Emergency Management

Overview

The City of Lakeway’s Office of Emergency Management will ensure, through coordination with county and local shareholders that the City is prepared to respond to, and recover from, all natural and man-made emergencies. 

This Office will provide the leadership and support to reduce the loss of life and property through an all-hazards emergency management program of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

Background

Established in 2021, the Cities of Lakeway, The Hills and Bee Cave collaborated to create the official Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC) role to develop, prepare and manage the needs of the community. 

The EMC has the statutory responsibility to coordinate the city emergency response plans, identify vulnerabilities, effectively mitigate disasters, and disseminate public information. The EMC will respond to all-hazard emergency situations as needed to ensure continuity of government and business within the city, and facilitate an effective recovery plan. 

The EMC will coordinate with local, state, and federal agencies, as well as private entities to develop, maintain, and implement the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). The Office will coordinate city emergency planning, response, support and recovery efforts before, during and after large-scale events and emergencies.   

The EMC falls under the direction of city executives for Lakeway, The Hills and Bee Cave.  

Meet your Emergency Management Coordinator, Waheeda Yousofzoy.

Emergency Management Encompasses:

• MITIGATION/PREVENTION: Actions taken to avoid an incident, or intervening to stop an incident from occurring, in the effort to protect lives and property.
   
   
• PREPAREDNESS: Activities such as planning, training, public education, and outreach to create awareness of potential dangers and increased readiness in our community.
   
   
• RESPONSE: Use of available resources to meet the needs of the community when disaster strikes. Depending on the severity of the disaster, this can include local, county, State, and Federal resources, to include fire and EMS services, public works, and law enforcement.
   
   
• RECOVERY: The long-range support of restoring the community to pre-disaster conditions. This phase includes damage assessments to public and private property, as well as social services to assist citizens. The length of the recovery phase depends on the magnitude of the disaster.

Our Vision

Our vision is for governmental, volunteer and private organizations to have the necessary effective plans, resources and  training for a variable and efficient disaster response.  

Our Mission

To  improve the ability to successfully work together to mitigate against, prepare for, respond to, and recover from an all-hazards related emergency and disaster 

Our Goals

• Identify and assist in the mitigation of natural and human-caused hazards.
• Develop and maintain plans for major emergencies / disasters that build on and complement the existing operational policies and procedures of local emergency response agencies.
• Establish an annual training program that develops and maintains necessary emergency management skills, including conducting exercises to test and validate agency / department emergency response plans and procedures.
• Provide the direction and coordination to identify and manage the additional resources needed for a major emergency / disaster response.
• Gather and disseminate information to the public, including media and local government agencies to assist in the preparation, response and recovery from major emergencies / disasters.
• Serve as the focal point for coordination and the liaison of activities between local, state and federal government in response to and recovery from major emergencies / disasters.

Resources

2021 Citizen Preparedness Workshop Booklet
2021 Citizen Preparedness Workshop Presentation
Personal Emergency Preparedness Training
Emergency Preparedness Videos