HCOHSEM 2020 Annual Report

COVID-19 Special Edition

In 2020 we saw everything from a global pandemic to a record setting hurricane season.

The Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management is proud to take you along on a year of firsts.


Covid-19 Timeline

December 31st, 2019

Novel Coronavirus originates in Wuhan, China at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in downtown Wuhan.

Covid-19 was first reported in Wuhan, China, and subsequently spread worldwide. The coronavirus was officially named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by the international Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses based on phylogenic analysis. -CDC

January 11th, 2020

The first coronavirus death is reported in Wuhan, China.

The 61-year-old man who died was a regular customer at the market in Wuhan. The report of his death came just before one of China’s biggest holidays, when hundreds of millions of people travel across the country. - NYTimes

January 13th, 2020

First confirmed case outside of China.

Officials confirm a case of COVID-19 in Thailand, the first recorded case outside of China. - WHO

January 21st, 2020

First confirmed Covid-19 case in the United States.

The first confirmed case in the United States came the next day in Washington State, where a man in his 30s developed symptoms after returning from a trip to Wuhan. - NYTimes

January 23rd, 2020

Airports around the world step up the screening of passengers.

January 31st, 2020

Twenty-four countries are affected by the spread of Covid-19.

The Trump administration suspended entry into the United States by any foreign nationals who had traveled to China in the past 14 days, excluding the immediate family members of American citizens or permanent residents. By this date, 213 people had died and nearly 9,800 had been infected worldwide. - WHO

February 11th, 2020

Harris County launches coronavirus rumor control resource for residents.

February 16th, 2020

Harris County and the City of Houston announce restaurant and bar closures to help slow the spread of Covid-19.

More than 110,000 eating and drinking establishments in the United States closed for business —temporarily or permanently—in 2020, with nearly 2.5 million jobs erased from pre-pandemic levels, according to the National Restaurant Association. - Fortune

February 29th, 2020

The United States reports their first death from Covid-19.

Washington state announces the first COVID-19 death in the United States on February 29. The man was in his 50s. He had underlying health problems. - NPR

March 2nd, 2020

Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management activates the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at Level 1 (Maximum Readiness) for Covid-19.

March 10th, 2020

Harris County launches coronavirus call center for residents without access to healthcare.

March 11th, 2020

The World Health Organization announces a Covid-19 pandemic.

  • The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) verifies two Covid-19 cases in Harris County.
  • Harris County issues a Disaster Declaration for the public health emergency.
  • The City of Houston cancels the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

March 12th, 2020

Harris County, the City of Houston, and Regional Public Health Officials release updated community guidelines to address Covid-19.

March 13th, 2020

the United States implements school closures and drive-through testing to help contain the spread. Governor Abbott declares a statewide disaster in Texas.

March 14th, 2020

The United States declares a National Emergency with over 1,700 confirmed cases.

On March 13, 2020, by Proclamation 9994, the President declared a national emergency concerning the coronavirus pandemic. - The White House

March 15th, 2020

The US Centers for Disease Control issues guidance on large events and their increased risk of Covid-19 transmission and community spread.

March 16th, 2020

First death reported in Texas.

March 17th, 2020

The United States first clinical trial for a Covid-19 vaccine begins.

March 19th, 2020

United Memorial Medical Center opens the first free drive-thru Covid-19 testing site in Houston, TX.

United Memorial Medical Center, the 5th largest healthcare provider in the Greater Houston Area, opens the first free drive-thru Covid-19 testing site in Houston. The site had capacity for 2,000 tests per day. Two tents were set up at the site. Staff in protective gear screened individuals and those with symptoms were directed to the second test for testing. Test results were made available within 24 hours.

Harris County reports its first Covid-19 death. A second Covid-19 death is reported in the Greater Houston Area.

Governor Abbott issues statewide mandates closing bars, restaurants, gyms, and schools in Texas.

March 23rd, 2020

Harris County launches an online screening tool and two additional testing sites to help streamline the Covid-19 testing process for residents.

March 24th, 2020

Harris County issues a Stay at Home, Work Safe Order through April 3rd for county residents.

