PLEASURE OF SERVING OUR 2.9 MILLION CUSTOMERS IN GREATER HOUSTON. OBVIOUSLY PREPARATION IS, IS, IS RIGHT IN LINE. WE'VE BEEN MONITORING THE STORM SINCE, UH, LATE LAST WEEK THROUGH THE WEEKEND. UH, WE ACTUALLY ACTIVATED OUR ENTIRE ORGANIZATION ON MONDAY MORNING AND WE'RE PREPARED WITH OVER 2,700 OF OUR FRONTLINE WORKERS AND CONTRACTORS, UH, PRE, PRE-STAGE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE RESPONSIVE TO ANY OUTAGES THAT HAVE UH, HAPPENED. OBVIOUSLY WEATHER DOES IMPACT, UH, THE, THE, THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND WE WILL BE VERY RESPONSIVE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE DAY TODAY AND INTO TOMORROW. UH, SHOULD ANY OF THAT OCCUR? SO THE, THE TEAM IS READY. WE'VE GOT ALL OF OUR RESOURCES IN PLACE AND WE'RE NOW JUST, UH, WATCHING AND MAKING SURE THAT WE MONITOR ANY CHANGES OF FORECAST AND STAYING IN CONTACT WITH ALL OF OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AND ALL OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS. SO 2,700 WORKERS. ANY ADDITIONAL RESOURCES BEING BROUGHT IN AROUND THE STATE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? NO, BASED ON THE FORECASTS THAT WE HAVE, UH, FOR EXPECTED, UH, LEVELS OF OUTAGES, UH, WE CAN HANDLE ALL OF THIS WITH OUR IN, IN-HOUSE, UH, UH, EMPLOYEES AS WELL AS OUR VENDORS THAT ARE HERE DOING WORK FOR US EVERY SINGLE DAY. UH, SO WE BASICALLY MOBILIZE OUR ENTIRE WORKFORCE THAT'S ALREADY HERE IN HOUSTON. I'M GONNA ASK COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ TO TRANSLATE FOR OUR SPANISH SPEAKING RESIDENCE AND, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE ON THE 45 LOCATIONS THAT YOU SAID HAVE BEEN BARRICADED? HOW LONG ARE YOU EXPECTING THOSE TO BE CLOSED? OBVIOUSLY, AS LONG AS THEY NEED TO BE. RANDY, YOU WANT TO ADDRESS THAT? I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY WE MEASURE IT DAY, HOUR BY HOUR. YEAH, I MEAN THIS IS REALLY KIND OF NORMAL, A PART OF OUR NORMAL OPERATING PROCEDURE AND WE HAVE HEAVY RAINS. IT DOESN'T TAKE A TROPICAL STORM FOR US TO DO THIS. WE TYPICALLY DO THIS ANYTIME WE SEE ANTICIPATED RAINFALL TOTALS IN EXCESS OF THREE TO FIVE INCHES. [00:15:01] AND SO, UH, THOSE WILL STAY IN PLACE AS LONG AS THE EVENT OCCURS AND THEN WE BASICALLY WILL PICK IT UP AS SOON AS IT'S SAFE TO PASS THROUGH THOSE AREAS. AND THEY WERE CLOSED WHEN WE STARTED DEPLOYING BARRICADES YESTERDAY. AND SO THEY ARE IN PROCESS IN A LOT OF THOSE AREAS OF GETTING PUT INTO PLACE AS NECESSARY AS WE GO THROUGH. UH, SOME STARTED CLOSING AS EARLY AS YESTERDAY, BUT MANY OF THEM WILL GO THROUGH AS THOSE RAINS START TO COME IN THROUGH TODAY. THAT'S A RELATIVELY NEW PROGRAM TOO. WE'VE HAD SOME TERRIBLE TRAGEDIES ON THOSE SITES THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED IN, IN THIS, UH, ONGOING PROJECT. MAYOR, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU FEEL LIKE MORE PREPARED SINCE FERAL AND THE DERECHO. I WAS WONDERING LEADING UP TO THE STORE AND WHETHER IT BE ONLINE OR DIRECTLY TO THE CITY, HAVE RESIDENTS