Table of Contents. Title Page.. 1. Table of Contents...2. I. Explanation of Terms...3 A. Acronyms...3 B. Definitions 3 II. Purpose...

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1 NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS SHELTER HUB OPERATIONS PLAN Photo courtesy of the City of Dallas OEM A partnership of 19 counties in and around the greater North Central Texas Region committed to providing shelter and care for our fellow Texans in their greatest time of need.

2 Table of Contents Title Page.. 1 Table of Contents...2 I. Explanation of Terms...3 A. Acronyms....3 B. Definitions 3 II. Purpose... 5 III. Situation IV. Assumptions...7 V. Concept of Operations.8 A. General...8 B. Potential Routes....9 C. Shelter Hub Coordination D. Reception Center E. Shelters/Shelter Types F. Medical Special Needs G. Transportation of Medical Special Needs Evacuees..14 H. Notification for Medical Special Needs.. 14 I. Re-entry 14 J. Anticipated Action Timeline 15 VI. Appendices Appendix 1: Houston/Harris County Evacuation Map by Zip Code..17 Appendix 2: State of Texas Hurricane Shelter Hubs (2007) Appendix 3: State Special Needs Categories Appendix 4: Responsibility Flow Chart Appendix 5: North Central Texas Shelter Hub Communications Diagram..16 Appendix 6: Anticipated Action Timeline Appendix 7: City of Houston Timeline for Hurricane Preparations Plan Date: 7/20/2010 LAST UPDATED: 07/20/2010 2

3 I. EXPLANATION OF TERMS A. Acronyms ARC DADS DDC DFW EMC EOC FEMA ICS JIC NCT NIMS NWS PIO RACES RC RLO RSA SOC SOP/SOGs TDEM TSA TxDOT TxDPS TXMF TxSNETS VOAD American Red Cross Department of Aging and Disability Services Disaster District Committee Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex Emergency Management Coordinator Emergency Operations Center Federal Emergency Management Agency Incident Command System Joint Information Center North Central Texas National Incident Management System National Weather Service Public Information Officer Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services Reception Center Regional Liaison Officer Resource Staging Area State Operations Center Standard Operating Procedures/ Standard Operating Guides Texas Division of Emergency Management The Salvation Army Texas Department of Transportation Texas Department of Public Safety Texas Military Forces Texas Special Needs Evacuee Tracking System Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster B. Definitions 1. Catastrophic Hurricane Hurricanes defined by the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale as producing catastrophic damage equal to a Category 4 or 5 storms. 2. Evacuation Organized, phased, and supervised withdrawal, dispersal, or removal of civilians from dangerous or potentially dangerous areas, and their reception and care in safe areas. 3. Evacuation Shelter Short-term lodging facilities opened for evacuees prior to, during, and after an incident. Shelters are typically places where mass care operations are conducted and are generally located away from known hazards. A short-term shelter opened for temporary housing of people who have evacuated 3

4 due to an impending threat. A type of shelter designed to house members of the public without regard to age, gender, or health condition. Most evacuation shelters are open for a 72-hour period. 4. Evacuation Zone Geographic areas identified by officials as at risk from all hazards (major hazard). 5. (H-) Hour or Day H minus is a term used to designate activities that may take place prior to the arrival of tropical Storm Force Winds or impending evacuation area threat to the State of Texas. 6. (H+) Hour or Day H plus is a term used to designate activities that take place either at landfall, or by the amount of time post-landfall of the tropical system or impending evacuation area threat. 7. Host Counties Designated inland counties offering coordinated mass care and shelter support to evacuating communities. 8. Hurricane Coastal Areas Geographical areas with multi-county scope, along the Texas coast. These areas have the same boundaries as Hurricane Study Areas. 9. Hurricane Warning A warning issued when sustained winds of 64kt (74 mph) or higher are associated with a hurricane expected in a specified coastal area within 24 hours or less. 10. Hurricane Watch An announcement issued for specific coastal areas stating hurricane conditions are possible with 36 hours. 11. Long Term Shelter A shelter that is located close to an impacted area after the area has been determined safe for re-entry. Long term shelters may remain open for over 72 hours after an event or until temporary housing becomes available. Cots and hot meals will be available in these shelters. The ARC standard for postimpact shelters is 40 square feet per evacuee. 12. Mass Care Assistance provided to meet the basic human needs of people impacted by a catastrophic event. Mass care assistance includes shelter, food, water, ice, clothing, medical care, crisis counseling, pastoral care, and other essential life support needs. 13. Medical Special Needs Shelters A type of special needs population shelter designed specifically to care for individuals with chronic and acute health issues which prevent the individuals from being housed in a general population shelter. 14. Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services - The Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) was established under the Federal Communications Commission 4

