CAPCOG briefed Caldwell County on emergency alerts and senior services

The Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) told the Caldwell County Commissioners Court on Dec. 10 that the region’s emergency-notification system and aging programs are active resources for local residents.

Martin Ritchie, CAPCOG homeland security director, described WarrenCentralTexas.org as the region’s emergency-notification portal and urged residents to self-register. Ritchie said the CAPCOG database includes 34,018 telephone numbers and 19,864 cell phone numbers tied to Caldwell County addresses, and he warned several thousand county residents may not be reachable unless they register. He named county emergency-management staff — including “Hector” and Captain Kuykendahl of the sheriff’s office — as local partners who create and send emergency messages.

Christopher Miller, introduced as CAPCOG’s executive director, outlined CAPCOG services such as regional planning, a law-enforcement academy, and training for county staff. Jennifer Scott, CAPCOG’s director of aging programs and the area agency on aging, summarized services funded under the Older Americans Act of 1965 and fiscal-year 2024 spending in Caldwell County: $408,692 total, including $24,000 for in‑home respite, $20,000 for residential repairs (ramps and accessibility work), roughly $317,000 for home‑delivered meals and about $40,000 for congregate-meal programs. Scott said CAPCOG provides Medicare counseling, caregiver support, care coordination, and medication screening, and she said outreach materials were available after the meeting.

Court members thanked CAPCOG for the presentation and for offering training and technical assistance to county staff.