BEEN CONCERNED IN ANY SPECIFIC WAYS OR MORE THAN USUAL? SURE. WHAT DO YOU THINK? IT'S, NO, I JUST, UH, I LIVE HERE AND I WATCH THE REPORTS AND UH, WE STARTED AS A TEAM CITY ADMINISTRATION OVER THE WEEKEND AND, UH, THESE THINGS ARE VERY UNPREDICTABLE. WE WERE VERY PREPARED FOR BARRELL, UH, IN DORITO. OF COURSE, DORITO WAS A ONE OF A KIND SUDDEN STORM THAT WENT THROUGH THE NORTHWEST THROUGH DOWNTOWN. BUT BARRELL UH, WE MONITORED IT FOR DAYS IT WAS GOING TO MEXICO THAT ON SATURDAY MORNING IT SHIFTED THIS WAY. WHEN I SAY WE'RE BETTER PREPARED, THERE'S JUST BEEN A LOT OF YEARS OF NEGLECT WITH SOME OF OUR RESOURCES, UH, DURING BARREL. I FOUND OUT THAT WE HAD FIRE STATIONS WERE COULD NOT BE UTILIZED 'CAUSE THEY HAD NO BACKUP POWER AND WE'VE ADDED A HUNDRED LOCATIONS USING SOME HUD RESOURCES. IT'S JUST UNIMAGINABLE TO ME THAT THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY IN AMERICA HAS FIRE POLICE AND WHERE WE DIRECT PEOPLE TO GO FOR SHELTER, THEY DON'T HAVE A BACKUP GENERATOR. SO THAT'S ALL BEING CORRECTED. THAT'S JUST ONE OF THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT YOU PROBABLY DON'T HEAR MUCH ABOUT, BUT IT'S A CRITICAL SERVICE AND THEY'RE BEING INSTALLED AND, UH, WE'RE BETTER PREPARED. WE HAVE MORE PERSONNEL. UH, I CAN'T EMPHASIZE ENOUGH WHEN YOU HAVE A THOUSAND MORE POLICE OFFICERS THAT AFFECTS PUBLIC SAFETY, THE RESPONSE TIME, 800 FIREFIGHTERS WITH THE EQUIPMENT TO GO WITH THIS NEW PERSONNEL. SO YES, WE'RE CONSTANTLY IMPROVING. THAT'S QUITE FRANKLY THE ONLY REASON I RAN FOR OFFICE. YOU SAID A HUNDRED TO FIX HOUSTON, SO SORRY, YOU SAID A HUNDRED MORE GENERATORS OR A HUNDRED MORE A HUNDRED LOCATIONS. OKAY. A HUNDRED LOCATIONS. I, I STILL FIND IT AMAZING AND, AND I'VE STILL RUN ACROSS SOME NEGLECT IN CITY OPERATIONS, BUT THAT'S THE REASON I'M SO PROUD OF THE TEAM THAT WE HAVE AT CITY HALL. THEY'RE CAN DO, THEY'RE PROFESSIONALS, THEY'RE HONEST, AND THE, UH, CADETS ARE AT AN ALL TIME HIGH IN BOTH POLICE AND FIRE. POLICE HAS 5,400 OFFICERS THE HIGHEST IN HOUSTON'S HISTORY. SO THAT'S ON A DAILY BASIS. WE'RE PROTECTING HOUSTONIANS WITH GREATER RESOURCES, BUT THEN YOU GET INTO A CHALLENGING PERIOD THAT WE'RE FACING THIS EVENING. THAT'S HOW WE'VE IMPROVED CIRCUMSTANCES SO MUCH. CAN YOU BRIEFLY TOUCH ON THE CITY'S FLOOD MITIGATION EFFORTS AND EFFORTS TO MITIGATE THE FLOODING IN GOING FORWARD IN THOSE FLOOD FROM AREAS? SURE. AND A LOT OF IT HAS TO DO WITH MAINTENANCE. AND, UH, AS HOUSTONIAN, I CAN REMEMBER WHEN A TWO INCH RAIN WOULD NOT FLOOD OUR STREETS, BUT FOR YEARS AND YEARS, EITHER DITCH RECAPTURE, WHETHER IT MIGHT EVEN BE ILLEGAL DUMPING, BLOCKING THOSE DITCHES. BUT ALSO JUST THE STORM SEWER SYSTEM. