1. 2-1-1 Texas’s Role in Assisting People During Disasters

2. This is How it Began…. * In 1997, the 75th Legislature passed House Bill 2596 establishing the Texas Information and Referral Network as the single point of coordination for statewide health and human services information and referral in Texas. * Since the initial legislation in 1997, several additional legislative actions have expanded and refined the 2-1-1 Texas Information & Referral Network scope of work. * Senate Bill 397 (76th Session, 1999) required agencies receiving state funding to provide resource information to 2-1-1.House Bill 2641 (76th Session, 1999) required transportation information to be included in 2-1-1. * House Resolution (77th Session, 2001) affirmed the importance of the 2-1-1 Texas Information & Referral Network.

3. Enabling Legislation – Cont. * House Bill 2048 (79th Session, 2005) was passed, instructing HHSC to expand the www.211texas.org site to include information about early childhood programs that are overseen by the Texas Education Agency.. * * RP 57 – (Directive issued by Governor Rick Perry, 2006) relating to implementing recommendations from the Governor’s Task Force on Evacuation, Transportation, and logistics. Created the system now known as the Transportation Assistance Registry (TAR). The 2-1-1 Texas Information & Referral Network is assigned the role of data entry for the TAR. * Senate Bill 1058 – Senate Bill 1058 (80th Session, 2007) required 2-1-1 to provide referrals for reintegration services to military service members and their families. * House Bill 2558 (81st Session, 2009) required home and community support health care providers to register clients and their families with the emergency Transportation Assistance Registry available by dialing 2-1-1. * House Bill 1831 (81st Session, 2009) requires Assistive Living Centers and Nursing Homes to register as entities and to explain to their patients and their guardians the process of registration with the Transportation Assistance Registry.

4. 2-1-1’s Role in the Texas Hurricane Response Plan * 2-1-1 Texas Information and Referral Network (TIRN) seated at the SOC will coordinate dissemination of disaster-related public information to the 2-1-1 Area Information Centers in order to provide an information and assistance conduit for the public. * Provide disaster-related Information and Referral for all phases of the event. * Register callers in the State Transportation Assistance Registry. TIRN representative at the SOC will monitor activity of Transportation Assistance Registry and provide reports as scheduled or requested. * Receive and document calls and forward information and reports to appropriate State agencies or non-governmental organizations. Calls include, but are not limited to, shelters needs, medical concerns, transportation issues, lack of fuel, lack of essentials items such as food, water, and ice, the presence or lack of shelter space, spontaneous shelters and other pertinent concerns.

5. 9. STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 3.9: MAINTAIN EFFECTIVE WAYS TO ALERT LOCAL LEADERS AND THE PUBLIC ABOUT ALL HAZARDS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. a. The Texas Health and Human Service Commission (HHSC) has leveraged statewide assets to build and operate the 2-1-1 system. The completed system offers an effective and unique solution to providing information and referral services to the people of Texas while simultaneously providing a critical support and workload-sharing role in cooperation with a large number of state and local government and community based entities. Across the State, 2-1-1 Area Information Centers have been established to collect and maintain a database of local resource information. 2-1-1 is positioned to play a critical role during an emergency event. It can also be positioned as a critical support role to these government entities by operating as the statewide resource available to take calls from the general public, inform and instruct them in relation to the emergency event, and to refer them to the appropriate response and recovery resource, if necessary. State and local governments will be encouraged to use this system to the fullest extent possible to keep the public informed. b. Providing warning to special needs populations is vitally important and often a challenge. Local governments should work with public health professionals and other resources to maintain a list of individuals within their jurisdictions that require special notification during emergency events, as well as facilities in their jurisdictions that care for individuals with special needs, including nursing homes and hospitals. All special needs facilities must maintain emergency evacuation and transportation plans. In addition, they should maintain a working relationship with all commercial, city, and county facilities where special needs populations reside to ensure the facility managers have established an emergency management plan to respond to emergency events. Local emergency responders should be aware of the needs for these individuals in order to facilitate care during events. PRIORITY ACTIONS: 3.9.1. Leverage the Texas Fusion Center and the statewide intelligence capability to alert local leaders of hazards in their communities 3.9.2. Leverage the 2-1-1 information and referral system to provide hazard and emergency information to the public. 3.9.3. Ensure Texans with special needs receive emergency information, and facilities that care for individuals with special needs maintain evacuation and transportation plans. 3.9.4. Establish a reverse telephone public alert system for hazard information. 48 9. STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 3.9: MAINTAIN EFFECTIVE WAYS TO ALERT LOCAL LEADERS AND THE PUBLIC ABOUT ALL HAZARDS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. a. The Texas Health and Human Service Commission (HHSC) has leveraged statewide assets to build and operate the 2-1-1 system. The completed system offers an effective and unique solution to providing information and referral services to the people of Texas while simultaneously providing a critical support and workload-sharing role in cooperation with a large number of state and local government and community based entities. Across the State, 2-1-1 Area Information Centers have been established to collect and maintain a database of local resource information. 2-1-1 is positioned to play a critical role during an emergency event. It can also be positioned as a critical support role to these government entities by operating as the statewide resource available to take calls from the general public, inform and instruct them in relation to the emergency event, and to refer them to the appropriate response and recovery resource, if necessary. State and local governments will be encouraged to use this system to the fullest extent possible to keep the public informed. b. Providing warning to special needs populations is vitally important and often a challenge. Local governments should work with public health professionals and other resources to maintain a list of individuals within their jurisdictions that require special notification during emergency events, as well as facilities in their jurisdictions that care for individuals with special needs, including nursing homes and hospitals. All special needs facilities must maintain emergency evacuation and transportation plans. In addition, they should maintain a working relationship with all commercial, city, and county facilities where special needs populations reside to ensure the facility managers have established an emergency management plan to respond to emergency events. Local emergency responders should be aware of the needs for these individuals in order to facilitate care during events. PRIORITY ACTIONS: 3.9.1. Leverage the Texas Fusion Center and the statewide intelligence capability to alert local leaders of hazards in their communities 3.9.2. Leverage the 2-1-1 information and referral system to provide hazard and emergency information to the public. 3.9.3. Ensure Texans with special needs receive emergency information, and facilities that care for individuals with special needs maintain evacuation and transportation plans. 3.9.4. Establish a reverse telephone public alert system for hazard information. 48 2-1-1 Roles 1) Help disaster victims and/or shelter population in understanding what recovery programs may be available to them and assist in the application process. 2) Assist in the identification and provision of appropriate services to individuals with special needs. 3) Assist individuals to register in the Transportation Assistance Registry. 4) Provide information on needs-based programs including the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program.