5 Rules and Regulations, as part of the amateur radio service. The mission of RACES is to establish and maintain the leadership and organizational infrastructure necessary to provide amateur radio communications in support of emergency management entities throughout the United States and its territories. R.A.C.E.S is employed during a variety of emergency/disaster situations where normal governmental communications systems have sustained damage or when additional communications are required or desired. Situations that RACES can be used include: natural disasters, technological disasters, civil disorder, nuclear/chemical incidents, and acts of terrorism or enemy attack. 15. Reception Center Designated facility within a shelter hub to process evacuees entering a city or county. Evacuees will be registered, triaged, and directed to an appropriate evacuation shelter. 16. (R+) Hour or Day R plus is a term used to designate activities that take place after landfall of the tropical system or impending evacuation area threat. Activities include restoration of critical infrastructure, utilities, sheltering, and recovery activities. 17. Resource Staging Area (RSA) Central location where equipment, food, water, and ice are received and distributed in support of a shelter hub. 18. Shelter Hub A pre-designated geographic location that provides evacuees to security of a safe haven in an area that has adequate infrastructure, commercial resources, and public shelter facilities to logistically support massive evacuations. A shelter hub provides the ability to rapidly open shelters, deploy and coordinate mass care resources, and gather critical information to support operational decision-making. 19. Shelter Push Package A coordinated resource with disposable and nondisposable items to establish or support shelter operations. Push packages may come in multiple configurations. 20. Spontaneous Evacuation The voluntary departure by evacuees from an at-risk area, prior to an evacuation recommendation or mandatory order from an elected official. 21. Special Needs Population Any individual who cannot self-evacuate for whatever reason. 5

6 II. PURPOSE The North Central Texas Shelter Hub Operations Plan is designed to facilitate the coordinated distribution of evacuees into North Central Texas from anywhere in the State of Texas during all-hazard evacuations. The North Central Texas Shelter Hub will coordinate the distribution of evacuees into the Mesquite Reception Center to designated shelters across nineteen (19) counties which include: Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Fannin, Grayson, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant and Wise Counties. The purpose of this plan is to outline procedures for local governments regarding shelter hub coordination, reception center activities, coordination of shelters, distribution of evacuees, sheltering, re-entry of evacuees and anticipated actions. During an evacuation scenario, there are several items that are not covered in this plan which include the return of evacuees to their home jurisdictions (re-entry) and how the State of Texas intends to provide shelters for medical special needs evacuees beyond the capacity of existing care provider vacancies. These issues will need to be addressed by state agencies in order to avoid any unnecessary complications and expenses to North Central Texas jurisdictions. Specifically, questions remain concerning costs and reimbursement for expenses incurred in sheltering evacuees from outside any specified City or County. These and other items will continue to be addressed in future planning documents. III. SITUATION The State of Texas may request the activation of the North Central Texas Shelter Hub to include the Mesquite Reception Center and local jurisdictions shelters due to a disaster affecting portions of Texas or other states. The timing and duration of evacuations as well as the number of evacuees to be sheltered are beyond the control of local governments in North Central Texas. The State of Texas has indicated they will provide information about evacuations with local governments prior to and during any evacuation/shelter operations. Some evacuees may arrive in the DFW Metroplex with their own transportation and request shelter without any prior notice. It is estimated that North Central Texas can shelter approximately 15,000 evacuees with the capability to shelter additional evacuees, if necessary, for the 2010 Hurricane Season. The Mesquite Reception Center will coordinate the distribution of evacuees to designated shelters across 19 counties which include: Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Fannin, Grayson, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant and Wise Counties. Adjacent counties may request to be included in the North Central Texas Shelter Hub Operations Plan, but inclusion will be at the option of the Mesquite Reception Center. The State of Texas Disaster District Committee (DDC) in Garland will coordinate requests for resources to operate shelters that exceed County Governments ability to fulfill those 6

