Mayor Kirk Watson and Travis County Judge Andy Brown on Tuesday urged Austinites to prepare for an elevated wildfire season, citing drought, high winds and a recent District 10 evacuation exercise as examples of growing local risk.

"We are the fifth in the nation for the number of homes at risk from wildfires," Mayor Kirk Watson said, noting small embers can spark major damage when conditions are dry. Watson framed the city's outreach push around a "No Ember November" awareness effort and said officials plan ongoing community sessions in other council districts.

Judge Andy Brown described a collaborative protection plan—building on work first started in 2003—that will identify vulnerable areas, set cross-jurisdictional priorities and map needs to qualify for federal mitigation funds. Brown said the county will hold a public meeting on Nov. 19 for input and that an online survey will be available for those who cannot attend.

Fire and emergency officials said most wildfires begin with human activity and urged residents to take simple home-hardening steps. A fire official at the briefing advised residents to review evacuation plans, discuss mobility or accessibility challenges with planners, and consider worst-case scenarios when deciding whether to shelter in place or evacuate.

Officials described operational "annexes" being added to evacuation plans that lay out how and where residents will be notified, what actions to take and where to go for shelter. Partners listed at the briefing included local fire departments, police, Public Works, CapMetro and the American Red Cross; officials said the plan will be developed with community input.

The city and county also urged residents and homeowner associations to request presentations and neighborhood outreach. Officials pointed people to ReadyCentralTexas.org and ATXWildfireHub.com for resources and presentation requests; they said the alert system Everbridge (referred to at the briefing as the mechanism for urgent public notifications) and the regional subscription tool cited as "Warm Central Texas" will be used to send life‑safety messages and shelter information.

Watson announced a national emergency-preparedness conference Nov. 11–12 that he said will bring together emergency departments, evacuation planners and technology providers. He also discussed the municipal budget process, saying any changes to the city budget to address wildfire work would be modest and handled through upcoming council work sessions.

Officials repeatedly urged residents to register for alert services and to participate in local drills and neighborhood events. They emphasized that preparedness is year-round, not limited to any single month, and asked community groups and HOAs to schedule presentations through the online portals mentioned at the briefing.