Harris Co. officials preparing for a hurricane

HOUSTON

This exercise involves about 100 emergency response personnel, officials and even private sector workers from the Gulf Coast all the way to north Texas.

The exercise simulates a hurricane making landfall in Freeport, then moving inland across the greater Houston area. It focuses on how the emergency information centers in various jurisdictions talk to each other during the simulated hurricane, and then how they share that information with the public in a coordinated manner.

"County lines pretty much go away during a storm," said Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. "If Galveston has a need, that need needs to be met. The Coast Guard, of course, goes across all jurisdictions, so that's why we have these kinds of exercises."

The day includes various scenarios, the usual problems, such as power outages, but also surprise developments such as a spill in the Houston Ship Channel.

The performance will then be evaluated to look for areas of improvement.

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