Leadership

When It Counts

Mayor Houstonian, Sylvesterwho has served Turner since As 1989a nativein the Texas House of Representatives, Mayor Turner exhibited strength and a strong belief in our great city before, during, and after Hurricane Harvey. He said, “This is a storm that it testing the city of Houston. If we all work together, we will get through this” Upon learning that Hurricane Harvey was going to be a catastrophic event, he immediately activated Houston’s Emergency Operations Center in order to coordinate and deploy the city’s resources to the areas where flooding would be most dangerous. He coordinated the city departments to deploy high water vehicles or rescue missions. He also communicated and planned with other government agencies in order to provide shelter to those displaced by the flooding. He immediately activated the George R. Brown Convention Center as a massive shelter making sure those arriving would be as comfortable as possible. For that, Mayor Turner, we are grateful and will never forget.

Houston Chief of Police Art Acevedo As Hurricane Harvey aimed for Houston and the National Weather Service declared that there would be severe flooding, Chief Acevedo thought of the day in 2013 when rain flooded Onion Creek in Austin while he was Chief of Police. The knowledge that he gained from that situation, and from his years as an officer since 1986, helped prepare him for what was coming. He organized his police department to protect and rescue those in need. Not one to just dole out orders, Chief Acevedo himself went into waist deep water to bring several people to safety. Acevedo was out in the worst flooded areas of Houston coordinating his resources and rescuing people so they could be brought to the shelters. The loss of one of his officers to the flood, thirty four year HPD veteran, Sgt. Steve Perez, profoundly impacted him. Chief Acevedo had been on just nine months when he met Perez, and said he was “a dedicated individual who would not just not show up to work”. He stayed near the police department headquarters with very little sleep to support his officers cope with the devastation they had just experienced. For that, Chief Acevedo, we are grateful and will never forget. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez Sheriff Gonzalez is a lifelong Houstonian and has served the citizens of Houston in many capacities and agencies since graduating from the University of Houston years ago. His interest in our beloved city goes far beyond just his work responsibilities... the safety of his fellow Houstonians is also personal to him after spending his life here. As the waters rose in most parts of Houston, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez coordinated with other agencies to provide boats and rescue vehicles to the devastated areas. Upon learning that a family had drowned in a van, he doubled his efforts to try to prevent more loss of life. Sheriff Gonzalez told the media that it had been very hard on him to learn of the family drowning near Greens Bayou. When speaking about the family that perished in the floodwaters, he said, “It’s very hard.. The guys are heartbroken. We take it very personal. It’s extra hard, especially when children might be involved”. He worked with federal and state authorities to coordinate Texas National Guard and Coast Guard helicopters and deploy them to the most flooded areas where people were in their roofs asking to be evacuated. Sheriff Gonzalez and his deputies had an area of 1,700 square miles to cover. But the 5,000 sheriff’s employees stayed engaged during the 5 worst days of rain in Houston history. Gonzalez is a proven leader. And for that, Sheriff Gonzalez, we are grateful, and will never forget.

Houstonjoined working departmenta fire himselfFire departmentby Chief 2010,up to Samuelthere’s battalionin 1995, no Peña chiefand doubt quickly Havingof that that Chief Pena is prepared for emergencies. When the first bands of rain approached Houston, Fire Chief Samuel Peña immediately organized the 105 fire stations to be prepared to respond to emergencies and rescue efforts. All the fire stations were set up as shelters for people who could not get to the convention center. Not only did he coordinate those efforts, but also provided information to the community about the bacteria in the water and the possibility of alligators and snakes in the water. He asked homeowners not to go to their flooded homes until they could be accompanied by first responders. He stayed at the Emergency Operations Center coordinating his first responders to go where they were most needed. For that, Chief Peña, we are grateful, and will never forget.

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett When the heaviest of storms drenched Houston and surrounding communities, Judge Emmett coordinated the 911 call centers to insure that those in need would be able to call for assistance. When the Texas National Guard Task Force 1 could not reach Houston due to high water on the roads, Judge Emmett called for volunteers with shallow draft boats to report to a staging area where they would be deployed where they could be more effective. That was a monumental task, said Emmett because they were getting 911 calls from people all over the county asking to be evacuated. Harris County under the leadership of Judge Emmett coordinated rescue efforts with other agencies and the thousands of volunteers. He asked the Texas National Guard to reach out to the Houston Food Bank, which was surrounded by water, in order to get the supplies to all the shelters to feed the evacuees. For that, Judge Emmett, we are grateful, and will never forget.

Hurricane Harvey dumped about 50 inches of rain which caused the loss of about 40 people. Houston is thankful to President Donald Trump for his quick response with federal resources to Texas and his two visits to the affected areas to evaluate the devastation. He called Governor Abbott and told him “Whatever you need, you’ve got”. We are also grateful to Texas Governor Greg Abbott for his leadership in bringing resources and materials to Houston. His reconstruction plans will make Houston rise again.

We are grateful to the thousands of volunteers who helped in the shelters, the volunteers who went into the water to rescue stranded people, the Texas National Guard, the Coast Guard and the US Navy for their help. WE APPRECIATE the police officers, the firefighters, and first responders, and sheriff deputies, employees of different agencies and businesses who worked through the storm to provide services to those affected.