Harris County issues a Stay at Home, Work Safe Order for the City of Houston and all other cities within Harris County. The order went into effect at 11:59 pm on March 24, 2020. Similar orders are implemented throughout the country to help slow the spread of the virus. The measure restricts gatherings and leaving home unless the individual’s job is essential for the health and safety of the community.

Places of worship are considered non-essential, must close, and may choose to provide services online. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency provides a list of essential employees and businesses.

March 31st, 2020

Harris County extends the Stay Home, Work Safe Order through April 30th.

April 3rd, 2020

Harris County surpasses 1,000 Covid-19 cases and 13 fatalities.

April 11th, 2020

The U.S becomes the first country to record 2,000 fatalities in a single day.

April 13th, 2020

Harris County expands Covid-19 testing capability with two additional pop-up locations and doubles testing capacity at existing sites.

April 17th, 2020

Governor Abbott announces phased reopening of Texas to begin May 1st.

April 18th, 2020

Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio now require people to wear masks while out in public.

April 22nd, 2020

Harris County's mask mandate becomes effective for 30 days.

April 27th, 2020

Harris County announces strike teams to bring Covid-19 testing to senior centers and high-risk communities.

May 1st, 2020

Phase I of reopening Texas begins - businesses, retail stores, restaurants, and movie theaters are allowed to reopen at 25% capacity.

May 8th, 2020

Texas surpasses 1,000 Covid-19 deaths.

May 18th, 2020

Phase II of reopening Texas begins - child care facilities, massage parlors, and youth clubs reopen immediately.

May 21st, 2020

Harris County announces reopening worker protection guidelines for business, manufacturing, and construction sector during the pandemic.

As area employers prepare to reopen safely, the guidelines recommend actions such as staggering employee start times, providing short breaks for workers to wash their hands, identifying a designated safety monitor to oversee safety protocols, and screening employees for symptoms of COVID-19. Other recommendations include sanitizing equipment, recording attendance to allow for contact tracing in the event of an outbreak, and continued use of facemasks and social distancing measures.

Our goal is to create an environment where employees feel safe going to work...No one should have to choose between staying safe and putting food on the table. - Harris County Judge Hidalgo.

June 1st, 2020

Harris County opens free Covid-19 testing stationary sites in Pasadena and Cy-Fair.

June 3rd, 2020

Phase III of reopening Texas begins - businesses operating at 25% capacity allowed to increase occupancy to 50%.

June 11th, 2020

Harris County announces a new Covid-19 threat level system as county hospital admissions reach the highest levels to date.

June 17th, 2020

New Coronavirus infections hit record highs in six US states, including Texas.

June 19th, 2020

Harris County issues new Covid-19 health and safety requirement for businesses.

June 26th, 2020

Harris County threat level upgraded to 'severe' as Covid-19 spread continues record-breaking climb.

Phased reopening of Texas pauses - bars shut down again and restaurants roll back to 50% capacity.

July 2nd, 2020

A new statewide face covering mandate is issued.

Texas Governor Abbott issues an executive order requiring face coverings in public spaces for counties with 20 or more positive COVID-19 cases on July 2, 2020. A proclamation is also issued giving mayors and county judges the ability to impose restrictions on outdoor gatherings of over 10 people.

July 8th, 2020

The United States formally withdraws from the World Health Organization

July 24th, 2020

Harris County and Houston local health authorities sign joint health order requiring suspension of in-person instruction until at least September 8th.

As COVID-19 cases continue to increase in the county, a joint public health order is issued requiring all public and non-religious private schools in Harris County to remain closed to in-person instruction until at least September 8th. Due to the uncertainty of public health conditions, many local school districts develop an online-only instruction policy for the first weeks of the new school year.

Opening schools safely is a public health priority...Harris County schools must reopen in a manner that prioritizes the health and safety of children, staff, families, and the community. Considering how widespread this virus is in the community, we feel it is not safe at this time. - Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH, local health authority for HCPH

August 11th, 2020

Texas hits 500,000 cases of Covid-19.

August 12th, 2020

Harris County releases a county roadmap to reopen schools.

August 17th, 2020

Texas reports 10,000 Covid-19 deaths.

August 21st, 2020

Harris County announces the opening of six mobile testing sites in addition to the two stationary sites.

October 14th, 2020

Bars in Texas reopen.

October 19th, 2020

Harris County announces testing at nine sites.

November 11th, 2020

Texas surpasses one million Covid-19 cases.

December 5th, 2020

The State of Texas announces the first batch of more than 49,000 Covid-19 vaccines to be distributed to Harris County area hospitals.

December 14th, 2020

First Covid-19 vaccines administered in Texas.

December 19th, 2020

Texas surpasses 25,000 Covid-19 deaths.

December 22nd, 2020

Harris County Public Health announces the arrival of the second shipment of 3,000 Moderna Covid-19 vaccines.

Harris County Public Health (HCPH) continues to vaccinate Tier-1 and 2 groups per the Texas COVID-19 Vaccination plan. Those who work to protect the community and residents at long-term healthcare facilities, those who are at high risk of developing complications from COVID-19, and first responders/essential workers are also vaccinated.

December 29th, 2020

Texas surpasses 1.5 million cases.

January 7th, 2021

First case of the UK variant in Texas.

January 14th, 2021

1 millionth vaccine dose administered in Texas.

February 12th, 2021

More than 1 million Texans fully vaccinated.

March 2nd, 2021

Texas announces the end of the mask mandate and reopens at 100%.


Director's Message

It has been said many times: 2020 was a unique year.

In most years, the historic hurricane season alone would have been more than enough to make 2020 a noteworthy year. Covid-19, the longest and most complex activation in the history of the Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, changed our reality forever.

It also underscored our value as a coordination point during an emergency response. Our team’s leadership worked with other emergency management agencies around the nation to compile best practices and learn from each other’s experiences. HCOHSEM conducted hundreds of briefings that connected leadership at all levels with our partner’s activities on the front lines of the pandemic. The Planning team compiled situation reports to update our partners and the Communications team helped make sure our residents were informed. Thanks to the incredible work of the Logistics team, millions of pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) and sanitation equipment were ordered, processed, and distributed to county departments and the regional healthcare system. COVID-response has been a true team effort.

Over the course of the year, we managed the response to several threats, from the ongoing pandemic, to the Winter Storm and associated challenges, as well as chemical fires throughout the community. All along, we kept our focus squarely on the safety of our community.

Normally this report would discuss hundreds of outreach events, inter-agency meetings, and exercises. Many of those events did not happen in the early months of 2020. It took time to adjust to socially distant environments and online formats.

The extraordinary hurricane season, with 30 named storms, was a reminder that our vulnerability to natural threats is always there. Tropical Storm Beta made landfall in mid-September near Matagorda Bay bringing 10-14 inches of rainfall and flooding across Harris County. Hurricane Laura was a near miss that triggered evacuations along the Gulf of Mexico coast and Galveston Bay before devastating eastern Texas and Louisiana.  

But we’re still getting a lot done to make Harris County safer and more resilient.

In 2020, the Harris County Commissioners’ Court adopted a Harris County All-Hazard Mitigation Plan, the most in-depth study of the county’s risk ever completed. It will help Harris County and the other signatories to the plan make informed decisions on future mitigation projects. The plan, for the first time, addresses potential threats from climate change and will be an accurate baseline for the next mitigation plan in 2025. 

We also began the Uniform and Unified Approach to Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. This study, to be completed in 2021, will help develop a path to including the whole community in the emergency management cycle leveraging volunteer groups, communities of faith, and more as we face and recover from threats. 

This is the kind of big thinking and action we need to take to meet the challenges of the 21st century. 

I am proud of the office’s response to 2020. HCOHSEM remains a national model of emergency management. I thank you for the support and partnership that makes that possible.

Sincerely,

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo


HCOHSEM by the Numbers

Mission Statement

The Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management (HCOHSEM) will be a national model of “best practices” in emergency planning, preparation, response, and recovery.

HCOHSEM will help prepare, safeguard, and protect the residents and property of Harris County from the effects of disasters through effective planning, preparation, response, and recovery activities. To accomplish this mission, we will:

Develop, maintain, and coordinate a comprehensive emergency management plan.

Activate and staff an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to coordinate and support efforts to respond to, and recover from, emergencies and disasters.

Develop and assist in the delivery of effective public outreach programs.

Collect, provide, and disseminate information for elected officials, the media, our residents, partners, and other stakeholders.

Train, educate, and prepare for emergencies through the development and delivery of effective classes, drills, and exercises.


Activation Levels

Homeland Security

The HCOHSEM Intelligence Task Force (ITF) collaborates with local, state, and federal partners to develop and coordinate programs to meet the region’s homeland security needs. ITF works to provide timely, actionable intelligence to the local public safety community via its Threat Information Summary Report (TISR), In Focus, and the Texas Nexus Review.

2020 Hurricane Season

The official 2020 Atlantic hurricane season exceeded the National Hurricane Center’s (NHC) prediction of named storms in 2020. In fact, the season was the most active and the seventh costliest on record.

The season produced 30 named storms, including 13 hurricanes, six classified as major. In addition, there were two named storms before the official start of the season –Tropical Storm Arthur and Tropical Storm Bertha

HCOHSEM monitors all tropical systems and activates the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) when storms move into or develop in the Gulf of Mexico. We coordinate closely with the NHC as well as the National Weather Service (NWS) Houston-Galveston Office to understand the potential implications of each storm that threatens our region. This collaboration allows HCOHSEM to provide timely, accurate information to local officials, our partners, and the residents of Harris County.

While 12 tropical cyclones made landfall on United States coastlines, only Hurricane Hanna and Tropical Storm Beta made landfall in Texas. In late August and September 2020, Tropical Storms Laura and Beta headed to the Gulf of Mexico, prompting a wave of warnings and watches in Harris County. HCOHSEM activated a total of four days to support response working with the federal government, the City of Houston, and other local governments in the region while continuously responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The season also marked the fifth consecutive above-average hurricane season. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an average hurricane season usually brings 12 named storms, six hurricanes, and three major hurricanes to the Atlantic. Hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30. Peak hurricane season runs from mid-August to mid-October.


2019 Novel Coronavirus

HCOHSEM began tracking the impacts of COVID-19 well before the first cases occurred outside of China in late 2019. As concerns about the potential spread to the United States increased, Harris County Public Health (HCPH) began providing briefing materials to HCOHSEM and other county departments who would be needed to carry out an effective pandemic response.

County Judge Lina Hidalgo, signed a disaster declaration in support of HCPH. Our office then activated to Level 1 - Maximum Readiness on March 2. We activated the Emergency Operations Center with full partner support and remained at Level 1 for the remainder of 2020, 304 days.

It was nine days later that the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic with more than 118,000 cases reported throughout 114 countries.

As part of its reopening strategy, Harris County incorporated a new color coded system on the Covid-19 threat level on March 11th, 2020 to inform residents of risks involved with daily activities. The county also published a set of indicators, benchmarks, and more detailed descriptions of each level. The detailed descriptions are included here.

Communications COVID-19 Response

HCOHSEM’s role in coordinating communications was critical to the decision-making process and keeping our community informed. While the COVID-19 activation ran concurrently with other emergencies, our team’s creativity and commitment to our community endured.

Homeland Security (ITF) COVID-19 Response

During the pandemic, the ITF committed itself to producing its regular products, as well as adding a new priority: COVID-19 situational awareness. The task force scanned open-source products, reports, and items provided by local, state, and federal partners to alert the county’s public safety community to common threats and notable trends related to the pandemic.

The ITF also researched and reviewed Covid-19 information almost daily from multiple sources to include local, national, and international media platforms. The information was analyzed and the most important developments shared with HCOSHEM and partners for awareness.

Logistics

The HCOHSEM logistics team facilitates logistical support for countywide emergency operations (i.e., provide supplies, equipment, and PPE) and, if required, sleeping and feeding facilities for HCOHSEM staff.

Planning COVID-19 Response

Since March 2020, the planning team has worked with partners to develop situational reports for the Covid-19 response. Relationships with HCOHSEM partners became extremely important when incorporating Covid concerns into existing evacuation and sheltering plans.

Training

As part of the COVID-19 response, Harris County Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) coordinators created a program that allowed CERT volunteers to assemble protective facemasks, rebottle sanitizer into smaller containers, and bundle masks for distribution while following safety protocols. The teams were able to assemble over 18,000 masks in approximately 720 volunteer hours. In addition, volunteers bottled 500 gallons of sanitizer and re-packaged 200,000 masks for distribution.

HCOHSEM staff also worked to assist Harris County Public Health (HCPH) with their early testing sites at Stallworth Stadium in Baytown. HCOHSEM was able to coordinate CERT volunteers from BayCERT to assist HCPH at the Baytown testing location which saw over 1,000 residents its first week. HCOHSEM knows that the most successful response to a disaster comes through coordination and collaboration.


HCOHSEM Planning

HCOHSEM develops and maintains emergency operation plans based on an all-hazards approach and following state and federal guidelines. Harris County’s Basic Plan and its 22 annexes define and describe how the county will respond to incidents and provide guidelines for emergency management activities including mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. HCOHSEM strives to meet FEMA’s “Whole Community” approach to planning and integrates guidance for functional and access needs (FAN) residents into current plans.

In 2020, the Planning Section:

  • Produced Incident Action Plans, Situational Reports, Judge’s Briefs, and GIS products to assist operations and first responders with activities that are occurring throughout the county and the region.
  • Engaged in scheduled meetings with partners and provided feedback from an emergency management perspective.
  • Maintained the State of Texas Emergency Assistance Registry (STEAR) for Harris County.
  • Completed a 6-month planning effort to update the Harris County’s Basic Plan in partnership with the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office, local jurisdictions, and local government entities.
  • Each local and inter-jurisdictional agency is required to prepare and keep current an emergency management plan for its area providing for disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Nineteen cities and 33 emergency service districts signed on to the Harris County Basic Plan.

The following annexes were updated in 2020:

Annex K - Public Infrastructure & Engineering

The purpose of this annex is to outline the local organization, operational concepts, responsibilities, and procedures to accomplish coordinated public infrastructure and engineering activities during emergencies.

Annex M - Resource Management

This annex provides guidance and outlines procedures for efficiently obtaining, managing, allocating, and monitoring resource utilization during emergencies or when incidents appear imminent.

Annex S - Transportation

The purpose of this annex is to outline our concept of operations and organizational arrangements for transportation of people, supplies, and materials during emergencies, assign responsibilities for various transportation tasks, and outlines related administrative requirements.

Annex W - Finance

This annex provides for the implementation of financial operations concerning emergency business administration for Harris County. If any portion of Harris County should experience a Federal, state, or local declared disaster, the county must meet the requirements for purchasing record-keeping to be reimbursed for certain emergency expenses. Annex W outlines the process for achieving this goal by creating and implementing a system for this purpose.

GIS Team

In 2020, the HCOHSEM GIS Team worked hard to conquer all the challenges they faced. Working in collaboration with the Planning and Communications Teams, the GIS Department helped plan for the unknown, maintain data libraries, and monitor situational awareness within the office.

With simultaneous activations from COVID-19 to tropical weather, the GIS Department paired up with numerous partner agencies to track and display COVID-19 case counts and their trends.

The team also focused on mapping potential storm surge levels, monitored high water locations, and produced 665 products with 439 being hard-copy maps while the other 226 were cloud-based Esri products. The cloud-based products included StoryMap, Operations Dashboards, surveys, and web applications.

HCOHSEM Collections


HCOHSEM Operations Section

The 2019 ITC Fire Gap Analysis identified the need for an Operations Supervisor and an additional Industrial Liaison to enhance HCOHSEM’s ability to respond to hazardous material and other industry-related incidents, among others. In 2020, the Harris County Commissioners’ Court approved the addition of both positions and a formal Operations Section was created.

The Operations Section was created to support the tactical operations of our law enforcement, fire, pollution control, and other partners in the field. They may also coordinate the county’s response to emergency disaster assistance requests from jurisdictions in the county.

In 2020, HCOHSEM's Operations Team responded to six incidents:

June 4

KSOLV tank reaction and overpressure in the Channelview area.

July 8

Pelican Asphalt explosion and fire in the Channelview area.

August 18

Chevron tank fire in Pasadena, TX.

September 22

Train derailment in Galena Park, TX.

December 11

Odfjell Terminal fire in Pasadena, TX.

