Hays County Emergency Readiness Plan

A county this fast growing does not get to improvise. Improvisation is how you end up on the evening news holding a clipboard and regret.

This plan is built around what you have already put on the table: measurable delivery, real authority of the County Judge in Texas, cross agency coordination, budget discipline, transparency, and readiness that scales with growth in the Aus San corridor.

The five most likely high consequence emergencies

These are the ones that either happen often, hit hard, or both.

1) Major flooding and severe storms

What it looks like in Hays: flash flooding, river flooding, washed out roads, stranded residents, sudden evacuations, comms outages, downstream impacts into Travis and Caldwell, plus long recovery for low water crossings and bridges.

Why it is top five: Texas does not do gentle weather. And growth adds pavement, which adds runoff.

2) Wildfire and extreme heat

What it looks like in Hays: grass fires moving fast, structure exposure, smoke impacts, power demand spikes, water demand spikes, evacuation routes that choke, long duration heat emergencies.

Why it is top five: you can run out of time in minutes.

3) Targeted violence and complex public safety incidents

Mass shooting, active attacker, coordinated threats, major event incident, school threat, courthouse or public meeting disruption.

Why it is top five: even one incident breaks trust for years unless response is fast, coordinated, and transparent.

4) Infrastructure failure with cascading impacts

Power outages, water system disruption, wastewater failures, major roadway collapse, fuel supply interruption, telecom failure.

Why it is top five: modern counties fail in chains. Water depends on power. Hospitals depend on both. Traffic control depends on power and comms. You get the idea.

5) Technology and cyber incidents affecting county operations and critical partners

Ransomware, 911 disruption, dispatch degradation, records system outage, payroll and vendor payment disruption, emergency notification compromise, misinformation campaigns that cause panic.

Why it is top five: counties are targets now because criminals love easy money and outdated systems.

Operating doctrine

This is how the county runs emergencies every time, so we are not inventing a plan while the building is on fire.

The County Judge role

In Texas, the County Judge is the chief executive over Commissioners Court agenda and a key leader in county emergency management coordination, with the practical leverage being:

1. Budget and contracts

2. Interlocal agreements and partnerships

3. Operational coordination and priority setting

4. Public communication and accountability

Not magic powers. Real levers.

Command and coordination model

Adopt one standard: Incident Command System, every time

Non negotiable rules:

1. Every incident gets an Incident Commander.

2. Every incident has objectives written down.

3. Every operational period has a plan.

4. Every agency knows who is in charge of what.

5. Every major incident gets unified command if multiple jurisdictions are involved.

Emergency Operations Center posture

Three levels:

• Monitoring: situational awareness, ready to scale

• Partial activation: key sections staffed

• Full activation: 24 hour operations with shift rotations

Who staffs it

Core sections, with alternates trained and assigned in advance:

• Operations

• Planning

• Logistics

• Finance and administration

• Public information

• Liaison to cities, school districts, utilities, hospitals, TxDOT, and state

Top priorities across all incidents

Life safety first, always

That means decisions reflect actual risk, not politics, not social media noise, not ego.

Stabilize the incident

Contain spread. Prevent cascading failures.

Protect property and critical infrastructure

Especially water, power, comms, roads, hospitals, and shelters.

Restore services fast

With a prewritten restoration sequence so we do not argue in public while residents suffer.

Communicate truthfully and continuously

Silence breeds rumors. Rumors become emergencies.

Prevention and mitigation, the part everyone forgets

This is the boring part that saves lives. Humans hate boring. Too bad.

Flood and storm mitigation

Actions

• Update flood mapping and low water crossing risk tiers countywide

• Pre stage barricades and high water signage by tier

• Standardize road closure triggers by water depth and flow, not vibes

• Bridge and culvert inspection surge schedule before storm seasons

• Hardening of critical facilities against flood and wind, including generators above flood levels

Deliverables

• County map dashboard: closures, crossings, shelters, debris sites

• Annual report: top ten flood risk fixes completed and top ten pending with costs

Wildfire and heat mitigation

Actions

• Fuel break planning around neighborhoods at wildland interface

• Mutual aid automatic aid triggers for fast moving grass fires

• Cooling centers plan with transportation options

• Generator and HVAC readiness at shelters and senior facilities

• Water supply agreements and tanker staging locations

Deliverables

• Red Flag day playbook with staffing and equipment staging

• Heat emergency protocol for outdoor workers and vulnerable residents

Violence prevention and protective security

The county does not control every department policy, but it can fund and coordinate outcomes.