7 resource requests. One or more local government representatives may be assigned to the DDC as the DDC Liaison to assist with coordinating resource requests and communication and communication with local government to provide region-wide situational awareness such as shelter locations, shelter capacities and needs. Shelter Hub planning as outlined in this plan primarily focuses on meeting the short-term, urgent needs of evacuees and does not address long term recovery assistance that may be provided by the State of Texas, FEMA and other federal agencies, the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and other Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOADs), which may provide long term assistance to victims of disasters. IV. ASSUMPTIONS 1. The State of Texas will provide adequate notice of evacuations and shelter requests to local governments. 2. When a jurisdiction faces an imminent threat, residents may seek temporary shelter elsewhere in the homes of friends and family, hotels/motels, or public congregate shelters and may arrive in North Central Texas without prior notice. 3. Some evacuees will not have their own transportation and will require state transportation assistance in order to evacuate. 4. Reception Center and shelter operations may begin before a disaster has actually occurred due to pre-landfall hurricane evacuation requirements. 5. It is impossible to predict the number of evacuees who will seek shelter in North Central Texas. As a result, this plan is designed to be flexible to fit the needs and size of the event. 6. The State of Texas has designated North Central Texas as a Shelter Hub (See Tab C to Attachment 4 to the State Hurricane and Mass Care Plan dated June 5, 2007, ). 7. The DDC in Garland will open prior to the arrival of evacuees and remain open until all evacuees have departed the North Central Texas area. There is an assumption that some of the Regional Liaison Officer s assigned to the region may be sent to the affected area to assist local government in their response. 7

8 8. The Mesquite Reception Center and Fort Worth have both been designated as shelter hubs for the following areas: a. Mesquite Reception Center: Upper Texas Coast (Houston, Beaumont, SE Texas) or Louisiana Primary Reception Center for hurricanes b. Mesquite Reception Center or the Fort Worth ISD Wilkerson Greines Activity Center: Anywhere in the State of Texas-all hazards emergencies or disasters c. Fort Worth ISD Wilkerson Greines Activity Center : Middle or Lower Coast (Corpus Christi and the Valley) 9. With the exception of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 & Hurricane Gustav and Ike in 2008, the DFW area has typically received less than 100 evacuees seeking shelter in public congregate shelters across the DFW Metroplex as a result of hurricanes. 10. It is estimated that the North Central Texas Shelter Hub can shelter approximately 15,000 evacuees and accept more if necessary. 11. The State of Texas will not send more evacuees to North Central Texas than the region will agree to accept. 12. It is anticipated that many evacuees with minimal special needs and adequate caretakers (State level 0, 1, 2, & sometimes 3) can be housed in general population shelters. 13. Evacuees requiring significant medical assistance (State level 3, 4, & 5) will be handled by facility-to-like facility agreements (MOUs) reached outside this plan or placed into an appropriate facility based on the evacuee s medical condition. (See Appendix 3 for a copy of the State Medical Special Needs Levels). 14. Jurisdictions within North Central Texas to include the City of Mesquite may request the State of Texas Special Needs Evacuee Tracking System (Radiant RFID) from the Garland DDC to be deployed and setup at the Reception Center and larger shelters within the region to track the location of evacuees brought into North Central Texas. Region assumes that the TxSNETS system will be deployed to the affected area by Texas Military Forces. 15. The DDC has a cache of extra RFID bracelets that can be requested for evacuees, pets, and evacuee medical equipment such as walkers, canes, wheelchairs, etc. 16. The North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council has a cache of RFID bracelets for medical special needs patients that are sent to hospitals, nursing 8

9 homes, and assisted living facilities so that these evacuees can be located once they leave the shelter environment. 17. The State of Texas will provide the region the status of the affected coastal jurisdictions and develop a re-entry plan on when evacuees can return back to their communities by state-contracted buses. 18. Requests for reimbursements to local governments will be handled promptly by the State of Texas. 19. Evacuee tracking system equipment will be delivered to the Mesquite Reception Center as soon as the state activates the shelter hub. Available equipment will be dispersed to the appropriate shelters with the first arriving bus. (Possibly using departing buses). V. CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS A. General 1. North Central Texas will participate in statewide conference calls to obtain current information on the status of the hurricane. Once an evacuation has been requested, North Central Texas will host a series of conference calls to begin the coordination with the DDC, Mesquite Reception and sheltering jurisdictions within 19 counties. This conference call will give the ability to identify available shelters, regional capabilities and resource shortfalls that may exist. 2. The majority of tasks to be performed during shelter hub operations are common to any shelter and mass care operation. However, the reception of evacuees statewide may be conducted on a large scale over a wide geographic area and may involve contra-flow of traffic that is controlled by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Texas Department of Public Safety (TxDPS). As hurricane evacuations often begin before a hurricane strikes the Texas coast, shelter and mass care operations may have to commence before a disaster has actually occurred. 3. Shelter Hub Operations planning as outlined in this plan primarily focuses on meeting the short-term, urgent needs of evacuees and does not address longerterm recovery assistance. The State of Texas, FEMA, the American Red Cross (ARC), Salvation Army (TSA), and other volunteer organizations active in disaster (VOADs), may provide longer-term assistance to victims of disasters. 4. One or more local government personnel may be assigned to the DDC to assist with coordinating resource requests and communication with local governments. 9

10 5. Each local jurisdiction is responsible for submitting appropriate documentation of their expenses to state and/or federal agencies for reimbursement. B. Potential Routes Travel to the Metroplex The primary transportation means of hurricane evacuation will be by personal vehicle. However, school, municipal, and state-contracted chartered buses will be used to transport those transportation special needs evacuees who do not have any other means of self-evacuating. 1. As directed by the State of Texas agencies, evacuees coming into North Central Texas will primarily travel north on either Interstates 45 or 35. a. If a hurricane impacts the Upper Coast of Texas or the State of Louisiana: Evacuees traveling on I-45 or Interstate 20 or Interstate 30 are expected to follow signage directing them to continue into Dallas County to the Mesquite Reception Center. The Mesquite Police Department will provide direction into the reception center. b. If a hurricane impacts the Mid or Lower Coast of Texas: Evacuees traveling on I-35 from Corpus Christi or the Texas Valley are expected to follow signage directing them to Fort Worth/Tarrant County to Fort Worth ISD Wilkerson Greines Activity Center, located at 5101 C.A. Roberson, Fort Worth, TX The Texas Department of Public Safety (TxDPS) and Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will be expected to provide signage and other resources to communicate and direct evacuees into North Central Texas to the Mesquite Reception Center or the Wilkerson Greines Activity Center, depending where the hurricane will strike. The coordination of signage and other state resources to direct evacuees will be coordinated through the Garland DDC. C. Shelter Hub Coordination In order to control the financial and logistical burden of shelter operations on any one jurisdiction, and to ensure the best use of resources throughout 19 counties, evacuees will be directed into a single reception center that has been established and operated by the City of Mesquite. The City of Mesquite has three pre-determined locations that can serve as the reception center based on availability. Once evacuees arrive at the reception center, they will be assigned shelter locations throughout Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Fannin, Grayson, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant and Wise Counties. The Mesquite Reception Center will coordinate the distribution of evacuees to shelter sites within 10

11 Collin, Dallas, Denton, Tarrant Counties and surrounding counties participating under this plan: 1. Coordinate with the Disaster District Committee/Chair (DDC) located in Garland, Texas at the Texas Department of Public Safety (TxDPS). 2. Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant County EOCs will collect and verify shelter status, availability, location, and shelter capacity, ability to accept pets, capacity information and resource requests from participating cities/counties. 3. All counties within North Central Texas may work with their designated county to provide situational awareness, provide shelter information and request resources, as necessary. Disaster District Committee Mesquite Reception Center Collin County Dallas Area Denton County Tarrant County Cities within Collin County Cities within Dallas County Cities within Denton County Cities within Tarrant County Grayson County Rockwall County Cooke County Parker County Fannin County Kaufman County Wise County Johnson County Hunt County Ellis County Hood County Navarro County (Pointto-Point) Somervell County Palo Pinto County Erath County 4. The Mesquite Reception Center will coordinate with four County EOCs in the coordination of evacuees to include Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant Counties. This will streamline communications with the Reception Center and prevent Mesquite from having to contact all 19 counties. Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant Counties will communicate with cities within their county as well as their neighboring counties (see organizational chart above that outlines which counties will coordinate with Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant Counties). 5. The Mesquite Reception Center will provide Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant County with the estimated arrival time, number of evacuees requiring shelter, number of pets, medical special needs (if any) and the shelter location in which the 11

12 car/bus will be assigned to. It is the responsibility of the County EOC to communicate with the shelter jurisdiction with the estimated arrival time, number of evacuees and pets, and which shelter the vehicle is en-route to. 6. Each county has the responsibility of obtaining shelter information for shelters in their county as well as surrounding counties. The County EOC will communicate shelter information to the DDC on a regular basis. The shelter reporting schedule will be communicated to the region by the DDC to allow adequate time for the County to compile the needed information before the DDC communicates regional shelter information to the State Operations Center for the daily State of Texas Situation Report. 7. Each jurisdiction/agency will disseminate public information as they deem appropriate. D. Reception Center Adjacent counties may request to be included in the evacuee distribution plan but inclusion will be at the option of the Mesquite Reception Center due to obvious space and traffic management limitations. 1. The Mesquite Reception Center will: a. The Mesquite Reception Center may request the TxSNETS system to be setup at the Mesquite Reception Center to track evacuees that come through the Mesquite Reception Center and distributed to shelters across North Central Texas. b. Conduct physical security screening of evacuees on an as needed basis, law enforcement will be present at all times but each person will not be physically screened unless intelligence or activities necessitate. c. Provide maps and other important shelter information to State sponsored bus drivers and self-evacuating citizens. d. Will provide a manifest of each bus (If TxSNETS system is made available) e. Provide bus number, and bus drivers contact information to coordinating county f. Establish rest station with minimal food, water, and restroom facilities g. Conduct medical triage to identify minimal special needs evacuees who upon their arrival at the DFW East Reception Center now require significant medical assistance and arrange for transfer to an appropriate medical facility for care. 1) Mesquite will work directly with the DDC and the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) to transport any identified special medical needs evacuees to an appropriate facility when possible h. Identify non-medical special needs of evacuees. 12

13 i. Direct special needs evacuees and self-evacuating citizens to the assigned shelters 2. The City of Mesquite will coordinate evacuee shelter assignment information with Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant County 3. After all known evacuee buses have been distributed to shelters across the region, the Mesquite Reception Center will have completed its reception function and will stand down. E. Shelters Shelter sites are located in various jurisdictions throughout the North Central Texas Region that include: Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Fannin, Grayson, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant and Wise Counties. Shelters will be operated by or under the coordination of the appropriate Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC). Shelters shall be inspected by the appropriate health, environmental, fire authorities as soon as possible. Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant Counties may be able to provide assistance in scheduling and accomplishing these inspections. The ARC, TSA and/or other mass care agencies such as VOAD agencies may also be utilized, as available, and appropriate in each jurisdiction. Shelters are typed into four categories to allow for the prioritization of shelters and coordination with local jurisdictions on the standby, opening, operation and closure of shelters across nineteen counties. 1. The TxSNETS system should be used, if available, to enable a seamless and single point of tracking evacuees. 2. Each jurisdiction will implement a means of registering evacuees to capture the identity and vital information for each evacuee staying or receiving services at that shelter. 3. Resourcing of shelters will follow normal local and state procedures (Chapter 418). For example, if a shelter lacks a resource required to operate a shelter, the local jurisdiction must exhaust all local sources and then request the resource from the county in which the shelter is located. If the county cannot provide that resource, the county will contact the DDC and request the resource. Type One Type Two Shelter Types Shelters that are supplied and staffed. Type One Shelters are ready to be opened. Shelters that have identified resource shortfalls 13

14 Type Three Type Four Shelter facilities only (no personnel, no resources) Contingency Shelters (Non-Hurricane) F. Medical Special Needs 1. Level 0: Persons who have no medical needs, but require transportation assistance for evacuation. 2. Level 1: Persons dependent on others or in need of others for routine care (eating, walking toileting, etc) and children under 18 without adult supervision. Level 1 and Level 2 who can live independently or who have caregivers accompanying them may be housed in a general population shelter. Facilities may provide nearby space for caregivers, family members, and provide appropriate care for companion animals. 3. Level 2: Persons with physical or developmental disabilities such as blindness, significant hearing impairment, deaf/blind, and mental retardation. Level 1 and Level 2 who can live independently or who have caregivers accompanying them may be housed in a general population shelter. Facilities may provide nearby space for caregivers, family members, and provide appropriate care for companion animals. 4. Level 3: Persons requiring assistance with medical care administration, monitoring by a nurse, dependent on equipment (including dialysis), assistance with medications, and mental health disorders. Level 3 should be sheltered in a medical special needs facility or in a designated area within a general population shelter. 5. Level 4: Persons outside an institutional facility care setting require extensive medical oversight (i.e. Chemotherapy, ventilator, life support equipment, hospital bed and total care, morbidly obese). Level 4 will be housed in an acute care facility or long-term care facility. 6. Level 5: Persons in institutional settings such as hospitals, long term care facilities, assisted living facilities, and state schools. Level 5 will be a facility-to-facility transfer. G. Transportation of Medical Special Needs Evacuees According to the State Hurricane and Mass Care Plan, Medical Special Needs will be transported by the following means: 1. Level 1: Mass transit (accessible buses, trains, airplanes) or personal autos 2. Level 2: Mass transit (accessible buses, trains, airplanes) or personal autos 3. Level 3: Mass transit, personal autos, accessible buses 4. Level 4: Ground or air ambulance, mass transit or accessible buses 5. Level 5: Ground or air ambulance, mass transit or accessible buses H. Notification for Medical Special Needs 14

15 1. Local emergency management coordinators will be notified of health emergencies and involved at the local level through the local health department or public health region in counties with no local health department. 2. The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) regional office, and/or the State Operations Center will notify the Disaster District Committee Chairperson of reported health emergencies. 3. In the event the Disaster District Committee determines local resources are inadequate, the State will assist in caring of individuals with medical special needs. I. Re-entry 1. Each local sheltering jurisdiction is responsible for coordinating the re-entry of evacuees to their home jurisdiction. The State of Texas will provide transportation for re-entry upon the request through the DDC. Jurisdictions within a county should coordinate requests with the County EOC for re-entry transportation. 2. Each sheltering jurisdiction within North Central Texas will be requesting the status of the affected coastal communities so that this important information can be communicated to the evacuees about the status of their community such as no power, no water, washed out roadways, bridges, etc. North Central Texas prefers to receive the information from the DDC in Garland. 3. Prior to re-entry of special needs, the jurisdictions must work with their County Public Health or Region DSHS representative to ensure that their home jurisdiction is safe for the evacuee to return. Making sure that infrastructure has been restored and that the evacuee s dialysis center or medical facility is able to provide the specialized medical services that the evacuee relies on. There is a form that must be completed in order to schedule transportation. This form can be obtained through DSHS. Affected coastal jurisdiction communicates its status to their DDC Affected DDC communicates the affected jurisdiction s status to the State Operations Center The SOC communicates the affected jurisdiction s status to sheltering/hosting DDCs The Garland DDC communicates the coastal jurisdiction s status to the North Central Texas region J. Anticipated Action Timeline This timeline is based on anticipated evacuation order(s) and other state actions. H-144 The City of Mesquite and the sheltering jurisdictions will monitor a potential evacuation situation and begin conducting regular awareness conference calls among all jurisdictions participating in the North Central Texas Shelter Hub Operations Plan. 15

16 H-120 The City of Mesquite and the sheltering jurisdictions will continue to monitor events and conduct awareness conference calls among all jurisdictions participating in the North Central Texas Shelter Hub Operations Plan. The State begins to preposition resources and evacuate the medical special needs population. H-96 State resources continue to move. Evacuation of the medical special needs population continues. The City of Mesquite and the sheltering jurisdictions continues to monitor the situation and conduct awareness conference calls. H-72 State resources continue to move. Evacuation of the medical special needs population continues. Impacted counties determine whether or not to issue evacuation orders for its citizens. EOCs within North Central Texas may activate and will prepare regular situation reports and other appropriate planning documents throughout the event. Any planning efforts that can be consolidated at the county level to relieve the burden on municipal personnel should be done. Regional awareness conference calls continue in order to obtain an estimate of shelter locations, capacity, and capabilities. The City of Mesquite through the EMCs for Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant Counties will survey current status, availability, and capacity of shelters participating in North Central Texas Shelter Hub Operations Plan. Shelters will be placed in priority order so jurisdictions are aware of their position on the list and in what order they will receive evacuees from the Mesquite Reception Center. Key participants in the shelter prioritization will be the County EOCs (advocating for the sheltering jurisdictions), American Red Cross, and the Mesquite Office of Emergency Management. The Mesquite Reception Center and shelters begin scale up. H-48 State resources continue to move. Affected county evacuation continues. Once the evacuation order(s) are in place, evacuees will be received into the Mesquite Reception Center as planned and may be tracked using the TxSNETS system that may be available for statewide disasters. Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant Counties will coordinate between reception and specific shelter locations through their respective Emergency Management Coordinators (EMC) to ensure that evacuees are placed as quickly as possible with minimal confusion. Care will be taken to ensure that shelters are not overloaded due to self evacuees following directions from other evacuees. It is recommended that no shelter be filled beyond 80% capacity until sufficient time has elapsed to ensure that space is still available. Regular regional awareness conference calls continue. County Emergency Management offices will facilitate the support of shelter resource needs. The Mesquite Reception Center may start to see arrival of evacuees. Municipal Emergency Management Coordinators (EMC) will finalize preparations for shelter operations. Area shelters continue to scale up as needed. County Emergency Management Coordinators (EMC) will determine needs and coordination throughout their respective jurisdictions. 16

