Austin councilmember unveils 2026 Emergency Management Preparedness calendar featuring 13 student artists

Vanessa Fuentes, councilmember for Austin’s District 2, opened the City Council meeting by announcing the 13 young artists selected for the 2026 Emergency Management Preparedness Calendar and encouraging residents to pick up free copies at Austin Public Library branches and in her district office. "We are so proud to be celebrating 13 incredibly talented young artists who are receiving the Distinguished Service Award," Fuentes said.

Jim Redick, director of Austin Emergency Management, joined Fuentes to recognize the students. "I just wanna be very brief. My name is Jim Redick, and I get to serve as director of Austin Emergency Management," Redick said, adding that the students demonstrated knowledge about threats from floods and tornadoes as well as other hazards. Redick noted the city was focused on preparing for winter weather that weekend and framed preparedness as a community effort: "it takes this one team, this one community to get through any disaster that comes our way."

The contest was open to students in kindergarten through eighth grade who live in or attend school anywhere in Central Texas; Fuentes said winners were chosen from a large number of submissions and that calendars include one selection per month plus a cover and additional honorable mentions on the back. Councilmembers and staff arranged distribution of preparedness kits, trophies and calendars to the students and planned a group photograph following the ceremony.

Why it matters: The calendar is designed to spark conversations about preparedness in families and to give young people a visible role in citywide emergency outreach. Fuentes encouraged residents to pick up a free calendar while supplies last to help families build year‑round emergency habits.

The council did not take any formal votes on the item; copies of the calendar are available at Austin Public Library branches and from Fuentes’s District 2 office.