Wichita Falls extends disaster declaration as emergency operations center remains active; officials urge damage reporting

The Wichita Falls City Council on May 6 ratified an extension of a disaster declaration first signed April 30, 2025, keeping the city27s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) active while staff monitored river and storm conditions.

Why it matters: An active disaster declaration enables the city to coordinate staffing and to document damage that may later qualify for state or federal reimbursement, if damage thresholds are met.

What officials reported

Chief (public safety) told the council the EOC had been staffed continuously and that emergency personnel had been out in neighborhoods to warn and assist; his remarks thanked volunteers and staff for advance outreach and described the response as an organized exercise with real-time operations. John Henderson, the city27s emergency management coordinator, and others were credited with organizing briefings and cross-agency coordination.

Funding thresholds and forms

City staff explained why the declaration remains important. The transcript records staff citing state and federal thresholds for disaster assistance — the meeting transcript reported a state threshold of $600,000 and a federal threshold of $59,000,000 for qualifying reimbursement programs — and asked residents to submit damage and infiltration forms to help the city compile damage totals. Officials said each reported damage submission adds to the cumulative record used to determine whether thresholds are met for state or federal assistance.

Examples of damage reports

A meeting attendee, Michael Mitchell, said two rear apartments at a Garfield Street property suffered two to three feet of water infiltration during recent rains. Staff told him to contact emergency-management staff to file damage forms; the city said the forms and documentation are needed to make any future reimbursement request credible.

Discussion versus direction

Discussion: Staff summarized EOC operations, said the EOC was in a monitored posture and described the agencies involved (city departments, Wichita County, Texas Division of Emergency Management).

Direction/assignment: Council ratified continuation of the mayor27s declaration; staff asked residents who had property damage to complete state damage-reporting forms in order to build an accurate damage total.

Ending: The council said it would reconvene the declaration at the next scheduled council meeting (the ordinance expires automatically on June 3 unless extended) and that ongoing monitoring would continue through the declared period.