Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Brazos County emergency coordinator urges residents to register for CodeRED and enable wireless emergency alerts
Summary
Emergency management coordinator Jason Ware briefed Commissioners Court on local emergency risks and urged residents to register for CodeRED and to enable government emergency alerts on phones so county warnings reach people in life‑threatening events.
Jason Ware, the county’s Emergency Management Coordinator, gave Commissioners Court a 40‑minute presentation on July 29 explaining local hazards, past emergencies in Brazos County and how residents can receive life‑safety notifications.
Ware emphasized two separate systems the county uses: the CodeRED community enrollment platform, which allows residents to register specific addresses and receive geofenced notifications, and the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) / Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) that deliver life‑safety messages to active cell phones in a geofenced area.
Why it matters: Emergency alerts can provide seconds or minutes for life‑saving action during tornadoes, hazardous material releases or large fires. Ware said some residents silence alerts and therefore do not receive messages and showed commissioners how to re‑enable alerts on iPhone and Android devices.
Key technical points and instructions Ware gave the court included: - CodeRED has a community‑enrollment page on the county emergency management site; registrants can add multiple addresses (home, work, school) to get geofenced notices tied to those locations. - Life‑threatening evacuation notices are sent using the WEA/IPAWS system to cell phones connected to a targeted cell tower; messages reach devices only if the phone’s government/emergency alerts are turned on. - On iPhone: Settings → Notifications → Government Alerts; users should enable Emergency Alerts and Public Safety Alerts (Presidential alerts cannot be disabled). - On Android: Settings → Safety & Emergency → Wireless Emergency Alerts and enable Extreme Threats, Severe Threats and Public Safety Messages.
Ware illustrated past incidents where timely alerts mattered: countywide floods and tornadoes since 2015, a 2019 EF‑2 tornado on the east side of the county, and a 2024 evacuation in South Brazos County tied to a gas cloud. He also noted pipeline ruptures in prior years and said registration and alert settings help the county reach the greatest number of residents quickly.
The court added that it sees the emergency notification system as reserved for life‑safety events to reduce “notification fatigue.” Commissioner Nettles thanked Ware and said the court will work with staff to tighten planning and notification as the legislature considers additional tools for jurisdictions.
Discussion versus decision: The presentation produced no formal vote; it was informational and the court’s responses were acknowledgments and commitments to continue planning with emergency management staff. Jason Ware said he will work with the court on future public outreach.
Ending: Ware asked residents to register and check their phone settings; commissioners said they would publicize the registration link and pursue further resilience planning.
