A. Introduce the Plan.
B. Describe population and place.
C. Delineate the name and mission of the organization.
D. List all coalition member organizations and the activities/services that are
identified as partners in response to a community disaster/emergency.
E. Describe if the plan has an evaluation component, overview the evaluation
and critique if it’s appropriate.
F. Create an emergency scenario based on the community plan you
identified. Describe how the plan would play out by addressing who, what,
where, how, when,' why.
Texas is considered a home rule state. This means all emergency preparedness, response, and recovery
events are local responsibilities. When a disaster occurs, it begins at the local level, with regional, state,
and federal entities providing support when requested.1 According to Texas.Gov, this state has had more
federal disaster declarations than any other state.1 In February 2021, Winter Storm Uri was declared a
public health emergency in Texas. The disaster traversed the entire state at the same time, leaving an
impact was so severe that it left more than 4 million Texans in the cold and without power, 12 million
people under boil water notices, and at least 20 deaths within the first week.2
A. Introduce the Plan.
The Tarrant County Office of Emergency Management and Public Health Office utilize four phases to
plan and implement critical measures before, during, and after an emergency or public health threat.3
The mitigation phase is first and designed to occur before and after a disaster. The second phase is
preparedness, which takes place before. The response phase takes place during a disaster with the
recovery phase happening after a disaster .3 The community plan I selected is The Tarrant County Hazard
Mitigation Action Plan (HazMAP). This plan addresses 9 natural disasters: (1) drought, (2) earthquakes,
(3) expansive soils, (4) extreme heat, (5) flooding, (6) thunderstorms, (7) tornadoes, (8) wildfires, (9)
winter storms. Compiled data from the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) regional
natural hazards risk assessments, damage assessments, hazard data, and geographic information
created these nine disaster profiles. The plan includes both short and long-term mitigation strategies
and focuses on improving quality of life, increasing community resilience by minimizing hazards, and
assisting the community in their capability to successfully rebound from a disaster.
B. Describe population and place
Tarrant County is home to 41 incorporated cities and a populace of 2,110,640 citizens. Located in North
Central Texas and considered one of most urbanized regions in Texas, Tarrant County included
representatives from 34 jurisdictions and respective Tarrant County citizens to actively participate in the
development of the HazMAP. Hazards were identified based on the location vulnerabilities of the
participating jurisdiction.
C. Delineate the name and mission of the organization.
The Tarrant County Office of Emergency Management (TCOEM) oversees the Tarrant County Hazard
Mitigation Action Plan. The HazMAP is written to comply with the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA
2000). DMA 2000 is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and provides federal
assistance to state and local emergency management entities to mitigate the effects of disasters. The
plan was developed to protect life and reduce bodily harm from natural hazards, and to lessen the
impacts of natural hazards on property and the community through hazard mitigation.4 The purpose of
HazMAP is to enhance and complement federal and state recommendations for the mitigation of
natural and technological hazards by: reducing the risk of loss of life, injuries, and hardship from the
destruction of natural and technological disasters, Improving public awareness of the need for individual
preparedness and building safer, more disaster resilient communities, developing strategies for long-
term community sustainability during community disasters and developing governmental and business
continuity plans that will continue essential private sector and governmental operations during
disasters.4
D. List all coalition member organizations and the activities/services that are identified as partners in
response to a community disaster/emergency.
The Tarrant County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan encourages cooperation among various organizations
across political subdivisions. The Tarrant County Hazard Mitigation Planning Team (HMPT) represents
collective efforts of citizens, elected and appointed government officials, business leaders, non-profit
organizations, stakeholders, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Tarrant County Public
Health, Texas Division of Emergency Management, Tarrant County Environmental Services, Texas Health
and Human Services, North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) to include Regional
Emergency Preparedness Advisory chair, independent School Districts of Participating Jurisdictions
superintendents, Texas Department of Transportation Emergency Operations director, State Fire
Marshal’s Office- District 6 Inspector.
E. Describe if the plan has an evaluation component, overview the evaluation and critique if it’s
appropriate.
The HazMAP is viewed as an evolving, dynamic document that assess effectiveness. The HMPT convenes
annually to evaluate completed actions, implementation processes, responsible personnel, and lessons
learned. This also encompasses an analysis of current mitigation projects, evaluation of success,
reevaluation of future mitigation needs, and prioritization based upon changes in needs and/or
capabilities of Tarrant County. to ensure that projects are on track and to reevaluate the mitigation
goals, objectives, and action items.4 Since this is such an extensive plan that covers various jurisdiction
profiles this evaluation process seems fitting.
F. Create an emergency scenario based on the community plan you identified. Describe how the plan
would play out by addressing who, what, where, how, when, why.
Scenario: Climate change has evolved weather patterns. As a result, severe winter weather is
forecasted with freezing temperatures expected to cause damage to the local residents. Prior to a
major disaster declaration, mitigation strategies are implemented.
WHO: local community residents of Malakoff, Texas
WHAT: A severe winter storm affects East Texas for an extended period
WHERE: small urban town in Henderson County, East Texas with a population of 2,179
WHEN: The month of January. Winter break is over. Kids have returned to school and parents have
returned to work
WHY: We cannot control when or where a winter storm may happen, but we can save lives and reduce
the overall damage by knowing the risk and implementing mitigation strategies. Having an emergency
preparedness and management action plan can lessen the impact of even the most extreme cases.
Imagine not being prepared for freezing water pipes and no access to water, unable to travel due to
road conditions, broken power lines from the weight of ice buildup leaves you without electricity, you
have to shelter in place for an extended amount of time with limited resources, the economic impact
from increased consumption of heating fuel, and everything else is now starting to impact your mental
health.
1. https://dshs.texas.gov/TexasPHMStrategicPlan/
2. https://publichealth.harriscountytx.gov/about/organization/ophpr
3. https://www.tarrantcounty.com/en.html \
4. https://www.tarrantcounty.com/en/administration/staff/county-emergency-management-
coordinator.html?linklocation=supermenu&linkname=Emergency%20Manage
5. https://data.census.gov/table?g=0500000US48439&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P1
6. Tarrant County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan
