Council proclaims Suicide Awareness and National Preparedness months; local survey flags gaps in household preparedness

Mayor Ishmael Harris read a proclamation recognizing September as National Suicide Awareness Month in Bastrop and asked residents to reach out to neighbors who might be struggling. Chrissy DePine, representing the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, accepted the proclamation and shared a personal note: she said she lost her son to suicide in 2022 and thanked the council for the recognition.

On preparedness, an executive director with the Bastrop County Long Term Recovery Team presented results from a four‑week preparedness survey: 418 responses citywide with 286 identifying as Bastrop residents. Only 97 respondents said they had a family disaster plan, 49% said they were only 'somewhat confident' in their ability to evacuate quickly, and just 11% reported having a go‑bag ready. The presenter recommended bilingual standardized emergency posts, translated resources on the city’s emergency page, evacuation signage in single‑ingress neighborhoods, incentives to encourage preparedness and more coordinated county/city social‑media widgets to move away from ad hoc reliance on social channels for critical updates.

Council accepted the proclamations and thanked the long‑term recovery team for the survey; staff noted the city already maintains a designated emergency page and agreed to consider translation and outreach measures.