Actions

• Target hardening assessments for county buildings, courts, and large public venues

• Threat reporting intake path with fast triage, including school district coordination

• Joint exercises with sheriff, constables, city agencies, schools, and EMS

• Standard family reunification plan for schools and major incidents

Deliverables

• Annual multi agency exercise with published after action improvements

• Clear public guidance: run, hide, fight basics and where to get help

Infrastructure resilience

Actions

• Backup power and fuel contracts for critical sites

• Water and wastewater contingency operations plan

• Priority restoration list agreed in advance with utilities

• Traffic management and detour plans prebuilt for major corridors

• Contracts for debris removal, emergency bridges, and rapid road repair pre bid

Deliverables

• Critical infrastructure scorecard updated quarterly

• Generator run testing schedule published internally and audited

Cyber resilience

Actions

• Segmented networks for county systems

• Immutable backups and offline recovery capability

• Minimum security baseline for vendors, especially dispatch and records

• Incident response retainer and tabletop exercises

• Public misinformation response protocol that ties into PIO operations

Deliverables

• Recovery time targets by system, tested twice yearly

• Vendor security requirements written into procurement

Readiness architecture

1) People

Training plan

• ICS 100, 200, 700, 800 baseline for leadership and key staff

• Advanced unified command training for command level

• PIO training for transparent public communication

• Legal training for closed session rules and when confidentiality is truly justified

You specifically asked for professional training for anyone who can call closed door meetings. Do it, certify it, track it, and publish the policy.

Staffing reality

• Build depth. Every essential function has a primary and two alternates

• Cross train finance and procurement for emergency purchasing so response does not stall

2) Process

Standard operating guides

• Activation triggers for each hazard

• EOC checklists by role

• Emergency purchasing playbook with guardrails

• Mutual aid request and offer template

• Damage assessment and debris management process

3) Tools

• Countywide mass notification system with bilingual templates

• GIS map dashboards for real time status

• Interoperable radio plan and backup communications

• Shelter management tools and volunteer intake tracking

• After action tracking system with deadlines and responsible owners

4) Partnerships

This is where the County Judge shines for the people.

Standing coordination

• Cities in Hays County

• School districts

• Hospitals and EMS providers

• Utilities for power, water, telecom

• TxDOT and regional planning partners

• State agencies and neighboring counties

• Private sector partners, including major water and power users like data centers and manufacturing

Your growth and tax messaging matters here: major commercial users must be part of resilience planning because they consume capacity and depend on it. Bring them into the plan with expectations, not favors.

Response playbooks for the five hazards

A) Flood and severe storm response

Before

• Pre stage barricades, swift water resources, and shelter supplies

• Public briefing schedule set in advance

• Confirm generator fuel, comms, and staffing

During

• Close roads early based on triggers

• Swift water operations coordinated, no freelancing

• Shelter activation with transportation options

• Continuous public updates with maps and clear guidance

After

• Damage assessment within 24 hours

• Debris plan activated

• Recovery center setup for residents

• Transparent cost reporting and reimbursement tracking

B) Wildfire and heat response

Before

• Red Flag posture plan

• Staged resources and mutual aid triggers

• Cooling center readiness check

During

• Evacuation zones mapped and updated live

• Traffic control on evacuation routes

• Air quality messaging and health support

• Water tender staging and structure protection priorities

After

• Re entry protocol

• Fire investigation coordination

• Long tail support for displaced residents

C) Targeted violence response

Before

• Joint training and unified command agreements

• Pre drafted public statements for accuracy and calm

• Family reunification sites planned

During

• Unified command activated immediately

• Medical surge coordination with hospitals

• Perimeter, investigation, and victim support lanes separated

• Accurate information flow, no speculation

After

• Victim services coordination

• Transparent timeline release when appropriate

• After action improvements published, redactions only for safety and investigations