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE'S A LOT OF GRASS CLIPPINGS AND OTHER ITEMS THAT ARE PLACED IN OUR DRAINAGE SYSTEM. SO WE'VE GOT A VERY AGGRESSIVE DRAINAGE REPAIR IMPROVEMENT. WE HAVE TO PARTNER WITH THE FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT. I'LL EMPHASIZE WE DON'T HAVE CONTROL OF THE FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT, BUT, UH, WE FOLLOW 'EM VERY CLOSELY. AND RANDY, CAN YOU, UH, UH, LIST ANYTHING THAT, THAT I'VE LEFT OUT IN TERMS OF PREPARATION FOR DRAINAGE AND STORMS ON A DAILY BASIS? YOU CAN'T WAIT TILL A STORM TO IMPROVE YOUR MAINTENANCE. IF YOU DO YOUR JOB, WE CAN HANDLE THE STORMS MUCH MORE READILY, BUT THERE'S BEEN [00:20:01] YEARS OF NEGLECT. I COULD AT A DIFFERENT PRESS CONFERENCE, TALK TO YOU ABOUT CITY FINANCES, UH, THE MANAGEMENT AND CERTAINLY THE DIRECTORS THAT MOST OF THESE INDIVIDUALS REPLACE. WE ARE HERE TO FIX HOUSTON AND THAT'S INFRASTRUCTURE, IT'S PUBLIC SAFETY, QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES. AND TO BE READY FOR A MOMENT LIKE THIS. RANDY, WHAT, WHAT DID I LEAVE OUT IN TERMS OF BEING READY FROM A DRAINAGE? NO, I DON'T THINK YOU LEFT OUT A WHOLE LOT, MAYOR. YOU KNOW, I'LL SAY THIS, UH, AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER, AND THE MAYOR MENTIONED THIS, YOU CAN'T WAIT UNTIL THE STORM'S HERE TO TRY AND IMPROVE YOUR THINGS. UM, THIS ADMINISTRATION IS SPENDING MORE YEAR OVER YEAR ON FLOOD MITIGATION AND DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS THAN IS EVER SPENT IN THE, THE CITY'S HISTORY. AND IN FACT, IF YOU LOOK AT OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM OVER THE NEXT FIVE TO 10 YEARS, WE'RE TALKING IN THE PUBLIC WORKSPACE THAT WE'LL BE SPENDING ALMOST $20 BILLION OVER THESE NEXT 10 YEARS. UM, THAT'S UNSEEN ANYWHERE, NOT JUST IN HOUSTON'S HISTORY, BUT ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY. THERE'S A LOT OF PROJECTS THAT HAVE HAPPENED THOUGH THE CITY LEARNED A LOT OF THINGS. THE COUNTY LEARNED A LOT OF THINGS AFTER HURRICANE HARVEY. MANY IMPROVEMENTS HAVE TAKEN PLACE SINCE THEN. IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY SOME OF THE DRAFT MAPS FROM FEMA ARE A LITTLE BIT DISAPPOINTING BECAUSE THEY RELY ON, FRANKLY, SOME OLDER DATA THAT DOESN'T CAPTURE A LOT OF THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT HAD TAKEN PLACE. BUT WE DO HAVE THINGS GOING ON RIGHT NOW FROM A MAINTENANCE STANDPOINT THAT HELP US OUT. THE DITCH TREE ESTABLISHMENT PROGRAM IS DOING THE BEST ITS CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT OF THE 2,500 MILES OF OPEN DITCHES WE HAVE IN THE CITY, THEY'RE MAINTAINED AND REPLENISHED AND REPAIRED ON A, ON A REPEATED BASIS OVER A FIVE YEAR PERIOD THAT USED TO BE A 10 YEAR PERIOD IN THE CITY. SO WE'RE CUTTING THAT DOWN AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN. WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT WE OPEN UP AND CLOSE SYSTEMS, WE REMOVE BLOCKAGES, WE EXPAND THEM WHERE THEY NEED TO HAVE ADDITIONAL ACCESS. AND IT EVEN GOES DOWN TO SIMPLE THINGS LIKE IF YOU GO THROUGH SOME OF THE OLDER PARTS OF TOWN, YOU FIND YOU'VE GOT REALLY SMALL STORM DRAINS, RIGHT? WE CALL THOSE INLETS B SIZE INLETS. NOW WE'RE UPGRADING THEM TO BB SIZE INLETS. AND UM, IT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE IN OUR ABILITY JUST TO GET WATER OUTTA THE AREA. I WILL SAY THIS, AND THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR ANY RAIN EVENT THAT WE HAVE, AND SOMETIMES WE FORGET ABOUT IT, FOLKS WORRY AS SOON AS THEY START SEEING WATER IN THE ROADS. WE HAVE TO REMIND FOLKS THAT IN HOUSTON, OUR ROADS ARE DESIGNED TO HELP CARRY THE WATER. IT IS PART OF OUR ACTUAL STORM STORMWATER CONVEYANCE SYSTEM. SO THE ROADS MAY FILL UP AS LONG AS THAT WATER'S NOT GETTING OUT OF THE ROAD AND INTO YOUR HOUSE, WE'RE GONNA BE OKAY. BUT WHEN THE WA WHEN THE ROADS START TO FILL UP, THAT'S WHY WE SAY DON'T DRIVE INTO THAT. YOU DON'T KNOW HOW DEEP IT IS. BUT IT WILL EVENTUALLY START TO SUBSIDE USUALLY ABOUT AN HOUR AFTER AN EVENT'S OVER THE WATER'S CLEARED OUT OF THOSE ROADWAYS. IF YOU SEE PROBLEMS WHERE IT'S NOT CLEARING UP AFTER AN HOUR, CALL 3 1 1 AND LET US KNOW. WE HAVE CREWS ALL THROUGHOUT THE CITY THAT ARE READY TO GO, UH, UNCLOG SOMETHING THAT MAY HAPPEN, A CONSTRUCTION AREA WHERE MAYBE A CONTRACTOR HAS BLOCKED SOME STORM DRAINS. THOSE, THOSE THINGS HAPPEN. WE JUST DEALT WITH THAT A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO OVER ON WEST AIRPORT, RIGHT, WHERE WE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT A CONTRACTOR HAD BLOCKED OFF SOME OF THE STORM DRAINS AND WE'VE HAD TO GO AND MAKE SOME MITIGATION. BUT OVERALL, THE MESSAGE IS A, IS A GOOD MESSAGE. WE SAW THIS IN AFTER HURRICANE BURL. WE DIDN'T HAVE STRUCTURAL FLOODING LIKE WE'VE SEEN IN THE CITY'S PAST. IT'S A TESTAMENT TO THE THINGS THAT ARE TAKING PLACE, NOT JUST IN THE PAST BUT ALSO INTO THE FUTURE. AND WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD. MAYOR MEYER, WE'RE LIVE ON KPRC RIGHT NOW. IF YOU COULD JUST REITERATE YOUR MAIN MESSAGES FOR HOUSTONIANS GOING INTO THE NEXT SIX TO 12 HOURS. WELL, TO USE COMMON SENSE, IF YOU SEE HIGH WATER, DO NOT DRIVE INTO IT. I WAS ALSO ABOUT TO, UH, MENTION, UH, TAKE CARE OF YOUR NEIGHBORS IF WE HAVE RISING WATER, CERTAINLY YOUR PETS AND UH, ALSO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BEING PROACTIVE OR PATROLLING OUR VALUES. STAY OUTTA THE VALUES. THERE'S HOMELESS LIVING UNDER SOME OF OUR BRIDGES. WE'VE ASKED THEM TO MOVE. WE'RE WITH HOMELAND SECURITY THAT RUNS EMANCIPATION, SO WE'VE GOT SOME CAPACITY THERE FOR THE HOMELESS. SO IT APPEARS THAT THE STORM IS GOING TO BE PRIMARILY IMPACTING EAST OF 45. UH, MOSTLY HOUSTON MIGHT EXPECT THREE TO FIVE INCHES, MAYBE SOME ISOLATED CASES THAT IT MIGHT BE MORE, BUT WE'RE PREPARED. THAT'S WHAT OUR PURPOSE OF THIS PRESS CONFERENCE IS. TO CLARIFY OUR RISK AND TO EMPHASIZE ALL HANDS ON DECK. THE EMERGENCY CENTER WHERE WE ARE HAS BEEN OPEN SINCE SUNDAY. WE MONITOR THE STORM HOURLY. WE GET THE BEST INFORMATION FROM THE WEATHER SERVICE, UH, DEPARTMENT. AND SO ALL HANDS ON DECK, POLICE, FIRE, FIRST RESPONDERS, PUBLIC WORKS, AND UH, EVERYONE LOOK OUT FOR ONE ANOTHER, WHICH HOUSTON DOES PROBABLY BETTER THAN ANY MAJOR CITY. YES, SIR. ANYTHING ELSE? OKAY, LET'S GO TO WORK. THANK Y'ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU GUYS. * 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.