GALVESTON, Texas (May 11, 2023) – Like most coastal Texans already know, June 1 will mark the beginning of hurricane season, which lasts through November 30.

In preparation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District held a Hurricane Preparedness Townhall meeting, May 11. Employees attended in person and via the web.

Alicia Rea, Galveston District’s emergency management and security director, led the meeting.

Living on the Texas Gulf Coast means living with and through hurricanes, Rea said, and it’s better to stay ready rather than get ready with short notice.

Lance Wood, of the National Weather Service, joined the meeting virtually from Houston and gave some history of recent storms and a forecast of the potential storm threats this year.

Late August through mid-September has been the most likely time for a hurricane to make landfall on the Texas coast, Wood said. However, there have been tropical storms in May and hurricanes can come as late as November, he said.

In the last six years, the southeast United States and Gulf Coast have seen six hurricanes make landfall, Wood said; four Category 4 storms with windspeeds of 130 to 156 mph, and two Category 5’s with windspeeds exceeding 156 mph. Wind isn’t the only danger when it comes to hurricanes. Extreme rainfall can extend many miles beyond the high wind speeds, resulting in catastrophic flooding which can make evacuation nearly impossible.

Understanding and preparing for hurricane risks helps USACE employees prepare themselves and their families for emergencies, said Rea, as well as expedite assisting communities outside Galveston.

ENGLink Pro is an important program for Emergency Management (EM), Rea said. Everyone should keep their EngLink Pro account up to date.

The Galveston District now has its own Emergency Management Planning and Response Team, Rea said, and those interested in volunteering during an emergency should keep their emergency profiles up to date and ask EM for more information.

“We are emergency support function number three, critical public facilities,” Rea said. After Hurricane Harvey rained over east Texas for days, many important public buildings were flooded and unsafe. Galveston District set up a temporary mayor’s office and temporary schools for Orangefield and Mauriceville Independent School Districts in Texas.

Accountability is a commander’s top priority in an emergency, Rea said. She also advised USACE employees to check their Alert! Client Account Dashboard and update any changes, using their primary phone number and email address to facilitate accountability and receive their unit’s emergency messaging.

Another tool for accountability is the Army Disaster Personnel Accountability and Assessment System, or ADPAAS, said Teri Conley, an emergency management specialist. It should be updated along with Alert! and EngLink. Updating ADPAAS shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes, Conley said.

Links & Resources:

• EM Dashboard*

• ADPAAS

• ALERT!*

• ENGLink Database*

• ENGLink Account Request* (use if receiving an error at the link above)

Follow the Houston National Weather Service on social media by searching and following NWS Houston.