17 H-24 State resources continue to move. Affected county evacuation continues. County emergency management offices facilitate the support of shelter resource needs. Requests for resources, sharing of resources, and other logistical needs will be coordinated for the shelters within each county by County EOC. Resource needs and pertinent information will be communicated to the DDC according to existing plans. The Mesquite Reception Center is operational. Area shelters continue to scale up as needed. County Emergency Management Coordinators (EMC) will determine needs and coordination throughout their respective jurisdictions. H County EMCs will coordinate throughout their respective jurisdictions. Begin Re-entry Planning. VI. APPENDICES Appendix 1...Houston/Harris County Evacuation Map by Zip Code Appendix 2... State Hurricane Shelter Hubs (2006) Appendix 3... State Special Needs Categories Appendix 4... Responsibility Flow Chart Appendix 5... North Central Texas Communications Diagram Appendix 6... Anticipated Action Timeline Appendix 7....City of Houston Timeline for Hurricane Preparations 17

18 APPENDIX 1 HOUSTON/HARRIS COUNTY EVACUATION MAP BY ZIP CODE (5/2007) 18

19 APPENDIX 2 STATE HURRICANE SHELTER HUBS (2007) 19

20 APPENDIX 3 STATE SPECIAL NEEDS CATEGORIES Level Level 0 Level 1 Level 2 Description Persons who have no medical needs, but require transportation assistance for evacuation. Persons dependent on others or in need of others for routine care (eating, walking toileting, etc) and children under 18 without adult supervision. Level 1 and Level 2 who can live independently or who have caregivers accompanying them may be housed in a general population shelter. Facilities may provide nearby space for caregivers, family members, and provide appropriate care for companion animals. Persons with physical or developmental disabilities such as blindness, significant hearing impairment, deaf/blind, and mental retardation. Level 1 and Level 2 who can live independently or who have caregivers accompanying them may be housed in a general population shelter. Facilities may provide nearby space for caregivers, family members, and provide appropriate care for companion animals. Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Persons requiring assistance with medical care administration, monitoring by a nurse, dependent on equipment (including dialysis), assistance with medications, and mental health disorders. Level 3 should be sheltered in a medical special needs facility or in a designated area within a general population shelter. Persons outside an institutional facility care setting require extensive medical oversight (i.e. Chemotherapy, ventilator, life support equipment, hospital bed and total care, morbidly obese). Level 4 will be housed in an acute care facility or long-term care facility. Persons in institutional settings such as hospitals, long term care facilities, assisted living facilities, and state schools. Level 5 will be a facility-tofacility transfer. ftp://ftp.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/plan_state/hurr_evac_shelter_state_plan.pdf. 05/19/

21 APPENDIX 4 RESPONSIBILITY FLOW CHART Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant Counties (Coordination & Resources) Evacuee taken to embarkation station for transportation on State contracted buses Disaster is Imminent or has occurred Evacuee back to residence or predisaster location Affected jurisdiction Evacuee arrives back to affected jurisdiction State of Texas Agencies are involved in evacuation such as DPS, DSHS, SOC, TxDOT, TMF, etc Evacuees arrive at the Mesquite Reception Center to be distributed to shelters across 19 counties Coordination with State agencies/affected jurisdictions for transportation back to affected jurisdiction (DDC/SOC, TxDOT, DSHS, TxDPS, etc) Shelter Jurisdiction Re-entry Process begins when safe to return Evacuee located at Shelter (Sheltering Jurisdiction) Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant Counties (Coordination & Resources) 21

