Dallas County Thrust into Global Spotlight County Judge Clay Jenkins Coordinates America’s Ebola Response In its Oct. 6 online article, TIME Magazine named Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins as “the first local elected official in the world to oversee the emergency response to a case of Ebola.” http://time.com/3474650/ebola-dallas-judge-jenkins/. First in the … [Read more...] about Dallas County Thrust into Global Spotlight
Emergency Response
Limestone County Judge Defends West Explosion Response
By Limestone County Judge Daniel Burkeen I have watched the media response to the West explosion, and there are some points that need to be brought out concerning the efforts by some to blame the McLennan County Office of Emergency Management, headed by Frank Patterson, for the incident in West. First, Frank Patterson is a well-respected emergency management … [Read more...] about Limestone County Judge Defends West Explosion Response
Bastrop Inferno
Published October 2011 The eyes of the nation turned to the Lone Star State over Labor Day as a catastrophic wildfire raged through Bastrop County east of Austin, setting a sober state record with the highest number of homes lost in a single fire in Texas history. Likened to an inferno, the flames were fanned into a firestorm by the winds of Tropical Storm Lee and … [Read more...] about Bastrop Inferno
Galveston County Emergency Management
Galveston County’s state-of-the-art emergency operations facility came online in October 2005 and was the first in the nation to combine a National Weather Service office with an emergency management department of local government. The 23,500-square-foot building was designed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane. As we mark … [Read more...] about Galveston County Emergency Management
KEY CONCEPT: Emergency Management
KEY QUESTION: What is the county’s role in emergency management? REFERENCE POINT Chapter 418 of the Texas Government Code, also referred to as the Texas Disaster Act of 1975 TALKING POINTS: 1. Every county is required by law to maintain an emergency management program or participate in an inter-jurisdictional … [Read more...] about KEY CONCEPT: Emergency Management