Emergency, disaster readiness, recovery program will be July 9 in Houston, July 11 in Port Aransas
Two “Readiness for Resilience: A Smart Technology Roadmap for Texas” workshops will be presented July 9 and 11 in Houston and Port Aransas, respectively. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo)
COLLEGE STATION — The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will present two “Readiness for Resilience: A Smart Technology Roadmap for Texas” workshops on July 9 and 11 in the Texas Gulf Coast area.
The workshops are free and will be held at two different locations so attendees can choose the venue most convenient for them.
Both will be from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., with the July 9 workshop at the University of Houston Student Center, 4455 University Dr., Houston, and the July 11 workshop at the Port Aransas Community Center, 408 N. Alister St, Port Aransas.
Coordinators said these workshops have been designed for county and municipal leaders, long-term recovery groups, emergency management, public works, utilities, hospitals, levee and flood control districts, community planners, technology and engineering firms, and representatives from regional, state and federal agency programs.
The workshop agenda addresses smart technology for resiliency, public-private partnerships, funding opportunities and more. For a full agenda, go to the Texas Community Watershed Partners website at https://tcwp.tamu.edu/SmartTech..
“This workshop is a continuation of AgriLife Extension’s commitment to post-Harvey, long-term community resilience through the Smart Technology Roadmap for Texas,” said Steven Mikulencak, AgriLife Extension program specialist and liaison to the Governor’s Commission to Rebuild Texas, Houston.
Mikulencak said community leaders, stakeholders and technology partners will convene at the workshop to discuss post-Harvey regional project directions, case studies, public-private partnerships and funding opportunities as they work to build a more resilient Texas through smart technologies.
To register, go to https://bit.ly/2KSNTE9.
Additional program sponsors include Smart Cities Council, Governor’s Commission to Rebuild Texas, Business Council for Sustainable Energy and National Association of State Energy Officials.
Charriss York, Agrilife Extension program specialist in Houston, also noted AgriLife Extension presented three Harvey Communities Forums last spring in areas affected by Hurricane Harvey.
Additional one-day forums were held to get input and insights from community leaders and local officials on disaster response and recovery. (Photo courtesy of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service)
“These free forums were one-day events for community leaders, school district administrators and local officials and staff to come and hear from speakers who shared insights and personal experiences related to disaster response and recovery,” York said. “Attendees heard from community leaders in Texas and elsewhere about both their failures and community-led successes.
“They were a way to learn what other communities have done and how that could apply to our communities here in Texas.”
She said the Readiness for Resilience workshop will share the information and knowledge gleaned at those forums, as well as other experiences and lessons of the past year, and show how smart technology can help support long-term community resilience in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
For more workshop information, contact Mikulencak at smikulencak@tamu.edu), York at cyork@tamu.edu or Madeline Jones at mljones@tamu.edu.
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Writer: Paul Schattenberg, 210-859-5752, paschattenberg@ag.tamu.edu
Contacts: Steven Mikulencak, 607-592-3115, smikulencak@tamu.edu
Charriss York, 281-694-5508, cyork@tamu.edu
Madeline Jones, 832-303-3171, mljones@tamu.edu