D) Infrastructure failure response

Before

• Generator testing and fuel contracts

• Priority restoration list agreed with utilities

• Water contingency operations plan ready

During

• Establish incident objectives and restoration sequence

• Open warming or cooling centers

• Traffic management for signal outages

• Public guidance with realistic time windows and resources

After

• Root cause review

• Harden the weakest link first

• Publish improvements and deadlines

E) Cyber incident response

Before

• Backups verified, recovery rehearsed

• Vendor access controlled

• Staff phishing training and quick reporting path

During

• Isolate systems fast

• Maintain 911 and dispatch continuity

• Public communications to prevent panic and misinformation

• Restore in priority order with validation

After

• Post incident report with what happened, what changed, and how recurrence is prevented

Political and social instability layer

You asked for political issues causing emergencies at county, state, country, world levels. The county cannot solve national chaos, but it can stop chaos from becoming operational failure.

County level risks

• Disruptions at public meetings

• Threats to officials and staff

• Misinformation that causes panic during disasters

• Strained trust between residents and public safety

Controls

• Clear public meeting security protocols and behavior standards

• Threat assessment process and protective measures

• Single source of truth communications during incidents

• Community liaison network to push accurate information fast

State, national, global disruptions

• Supply chain disruptions that affect fuel, medical supplies, and repair parts

• Migration and displacement following major disasters

• Economic volatility affecting county revenue and vendor stability

Controls

• Pre arranged vendor options and backup suppliers

• Stockpiles of limited critical items where lawful and sensible

• Budget reserves policy tied to risk, not politics

• Mutual aid relationships maintained and exercised

Transparency and public trust rules

You told me to address open door policy, meetings, and limiting executive sessions. Here is how to make that real without compromising investigations or privacy.

Open information by default

• Publish EOC activation status, objectives, and public safety guidance

• Publish spending summaries weekly during major incidents

• Publish after action reports with a public improvement tracker

• Publish the emergency readiness scorecard quarterly

Executive sessions limited to lawful necessity

• Require written justification citing the allowed purpose

• Require a public facing summary after the session, excluding protected details

• Train anyone authorized to request closed sessions on when it is allowed and when it is not

• Audit closed session frequency and publish counts with categories

Funding and budgeting, the only part that makes plans real

Budget principles

1. Fund prevention because response is more expensive

2. Pre bid contracts for surge needs

3. Maintain reserves tied to real risk models

4. Use performance measures, not pretty binders

Priority investments

• Generators, fuel, comms backups for critical sites

• GIS and notification systems

• Training and exercises

• Road and drainage risk fixes

• Cyber resilience, backups, segmentation, response retainer

Private sector cost sharing

Data centers and high demand commercial users should be part of resilience investments because they stress infrastructure and depend on it. Tie that to fair taxation policy and negotiated support agreements that benefit residents directly.

Metrics that force delivery

A plan without numbers is a bedtime story.

Examples

• Time to activate EOC to partial staffing: target minutes

• Percentage of critical facilities with tested backup power: target percentage

• Closure compliance for high water crossings: target percentage

• Annual exercises completed with corrective actions closed: target percentage

• Backup recovery time for dispatch and core systems: target hours

• Shelter readiness score: target level

Publish these quarterly. Miss them in public. Fix them in public.

Implementation timeline

First 30 days

• Confirm top hazards, triggers, and EOC staffing roster

• Assign alternates and training requirements

• Start procurement review for emergency contracts and generator testing schedule

• Establish public communications templates and dashboard requirements

First 90 days

• Complete tabletop exercises for flood, wildfire, active attacker, infrastructure failure, cyber

• Finalize mutual aid and interlocal agreements updates

• Launch readiness scorecard

First 180 days

• Full scale multi agency exercise

• Close highest priority gaps found in exercises

• Publish first after action improvement tracker and budget alignment

Year one

• Facility hardening projects are prioritized and started

• Cyber resilience improvements tested

• Annual public report and next year improvements list with costs