22 APPENDIX 5 NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS SHELTER HUB COMMUNICATIONS DIAGRAM Affected DDC communicates with the State Operations Center (SOC) SOC communicates with District 1A DDC (Garland) Affected County contacts their DDC North Central Texas Shelter Hub Communications Diagram DDC District 1A communicates with Counties in the North Central Texas Region Disaster is Imminent or has occurred Affected City contacts their County Re-entry begins when it is safe for the evacuees to return back to their home jurisdiction Counties communicate with their assigned sheltering/hosting jurisdictions Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant Co communicates with the Mesquite Reception * This diagram is not meant to outline the entire communications process. Communications with all internal and external stakeholders should be bi-directional and be inclusive of those that need to know. 22

23 APPENDIX 6 ANTICIPATED ACTION TIMELINE DURING A HURRICANE EVACUATION This timeline is based on anticipated evacuation order(s) and other state actions. Time Anticipated Action H-144 The City of Mesquite and sheltering jurisdictions will monitor the situation and begin regular awareness conference calls among all jurisdictions participating in the North Central Texas Shelter Hub Operations Plan. H-120 State begins to preposition resources State begins evacuation of the medical special needs population The City of Mesquite and sheltering jurisdictions will continue to monitor events and conduct awareness conference calls among all jurisdictions participating in the North Central Texas Shelter Hub Operations Plan. H-96 State resources continue to move State evacuation of the medical special needs population continues The City of Mesquite and sheltering jurisdictions continues to monitor the situation and conduct awareness conference calls. H-72 State resources continue to move State evacuation of the medical special needs population continues Affected county determines whether or not to issue evacuation orders for its citizens Regional hurricane awareness conference calls continue in order to obtain an estimate of shelter locations and capacity. County EOCs will survey status, availability, and capacity shelters participating in the North Central Texas Shelter Hub Operations Plan. Shelters will be placed in priority order so jurisdictions are aware of their position on the list and in what order they will receive evacuees from the Mesquite Reception Center to their assigned shelter. Key participants in the shelter prioritization will be the County EOCs, American Red Cross, and Mesquite Office of Emergency Management. EOCs may activate and will prepare regular situation reports and other appropriate planning documents throughout the event. Any planning efforts that can be consolidated at the county level to relieve the burden on municipal personnel should be done. The North Central Texas Shelter Hub (Mesquite Reception Center) scales up Shelters begin to scale up H-48 State resources continue to move State evacuation of the medical special needs population should be concluding Affected county evacuation continues Once the evacuation order is in place, evacuees will be received into the Mesquite Reception Center as planned. County EOCs (Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant Co) will coordinate between the reception and specific shelter locations through their respective Emergency Management Coordinators (EMCs) to ensure that evacuees are placed as quickly as possible with minimal confusion. The City of Mesquite and County EOCs will take care to ensure that the shelters are not overloaded due to self evacuees following directions from other evacuees. It is recommended that no shelter be filled beyond 80% capacity until sufficient time has elapsed to ensure that space is still available. 23

24 Regular regional awareness conference calls continue County EOCs facilitate the support of shelter resource needs The Mesquite Reception Center may start to see arrival of evacuees Shelters continue to scale up as needed County Emergency Management Coordinators (EMC) will determine needs and coordination with their respective jurisdictions. H-24 State resources continue to move State evacuation of the medical special needs population should be concluding Affected county evacuation continues Regular regional awareness conference calls continue as needed County EOCs facilitate the support of shelter resource needs Requests for resources, sharing of resources, and other logistical needs will be coordinated by County EOCs Resource needs and pertinent information will be communicated to the DDC according to existing plans The Mesquite Reception Center is operational Area shelters continue to scale up as needed County Emergency Management Coordinators (EMCs) will determine needs and coordination with their respective jurisdictions. H County EOCs continues to facilitate the support of shelter resource needs Begin re-entry planning ASAP 24

25 APPENDIX 7 CITY OF HOUSTON TIMELINE FOR HURRICANE PREPARATIONS (CATEGORY III AND ABOVE) (08/2007) 25

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