FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas – Fort Bend County Judge KP George joined personnel from the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Monday, updating the public on the progress of the county emergency operations center.
The building, located at 307 Fort Street in Richmond, was originally scheduled to be completed in March but was pushed to late May due to supply delays.
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The two-story emergency operations center occupies more than 24,000 square feet and costs $9.3 million. It serves as a hub for countywide coordination efforts, from incidents to disaster recovery and cleanup. In addition, it will be equipped with a 60-foot video wall and cameras installed throughout the county.
Mark Flathouse, Fort Bend County emergency management coordinator, said during the news conference that Homeland Security and Emergency Management staff will also be housed inside the new building.
“It’s about knowing the emergency and responding to it as quickly and important as we possibly can,” Flathouse said.
County officials hope the building is completely built before hurricane season begins in June.
“Hurricane Harvey was a turning point for our county,” he said. “The county did a lot of things. I always felt that we could do a better job in communicating with our citizens.”
George said the county is booming with population growth, with an estimated one million people in total expected by the year 2027.
The office will use “every communication tool available” to send out important messages to citizens throughout the county in case disaster strikes, George added.