Emergency Preparedness
Summary
Ector County is running a statewide emergency alert test this week to make sure your phone actually buzzes when there's a real crisis. It’s just a drill, so don't panic when you get the notification.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 17
- Last 30 days
- 4
Impact analysis
This test is a low-cost way to prevent the much higher price tag of a failed communication system during a real disaster.
Every resident in the county benefits by knowing their emergency alerts will work when a real storm or threat hits.
No groups negatively affected
Mentions & discussions (19)
Last chance to register for National Night Out
National Night Out is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, October 6. The deadline to register is Friday, October 2, at 5 p.m. Visit tinyurl.com/mwcdr6jn to register or email odessapd@odessa-tx.gov with any questions. National Night Out is designed to he...
New study suggests Texas power grid vulnerabilities around growing battery fleet
ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) - "When it's urgent, when the grid needs energy, they dispatch…" Battery energy storage systems are now playing a bigger role in Texas' electric grid.These batteries help store energy and release it when demand spikes across...
Despite state law, only eight of 160 utility companies have filed wildfire response plans
By Jayme Lozano Carver, The Texas Tribune Only eight of 160 utility companies that operate in fire-prone areas of Texas have complied with a law that helps mitigate wildfires, lawmakers recently learned. The revelation comes on the heels of a chaotic...
Lawmakers to again consider Texas-wide emergency disaster response system after summer floods, wildfires
By Jayme Lozano Carver, The Texas Tribune LUBBOCK Texas lawmakers will discuss Monday the possibility of establishing a council to coordinate a statewide system to connect all first responders and state and federal agencies when a disaster strikes. T...
Tropical Storm Edouard could reach hurricane strength as it approaches Texas and Louisiana
By JAMIE STENGLE The Associated Press Tropical Storm Edouard was expected to strengthen significantly and possibly reach hurricane force Tuesday as it moved toward the Gulf Coast, where heavy rains and flooding were possible in parts of Texas and Lou...
Coastal Louisiana and Texas warned of tropical storm as a potential hurricane moves toward Hawaii
The Associated Press MIAMI The National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning on Monday for the Gulf of Mexico coast from the Galveston and Houston, Texas, area to the western parishes of Louisiana. As of late Monday morning, the potential...
COVID-19 cases rising in Texas, Ector County health director says trend is normal
ODESSA, Texas (KOSA) - COVID-19 cases are on the rise across the country, and Texas is among the highest growing states, according to the CDC.As of last week, CDC data shows Ector County being one of the many a...
Concerns about the New World screwworm have put Texas pet adoptions on hold
By JOHN HANNA The Associated Press Adoptions are on hold for thousands of dogs and cats in Texas, potentially putting the animals at risk of being euthanized, because of efforts to stop the spread of the New World screwworm, an insect that has crosse...
American Red Cross to host Disaster Action Team Academy training
The American Red Cross invites community members to participate in its upcoming Disaster Action Team (DAT) Academy from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Aug. 15-16, a two-day training event designed to prepare volunteers to respond to home fires and other local d...
American Red Cross offers disaster response training
The American Red Cross Permian Basin chapter is inviting community members to register for a two-day Disaster Action Team Academy training event scheduled for August 15th and 16th in Odessa.
This summer isn’t breaking heat records — yet. Wait until El Nino kicks in, scientists say
By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer Wildfires are burning in North America and Europe. Deadly heat waves have parked over cities and the world’s oceans are the hottest ever recorded for this time of year. A strengthening El Nino is forecast to be of...
Last year’s Hill Country floods traumatized Texas first responders. Then the skies opened again
By Ellie Ashby, The Texas Tribune One year after volunteer firefighter Razor Dobbs scoured the Texas Hill Country for victims of a devastating early morning flood, he stood before an elderly couple reluctant to evacuate their Center Point-area home a...
There are already more US measles cases this year than in all of 2025
By DEVI SHASTRI AP Health Writer The number of measles cases in the U.S. has surpassed the record-breaking tally for all of 2025, with five more months of 2026 still to come. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention logged 2,318 cases of m...
Texas Panhandle shaken by strongest earthquake to hit the region
By Jayme Lozano Carver, The Texas Tribune LUBBOCK A 5.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the Texas Panhandle early Thursday morning, one of the strongest recorded in Texas. Effects from the earthquake were felt throughout the rural region and as far as so...
Tropical Storm Bertha strikes Gulf Coast near the Texas-Louisiana line in second landfall
By RUSS BYNUM The Associated Press Tropical Storm Bertha made a second landfall Thursday near the Texas-Louisiana state line after grazing southern Louisiana in a slow crawl that triggered heavy surf and some flooding along the Gulf Coast but kept th...
Salvation Army opens cooling shelters in Midland, Odessa amid triple-digit heat
MIDLAND-ODESSA, Texas (KOSA) - The Salvation Army has opened cooling shelters in both Midland and Odessa, offering air conditioning, ice cold water, and shelter to anyone seeking relief from the heat.The...
The Salvation Army and partners expand feeding operations following Texas flooding
DALLAS The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) continues to expand feeding and relief operations across the Texas Hill Country as residents begin returning to flood-damaged homes and communities assess the long-term impacts of recent flo...
City, County to participate in statewide public warning systems test
City, County to participate in statewide public warning systems test Odessa American
Winter storm expected in the Permian Basin
Winter storm expected in the Permian Basin Odessa American
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