Community Emergency Operations Center
The Brazos County Health District would like to remind you that, due to COVID-19, it’s more important than ever to wear your masks, keep your social distance and maintain proper hand hygiene this holiday season.
Here’s a holiday message from Dr. Seth Sullivan, Brazos County Alternate Health Authority.
Hurricane Laura is rapidly strengthening and is expected to be an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane before making landfall along the Texas-Louisiana border on Wednesday night.
The threats to areas around Sabine Pass and the Texas-Louisiana border region are significant from this storm.
See the 10 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center
At this time, Brazos County does not appear to be in significant danger from the effects of the storm. Forecasts show we may get some thunderstorms, perhaps 1 inch of rainfall and some gusty winds, but the main threats are to the east of us.
Still, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on the latest weather reports and be aware as this powerful storm hits the gulf coast.
Hurricane Laura continued its march toward the upper Texas and Louisiana coasts on Tuesday amid predictions that the storm will intensify to a Category 3 hurricane by the time it makes landfall on Wednesday night or Thursday morning.
As of 4:30 p.m., Brazos County had not been included in official hurricane or tropical storm warnings, but that doesn’t mean we’re necessarily in the clear. Storms like this can change direction quickly, and the storm itself is moving at a rapid pace. That means stronger winds will be felt further inland than with typical tropical systems.
The latest prediction is for Laura to make landfall along the Texas-Louisiana border, but a slight shift to the west could put us right in its path. Now is the time to stay vigilant and monitor local weather updates and alerts about this potentially major hurricane.
Shelters have been opened in three major metropolitan areas to take in evacuees fleeing Hurricane Laura. There are no general public shelters open in Brazos County at this time.
Here’s a list of Evacuee Reception Centers:
San Antonio
254 Gembler Road
San Antonio, TX 78219
(Open at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25)
Austin
Circuit of the Americas
9201 Circuit of the Americas Boulevard
Austin, TX 78617
(Open at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25)
Dallas / Fort-Worth
Mesquite Reception Center
15515 E. IH-20
Mesquite, TX 75181
(Opened at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25)
Ellis County / North Texas
Knights of Columbus Hall
850 S IH-45
Ennis, TX 75119
(Open at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25)
As part of the ongoing efforts across the state of Texas to provide COVID-19 testing, the Texas Military Department, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, the Texas Emergency Medical Task Force, and the Texas Department of State Health Services are partnering to provide mobile COVID-19 testing sites in the Brazos Valley.
What you need to know to get tested:
Priority testing will be given to those in the following groups: people with symptoms (screening will take place), healthcare workers, first responders, those over the age of 65, and contacts to a positive case.
Testing is by appointment only. To make an appointment, visit txcovidtest.org or call 512-883-2400. Registration is not open until 24 hours prior to the testing date.
Appointments are available between 8 am-5 pm at each testing site.
You do not have to be a resident of the county to get tested at that site.
Testing is limited. Appointments are first come, first serve.
For more information about COVID-19 testing sites in Texas, visit texas.gov/covid19.
Businesses that would like to reassure their employees and customers that they are following health and safety best practices can now take the Operation Restart “Recovery Ready” pledge.
By doing so, these businesses are attesting that they are taking every precaution necessary to keep the public safe as the Bryan-College Station community begins to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The pledge accompanies the industry-specific best practices and guidelines created by Operation Restart to complement Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Open Texas Phase 1 guidelines.
Continue reading “Recovery Ready: Are you ready to take the pledge?”
As part of the ongoing efforts across the state of Texas to provide COVID-19 testing, the Texas Military Department, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, the Texas Emergency Medical Task Force, and the Texas Department of State Health Services are partnering to provide a mobile COVID-19 test site in Brazos County.
On Thursday, May 7, 2020, FREE COVID-19 testing will be available by appointment only at the Brazos County Expo Center (5827 Leonard Road, Bryan, TX) from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
For more information about COVID-19 testing sites in Texas, visit www.texas.gov/covid19
Many communities around the country have called on volunteer health care professionals to assist in the care of individuals in hospitals and other health facilities due to the COVID-19 outbreak. To date, preventive measures have protected our local health care infrastructure, and these measures are expected to continue. However, it is important to prepare in the event that additional health care providers are needed in the COVID-19 response effort.
Active or retired health care professionals as well as medical or nursing students who are willing to provide volunteer services within the Brazos Valley are encouraged to register through the clinical provider registration portal. Upon submission, a health care organization will follow up with you to identify where your talents can best serve our patients and communities.
The clinical provider registration portal, along with a list of frequently asked questions, can be found at the link below.
https://health.tamu.edu/covid-help/
For more information, please contact Sara Mendez with the Brazos County Health District at 979-361-5730.
Brazos County’s shelter-in-place order has been extended through April 30, 2020.
In light of continuing developments with the COVID-19 virus in Brazos County, the Brazos County Community Emergency Operations Center (CEOC) has been activated as of March 30, 2020 at 8 a.m. This allows all local government entities a single point of information and resource gathering.
The CEOC has also activated a Joint Information Center (JIC), allowing public information staff from each local government agency to work together, virtually in this case, to coordinate and disseminate information to the public and local media partners.
Continue reading “Community Emergency Operations Center activated”
This could be the call that saves a life. Will you be answering your phone?
The Emergency Notification System was created to notify citizens of local emergencies that occur day or night. A new system has been implemented to more efficiently and effectively reach our citizens.