All cities, counties, schools, universities, others with capability to test respective processes
The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) announced last week a statewide drill for local emergency alerting systems. The drill is scheduled for between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Thursday, April 2, and will allow local jurisdictions to evaluate the functionality and effectiveness of their emergency alert, warning systems. The Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) will lead the testing with a regionwide message before other local jurisdictions test their systems.
TDEM has requested participation from designated local alerting authorities, along with local emergency management programs, school districts, primary and secondary education programs, college and universities, councils of government, river authorities, sovereign tribal nations, law enforcement agencies, and any other entities with emergency alerting capability.
To create consistency and unified coordination across the state, a designated testing window was established for local jurisdictions to use their primary, alternate, and contingency alerting systems, allowing for verification of continuity within local alerting processes. Based on where you live or work on April 2, you may receive alerts from various agencies.
“CAPCOG is routinely testing our systems, but we have not undergone a public facing drill on this scale,” said Martin Ritchey, CAPCOG Homeland Security director. “In emergency management, it is always important to practice, so we better understand our gaps in capabilities and operate with the greatest knowledge of our tools.”
Central Texas experiences a variety of disasters from flash flooding to wildfires and tornados, and while all disasters are local, they do not respect jurisdictional boundaries. Depending on the event, it is possible for residents to receive alerts from multiple local governments. Tests such as this prepare not only the governments and first responders, but the public.
“It our job to practice and to be prepared for all types of incidents,” Ritchey said. “Part of those preparations is knowing how to quickly and effectively communicate emergencies to the public and deliver them pertinent, actionable messages. Most of the time, the public doesn’t get the same chance to practice — hopefully, Thursday’s test will serve as their practice.”
Before the test, the public is encouraged to turn on their mobile devices’ emergency alerts through their notification settings and register at WarnCentralTexas.org to receive alerts via phone call, text message, and email from local governments. The Warn Central Texas system allows for more direct contact about locations residents choose. Residents also should check and possibly update their status with their school district’s notification system.
Because of how cell towers and signals operate, the test messages may bleed into areas beyond county or city limits. People living or working near county borders may receive alerts from bordering counties when they test their respective systems.
Go to capcog.org/warncentraltexas for more information about this test and the emergency alert systems.
Contact the CAPCOG Homeland Security Division for more information.
