No state is more prepared than Texas to handle the full spectrum of threats, which include terrorist attacks, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, wildfires, pandemic flu and infectious disease. These threats require constant planning, organizing, equipping, training and exercising at every level to optimally protect nearly 24 million Texans, and the state’s critical infrastructure and key resources.

Prior to the September 11th attacks, Texas lacked sufficient resources, equipment and organizational structure to achieve the level of preparedness it required to meet disaster response challenges. Texas’ nationally recognized success in achieving excellence in this vitally important capability is rooted in Gov. Perry’s prioritization of a premier statewide emergency planning and response capability.

Mother Nature is responsible for the overwhelming majority of disasters in Texas, including tornadoes, wildfires, floods, and hurricanes.  A Category 5 Hurricane hitting Houston or the Valley with little advance notice is the greatest threat to Texas in terms of loss of life and property.  Pandemic flu is the second greatest threat, because although an occurrence is extremely rare, it can spread quickly, killing tens of thousands and until it happens and it is cultured, there may be no effective treatment. Texas ranks first among the states for frequency of tornadoes and flash floods, and has more than 10 million acres of floodplain.  It is second only to Florida in the number of hurricane impacts.  Drought and wildfires also regularly pose serious threats to substantial portions of the State.  Other natural hazards that occur less frequently in Texas include ice storms, hail storms and minor earthquakes.  Animal diseases pose a substantial threat to the cattle and poultry industries in Texas.

To ensure the statewide commitment to disaster preparedness and response, Executive Order RP32 delegated emergency management authority to county judges and mayors, and established the Governor’s Emergency Management Council, comprised of 30 state agencies and 2 volunteer organizations, all chaired by the state’s Homeland Security Director. Administrative authority over the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management (GDEM) remained within DPS, but operational authority was vested with the Homeland Security Director, who is appointed by the governor.

Leveraging the millions of federal Homeland Security grant funds and a matrix management approach, the State of Texas substantially upgraded its disaster preparedness, response and recovery capabilities, including the planning, structure, equipment and capabilities of the state’s first responder and public health communities at all levels. Gov. Perry embraced the five key capabilities needed for effective emergency planning and response: information sharing, logistics, risk management and network activation, coordination and management. Texas was also the first state to fully integrate the private sector into the state’s response and recovery organizational structure.

Texas now stands ready to address any disaster.  Our state’s preparedness was put to the test in August 2007, when Hurricane Dean was projected to make landfall along the Texas coast.  Gov. Perry deployed resources, including the activation of 4,750 Texas Military Forces personnel, 33 UH-60 (5 Texan, 28 from other states) and 14 CH-47 (3 Texan, 11 from other states) utility and cargo military helicopters.  Also activated were 275 game wardens and 125 search and rescue boats, as well as the 80-member Lonestar Task Force from the Texas Forest Service.  Buses provided for evacuation included 1,953 school buses and 1,078 commercial buses.  Though Dean fortunately took a turn toward the south, it provided an opportunity to exercise Texas’ hurricane preparedness plans.  The rapid response and activation proved that when a hurricane heads our way, Texas is ready.

In the last year, Texas has also had to respond to floods and wildfires.  During the summer of 2007, persistent heavy rains over already saturated ground led to flooding in 59 Texas counties, causing over $100 million in damage.

Since January 2008, more than 1 million acres have burned across the state due to wildfires.