December 15

Total Petrochemicals and Refining fire in La Porte, TX.


Emergency Operations Center

The Harris County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is a state-of-the-art facility equipped with the latest technology and designed for round-the-clock operations. The EOC is a centralized location where public safety, emergency response, county departments, community services, and other jurisdictional agencies can coordinate planning and support activities. The EOC is located at Houston TranStar.

Community partners that can reach our county’s most vulnerable communities provide additional support during activations. Among the organizations who were instrumental in EOC operations throughout 2020 are:

American Red Cross

Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES)

BakerRipley

Big City Access

CenterPoint Energy

Church of Jesus Christ - Latter Day Saints

Greater Houston Community Foundation

Houston Arts Alliance

Houston Methodist

Masterword (Spanish Interpreters)

Sorenson Interpreting (ASL Interpreters)

United Way of Greater Houston

Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster Relief

Volunteer Houston

Weather Summary

April 14

Large hail falls over several areas of southeast Texas. 1.50 inches in Katy, 3.50 inches near Huntsville and Trinity. Similar sized hail also reported near Crosby, TX.

April 19

Tornado touch down off Hwy 35 near West Columbia. Golf ball size hail three miles NNE of Katy. Wind damage reported in Tarkington Prairie in Liberty County.

May 15

Slow moving heavy rainfall occurred across portions of Harris and Fort Bend counties during the afternoon and early evening hours. Sixty to eighty apartment units in Pasadena, TX were flooded with 1-2 inches of water.

May 27

A cluster of severe thunderstorms producing winds of 50-70 mph moved across the western and central portions of SE TX. Over 300,000 residents lost power along with numerous downed trees. 71 mph at Galveston Island and EF-0 tornado in Pasadena.

May 28

A large and log tracked waterspout moved southward along the western shore of Galveston Bay from near Shoreacres to just north of Galveston Island and is captured by several resident, webcams, and law enforcement.

June 25

Heavy rainfall of 4-8 inches with isolated totals of 10 inches from Colorado County to northern Fort Bend to western Harris County. Numerous roads flooded and were impassable.

September 21-23

Tropical storm Beta made landfall near Port O'Connor on 9/21 with sustained winds of 45 mph. Prolonged coastal flood event along much of the upper Texas coast with tides 2.0-4.0 feet above normal levels for 2-3 days resulted in significant coastal flooding and beach erosion. Flooding rainfall of 8-12 inches of portions of Galveston, Brazoria, and southern Harris Counties. Clear Creek exceeded its banks along nearly the entire channel. Twenty to twenty-five homes sustained flood damage in southern Harris and northern Brazoria Counties.

October 9

Hurricane Delta made landfall near Creola, LA or 12 miles east of the landfall point of Hurricane Laura 6 weeks earlier with sustained winds of 100 mph. Elevated tides and tropical storm force winds affected much of the upper TX coast. Wind gusts of 101 mph at Texas Point, 51 mph at University of Houston, 63 mph at Anahuac, 48 mph at Freeport, 53 mph at Galveston, 47 mph at Nassau Bay, and 74 mph at the buoy 20 miles east of Galveston Island were recorded.


Training & Exercise


HCOHSEM Communications

The Coronavirus pandemic placed extraordinary demands on communications and beyond. HCOHSEM’s Communications Department expanded virtual work capabilities using new tools and best practices that supported collaboration, productivity, and continuity.


Emergency Management Partners

Non-profit & Community Groups

As the county responds to and recovers from disasters, non-profit partners such as the American Red Cross, the Houston Food Bank, Salvation Army, and other community-based partners deploy resources to assist residents most impacted by emergencies. HCOHSEM meets with these partners regularly to better understand their community members and operations, and to plan an effective recovery for the whole community.

Business & Industry

Along with the largest petrochemical complex in the world, Houston is home to Fortune 500 companies, the Texas Medical Center, Port of Houston, and thousands of businesses that drive the local and national economy. HCOHSEM has an Industrial Liaison program that provides the industrial community a touchstone in the county. Our liaisons serve as on-scene contact during industrial incidents or to provide expertise to the HCOHSEM staff in the planning and communication processes.



6922 Katy Road, Houston, TX 77024

(713) 881-3100