According to DPS, “TDEM is charged with carrying out a comprehensive all-hazard emergency management program for the state and for assisting cities, counties and state agencies in planning and implementing their emergency management programs.” Specifically, the Texas Government Code requires TDEM to prepare and keep current a comprehensive state emergency management plan — the basic planning document for emergency management at the state level — and assist in the development and revision of local emergency management plans.

Another part of its mission concerns funding for emergency services; TDEM currently administers more than 50 grant programs for local governments.

Texas Emergency Management Council

The Texas Emergency Management Council (EMC) includes 39 state agencies and nonprofit emergency assistance organizations (Exhibit 2). State law established the council to advise and assist the governor in all matters related to disaster mitigation, emergency preparedness, disaster response and recovery.

The State Emergency Management Plan (PDF) assigns 22 emergency support functions to the EMC member organizations, which identify, mobilize and deploy resources to respond to emergencies and disasters (Exhibit 3). The type and extent of a hazard or disaster determines which EMC agencies will respond.

Disaster Districts

Initial state emergency assistance for local governments is provided through one of 24 Texas disaster districts, which manage state operations within their designated areas. Each district is led by a disaster district committee (DDC) and a committee chair. DDCs include local representatives of state agencies, boards, commissions and volunteer groups represented on the EMC. Each DDC provides guidance and administrative support for disaster response.

The chair of each DDC is the district’s commanding Highway Patrol officer. The chair also serves as liaison between the State Operations Center (SOC; see below) and local officials during disasters. In addition, a coordinator assigned to each district is responsible for conducting emergency preparedness activities and coordinating emergency operations within the district.

State Operations Center

In 1964, the SOC was established at DPS headquarters in Austin to serve as the state’s disaster monitoring center. Its primary responsibilities include:

• continuously monitoring threats through communications with local entities, news outlets and social media;
• providing notifications and information on emergency incidents to government officials;
• coordinating assistance requests from local governments through the DPS Disaster Districts; and
• allocating and coordinating state personnel and resources to local governments that can no longer respond adequately to an emergency incident.

The SOC maintains four levels of emergency response (Exhibit 4), categories used to notify and gradually increase the readiness of state and local emergency responders based on the degree and progression of specific incidents. The SOC operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, regardless of its emergency response level.

During normal conditions (Level IV), the SOC is staffed by a daily operations group that continually monitors various news media and information sources and informs TDEM of any incidents that could raise the emergency response level. When the SOC’s daily operations group alone can no longer manage the needs of local governments or state agencies during an incident — typically at Level II — more staff members are summoned, including those from the EMC.

“During a disaster, the SOC uses a wide range of resources from academia, private-sector companies and local entities,” Lemon says.

In the Bunker

As Hurricane Harvey bore down on the Texas coast in August 2017, Gov. Greg Abbott commanded the state’s emergency response efforts from an underground post beneath the DPS building in north Austin. Located three stories below ground level, the State Operations Center has been headquarters for state emergency response for nearly 60 years.

Construction of the SOC began in 1962. A reflection of Cold War tensions, the entire structure is contained within a shock-absorbing concrete room and buried deep underground. Protected by steel blast doors, the structure, nicknamed “The Bunker,” originally was designed to ensure the continuity of state government in the event of a nuclear attack.

While some vestiges of the SOC’s mid-20th century origins can still be seen (a shower turned storage closet still has a “decontamination” sign over the door, for example), subsequent construction and renovations have turned the center into a modern facility with state-of-the-art technology, safety features and communications capabilities.

During major emergencies, the governor activates the members of the EMC, who assemble at the SOC where they join its daily operations staff and TDEM members to organize a coordinated response. The SOC monitors and manages about 3,000 to 4,000 emergency incidents per year.

It’s no surprise that Texas frequently experiences emergencies of one kind or another, simply because of its size and variable climate. What’s more noteworthy, however, is the state’s ability to respond to a plethora of potentially life-threatening incidents. By integrating the efforts of dozens of organizations, both public and private, and managing the complex logistics from a centralized command post, Texas sets a national example for statewide emergency management. FN