Letter to Residents
From the Office of the City Manager
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Sugar Land Today | June '09 - July '09 Issue
June 1 isn’t only the beginning of the summer months. It is also the start of the Atlantic hurricane season – and another reminder of the importance of emergency preparedness. With this heightened focus on the tropics – and the recent flu pandemic concerns – it is easy to see just how essential it is that we all work together to help keep our community safe no matter what the emergency may be.
Your City government works around the calendar to be proactive in its emergency planning. Years ago, the City took several steps to prepare for the possibility of a future pandemic. Most notably, a Public Health Authority was created, and Dr. Joe Anzaldua was selected to advise the City during public health emergency situations. He and City staff developed a Disease Control and Response Plan to address a variety of potential public health concerns. These previous efforts benefited the City and our community when Dr. Anzaldua recently aided staff in coordinating with other agencies and area health care providers to disseminate timely information on the status of the potential pandemic and provide practical prevention tips.
Of course, we all know first-hand what kind of impact a natural disaster can have after last year’s Hurricane Ike. Though we hope to be hurricane-free for many years, we have been working diligently to take the lessons we learned and incorporate them into an updated Emergency Operations Plan. We also continue to train both first responders and City staff, and many of our departments will be participating in a large-scale drill in the near future to reinforce these efforts.
We are certainly working hard to ensure we are prepared; however, we cannot do it without our residents!
What can you do? Read the preparedness guide included in this issue of Sugar Land Today. Start your own steps now by creating plans for your family and by purchasing items for a disaster supply kit. Take the opportunity now to register any special needs with Fort Bend County’s 2-1-1 program.
Also, take the simple but significant steps to remain connected and receive accurate information and instructions in the event of any type of emergency. This includes not only registering for the Connect-CTY system to receive direct notifications from the City via phone calls, text messages, or email – but also by bookmarking the City’s webpage on your computer, which will always feature the latest information and updates.
We saw such an amazing spirit of community as we all joined together during the recovery from Hurricane Ike in September, and I hope that you will all join us now in ensuring we are prepared in the event of another emergency. It truly takes everyone – our 640+ employees and our over 79,000 residents – to remain continually prepared, and I thank you for joining with us.