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Denton County honored with state emergency-management award for 2024 tornado response
Summary
Denton County Commissioners Court proclaimed county emergency-management partners winners of the 2024 EMAT Excellence in Emergency Management Award for coordinating response and long-term recovery after severe May 2024 storms and tornadoes, and recognized local donations and volunteer efforts that supported recovery.
Denton County Commissioners Court on April 22 proclaimed the county Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and partner organizations for receiving the 2024 Excellence in Emergency Management Award from the Emergency Management Association of Texas (EMAT).
The court read a nomination from Dr. Maribel Martinez, Emergency Preparedness Director at the North Central Texas Council of Governments, which credited Denton County OEM, the Denton County VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster), the Long-Term Recovery Committee and United Way of Denton County for coordinating response and recovery after two consecutive severe-weather events in May 2024 that included tornadoes and a later storm with 65 mph winds, hail and extended outages.
The nomination said five tornadoes affected Denton and nearby counties, that the county communication center experienced a surge of calls and radio traffic, and that the OEM activated the Emergency Operations Center and deployed a mobile command unit. The court’s proclamation cited 295 damage reports submitted to the Texas Division of Emergency Management and described the county’s work to set up a disaster resource center, an SBA center and a multi-agency resource center to connect residents with aid.
“United Way of Denton County raised over $60,000 from 181 donors,” the proclamation noted, and the transcript record says the Long-Term Recovery Committee committed up to $50,000 in tornado relief funds to impacted households. The proclamation also listed partner organizations involved in recovery case management and debris removal, including Serve Denton, United Way of Denton County, Rotary International District 5790, Giving Grace, legal aid, and various chaplain and volunteer networks.
County leaders and the court praised OEM staff and community partners for both immediate response and long-term coordination. The court unanimously approved the proclamation recognizing the award.
