Welcome

Welcome to the Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management (OHSEM) Web site. Updated daily, this Web site gives you the tools to get informed, get prepared, and get involved. An involved community is a well prepared community and your family’s partnership with Harris County is the foundation of our homeland security and emergency management strategy. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and OHSEM hope you will visit our site often. Download HCOHSEM Disaster Preparedness Guide here Download National Preparedness Month 2010 brochure here

What to do before a Tornado

Conduct a tornado drill before each tornado season. Select a suitable area of your home as a shelter, and practice having everyone in the family go there in response to a tornado threat. If you wish to provide yourself and your family an extra degree of protection during a tornado, you can build a safe room. FEMA offers instructions on how to build safe rooms. Because the water table is high in Harris County, a safe room would typically be built atop the concrete slab-on-grade foundation or garage floor or in an interior room on the first floor. Have a disaster kit containing: Flashlight and extra batteries Portable, battery-operated radio and extra batteries (AM 740 is the FCC-designated emergency broadcast station for the Harris County area) First aid kit and manual Emergency food and water Nonelectric can opener Any medicines, especially prescription medicines, that you need Cash and credit cards Shoes or boots that can protect you while walking over broken glass and other debris. Cellular phone(s) if you have them) As you won’t know the date and time a tornado will occur, make a plan for getting your family back together considering family schedules during different days and times. Consider asking an out-of-state relative or friend to serve as the “family contact.” After a disaster, you can often access a long distance line when the local systems are overloaded. Make sure everyone in the family knows the name, address, and phone number of the contact person. Have a backup “family contact” in case the first one is not available. About Tornadoes What to do during a tornado What to do after a tornado