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Contact: Jeff Braun
Phone: (281) 342-6185, Fax: (281) 342-4798
307 Fort Street
Richmond, TX 77469
Fort Bend County and Missouri City Provide Support to
Galveston County during Hurricane Humberto Response
Richmond, September 24, 2007:
Though Hurricane Humberto made landfall recently on the
Bolivar Peninsula, not in Fort Bend County, Missouri
City and County emergency management staff provided
needed support to Galveston County the day after
Hurricane Humberto made landfall. Offering professional
assistance and needed relief workers, seven emergency
responders from Fort Bend supported Galveston County in
the aftermath of Humberto.
At about 5:30 am on September 13th, Danny Jan, Assistant
Emergency Management Coordinator for Fort Bend County,
received a phone call from a State of Texas official who
was indicating a need for a trained Public Information
Officer to assist with standing up a Joint Information
Center to handle numerous information requests from
local, national, and international media organizations.
Jan indicated, “I immediately thought of Elsa Malakoff
Maxey, Media Relations Specialist, for the City of
Missouri City. I know Elsa is a key participant in the
Fort Bend PIO Network, an initiative implemented by the
County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), so I
contacted Russell Sander, Missouri City’s Emergency
Management Coordinator and asked if Elsa might be
available to assist. Next thing I knew, she was en route
to Galveston very early in the morning.”
A little bit later in the morning, Jeff Braun, the
County’s Emergency Management Coordinator, after
reviewing situation reports concerning the previous
night’s landfall near High Island, learned that
Galveston County was facing major power and telephone
disruptions; the emergency medical system was stressed;
and the American Red Cross and other agencies were on
their way to the peninsula. “Galveston County is a
regional partner,” said Braun, “and because of the
problems, I contacted the Galveston County EOC and asked
if they needed any assistance.” After learning of a need
for fresh EOC staffing to relief planning, logistics,
and communications positions, Braun requested Jan to put
together a team to head to Galveston.
The EOC Support Team gathered by Jan and sent to
Galveston included Jan; Jim Winton, a Sheriff’s Deputy
assigned to County Road& Bridge; Janette Walker, OEM
Planner; Debbie Kaminski, Assistant Purchasing Agent;
Ron Drachenberg, Assistant County Engineer; and Allan
Hill, a citizen volunteer amateur radio operator who
routinely works at the County EOC during times of
crisis. These six left in the morning to join Malakoff
Maxey. Braun indicated that we sent “the best of our
best.”
Today, the County Judge will recognize the contributions
of these seven individuals at the regularly scheduled
Commissioner’s Court meeting at 1:00 pm. Judge Robert
Hebert, who is also the County’s Emergency Management
Director, states: “I am proud of our Fort Bend County
emergency management responders. Disaster Response is a
regional issue and it is not only right, it is truly
necessary for the counties in the Houston-Galveston
region to support each other in times of disaster. I am
fully aware that it may be Fort Bend County requesting
assistance from Galveston County the next time. “”
[this
document in PDF]
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