Fort Bend County, TX, (pop. 685,345) may be the best prepared community in Texas. Two hurricanes in 2005–Katrina and Rita–were a wake-up call, affecting thousands of people in the county, and led to many changes in the way the city prepares for emergencies.

Much of the behind-the scenes credit goes to Jeff Braun, a former city manager and current emergency management coordinator.

Braun has focused the county’s disaster preparedness strategy on developing partnerships. He helped form the Fort Bend County Coordination Council (FBCCC), which works with health care facilities, school districts, and responder training programs. The council has simulated emergency exercises, including a terrorism attack, a regional coordination exercise, hurricane exercises, pandemic influenza exercises, a hazmat exercise, and communications exercises to be better prepared for the next disaster.

Braun believes that Fort Bend’s protection and security flow from building relationships between these various entities. In addition to the exercises, Braun also initiated a regular series of meetings that take place about once a month with representatives from the various entities to break down silos and help these key personnel get a chance to know each other and learn about all the elements involved in managing an emergency.

Grant management has also helped Fort Bend prepare for the next disaster. Braun helped the county win more than $10 million in grant funding, primarily from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. As a result, Fort Bend has upgraded its emergency communications systems and renovated an old county jail, transforming it into a modern-day control center.

Under Braun’s leadership, Fort Bend’s Office of Emergency Management has taken great strides to ensure that there is a high level of general preparedness, that precautions are taken to minimize possible hazards, and that every inch of the county is ready for the next disaster.