Fort Bend County OEM prepares residents for hurricane season
Hurricane season 2025: Fort Bend County OEM prepares residents
With hurricane season less than a month away, Fort Bend County officials are making sure residents are prepared for inclement weather. FOX 26's Jade Flury attended the 2025 READY Expo on Saturday.
FORT BEND COUNTY - Hurricane season is less than a month away, and the Fort Bend County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (OEM) is making sure residents are ready for the uncertain weather.
What we know:
From storm surges to flooding and power outages, Houston and surrounding areas know all too well the damage hurricanes have caused in the past. That's why the Fort Bend OEM hosted the 2025 READY Fort Bend Expo on Saturday to raise awareness about emergency preparedness.
"We tell everybody here in the state of Texas and being on the gulf coast, hide from the wind, run from the water," said Greg Babst, the Emergency Management Coordinator for the Fort Bend County Homeland Security Emergency Management.
Last year, Hurricane Beryl left about three million people without power in the greater Houston area, according to a survey by the University of Houston. A week later, hundreds of thousands of people remained without electricity.
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Now, with hurricane season coming up, the Fort Bend County OEM is making sure residents are prepared for inclement weather.
"Almost 80% of our citizens are not born in this country, foreign-born, and they are never exposed to hurricanes or these weather events," said Judge KP George, of Fort Bend County.
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What you can do:
A 2024 survey by the University of Houston showed the top ways people prepare for hurricanes are by charging phones, stocking up on non-perishable foods, and filling up their tanks with gas. However, the study also reveals that power outages are the biggest concern in post-disaster recovery. Now, the Fort Bend County OEM is urging people to build a three-day emergency kit to ensure residents have supplies whether staying put or evacuating.
"Those kits, what we always say, a five-gallon bucket with a lid, waterproof, you know, throw those flashlights in, those battery packs, those important documents, birth certificates, social security cards, insurance papers are good ones to have in there," said Babst.
Click here for information on evacuation routes and hurricane preparation from Fort Bend County OEM.
Click here for information on hurricane preparation from the Houston OEM.
The Source: FOX 26 reporter Jade Flury attended the 2025 READY Fort Bend Expo.