Emergency Planning
Domestic terrorists bomb the Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Two heavily armed students shoot and kill dozens of people at Columbine High School. Planes hijacked by international terrorists fly into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon, and – thanks to the heroic efforts of some of the passengers on board – a field in Pennsylvania. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravage the Gulf Coast. A tornado wipes most of Greensburg, Kansas off the map. Catastrophic floods ravage Cooke and Grayson Counties, killing five people and destroying hundreds of properties at the cost of millions of dollars. A bus skids off the US Highway 75 overpass, crashes through the guardrail, leaving seventeen people dead and many more injured.
Events like these make us all aware of how important it is to plan for emergencies, both to prevent them when possible and to respond to them when they happen despite our best prevention efforts. TCOG’s Emergency Planning Program works closely with the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management, regional first responders, and policymakers to develop and maintain both a regional response plan and a catastrophic communications plan.
TCOG staff is also responsible for administering the grant process for the Governor’s Office homeland security funds.