6. Hood Howard Presidio Brewster Val Verde Culberson Hudspeth Jeff Davis El Paso Crane Pecos Reeves Crockett Terrell UptonReagan Andrews Ward Loving WinklerMidland Ector Glasscock Martin Bandera Jim Hogg La Salle Webb Starr Zapata Dimmit Zavala Maverick Kinney Uvalde Frio Medina Nueces Brooks Hidalgo Duval Kenedy Willacy Cameron Jim Wells Kleberg Wilson McMullen Bexar Atascosa Bee Live Oak San Patricio Karnes Guadalupe Gonzales Mason McCulloch Edwards Sutton Schleicher Kerr Real Kimble Menard Nolan Tom Green Irion Mitchell Sterling Coke Runnels Concho Coleman TaylorCallahan Bell Blanco Kendall Comal Gillespie Llano Travis Hays Caldwell Burnet Williamson Comanche Mills San Saba Brown Eastland Hamilton Lampasas Coryell Erath Bosque Somervell Swisher Randall Hockley Gaines Yoakum Cochran Dawson Terry Lynn Lubbock Deaf Smith Bailey Parmer Lamb Hale Castro Hartley OldhamPotter Moore Dallam Sherman Knox Kent ScurryBorden Garza CrosbyDickens FisherJones King Stonewall Haskell Hall Motley Floyd Briscoe Hardeman Cottle Foard Childress Jack Young Stephens Shackelford Throckmorton Parker Palo Pinto Wise Baylor Archer Wilbarger Wichita Clay Montague GrayCarson ArmstrongDonley Hutchinson Roberts Wheeler Collingsworth Hemphill Ochiltree HansfordLipscomb Jefferson Trinity Brazos Lavaca Victoria Goliad Refugio De Witt Calhoun Aransas Jackson Wharton Milam Bastrop Fayette Lee Austin Colorado Burleson Washington Robertson Waller Brazoria Matagorda Fort Bend Harris Galveston Chambers Montgomery Walker Grimes Madison Jasper Liberty Hardin Polk San Jacinto Tyler Anderson Ellis Falls McLennan Hill Freestone Limestone Leon Navarro Henderson Dallas Tarrant Johnson Denton Kaufman Van Zandt Collin Rockwall Hunt Smith Cherokee Houston Nacogdoches Angelina Rusk Shelby Panola Franklin Rains Wood Hopkins Marion Gregg Upshur Harrison Titus Camp Morris Cass Newton Orange San Augustine Sabine Fannin Cooke Grayson Delta Lamar Red River Bowie Gulf Coast Region* South Central Texas Region* North Central Texas Dallas Region* North Central Texas Fort Worth Region* Rio Grande Region* Panhandle Region* South Plains Region* Alamo Region* Tip of Texas Region* Heart of Texas Region North Texas Region Bryan/ College Station* Coastal Bend Region Permian Basin Region* Central Texas Region* Texoma Region* Concho Valley Region West Central Texas Region Southeast Texas Region* South Texas Region Golden Crescent Region East Texas Region North East Texas Region Middle Rio Grande Region Deep East Texas Region 25 AIC Partners for Statewide Coverage

7. What the Community Expected from 2-1-1 * Good Information –Accurate and up to date * A place to call for help and to give help * To be able to talk to a live person who was willing to listen

8. Things That Work Well: * Technology –Ability to work as a single network (calls went to first available agent anywhere in the state) * Communications and Support –Direct connection to State Operation Center –Debriefing Sessions * Resource Information –Sharing information about regional resources throughout the network * Special Needs –Support from Department of State Health Services and TIRN Staff * Volunteers –Caring, dedicated and committed

9. Contributions * Expanded the capacity to respond to the high volume of calls * Provided critically needed management of information about availability of services * Identified unmet and emerging needs, helping direct resources to high priority areas * Provided critically needed telephone reassurance for callers

10. Planning for this Hurricane Season Special Needs Registry

11. Contact Information * David Jobe, LMSW, CIRS United Way of Greater Houston 713 685-2309 djobe@unitedwayhouston.org