Just off SH-71, sandwiched between a meat processing facility and the Mexican Consulate, Austin’s professional doomsday planners do, well, just that. Austin Emergency Management has gotten busier in the past few years, and has in turn focused on the one thing they feel is most important – the spread of information.
“Information is currency, and we want to give it out,” said Director Jim Redick. “There’s a lot of folks in Austin who have the resources to do the right thing – all they need is the information.”
According to a 2023 Travis County Broadband and Digital Equity Needs Assessment, Austin is a well-connected city in terms of digital access, although there are significant portions of the region that have lower internet subscription rates that tend to align with where low-income households are. Populations that face higher digital barriers include immigrants and refugees, individuals with disabilities, individuals with low literacy levels, justice-impacted individuals, low-income individuals, older adults, people with language barriers, racial or ethnic minorities, rural residents, unemployed individuals, unhoused individuals, and veterans and their families.
“Then there’s folks that don’t have options, and that’s really where I’m kind of focusing on – where the greatest need is, but it’s all about information,” he added. “We look at food deserts, we look at heat islands, we look at all these different things where people in our community are hiding in plain sight.” The department also works with the city’s Homeless Strategies Office ahead of weather events.
The department’s recently revamped strategic plan for the next five years includes information about environmental and cyber disasters, as well as large planned events. It’s purposely digestible, but Redick knows most Austinites won’t read all 35 pages. So, the office has been working to translate their plans through outreach events, and by working with local groups and nonprofits.
Ten monthly preparedness pop-ups in each of the 10 City Council districts build up to the fifth annual Get Ready Central Texas Emergency Preparedness Fair on Sept. 18. Public Information Manager David Wiechmann said the department will be joined by 30 public safety, emergency response, and community service organizations, and will also be giving away emergency kits with NOAA weather radios.
“You’re either a victim, or you’re in a position to be a helper,” Redick said. “You hope you don’t need it, but you’re ready when it happens. If you’re able to help others, then that’s going to alleviate the pressure on the city because there’s only so many responders at any given time.”
In an age of extreme weather and more frequent disasters, Redick likened the department’s work to the philosophy of Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, whose book was made into Vietnam War film We Were Soldiers. “He’s known for saying that ‘there’s always one more thing we could do to increase our odds of success. And after we’ve done that, there’s always one more thing that we can do.’”
For civilians, the department stresses four steps to remain prepared for unexpected emergencies: make a plan, build a kit, know your neighbors, and stay informed.
“The winter storms that we’re seeing, we’re seeing weather here that we didn’t see all the time,” added Wiechmann. “We’re seeing it more often. Austinites need to take those four steps of preparedness seriously, to where they can have a plan, and they can be ready for it.”
When an emergency inevitably strikes, the scrappy strategists at Emergency Management are in their zone – they’ve already done the outreach and communicated the information, but in the end, a plan is only a plan. Things can go wrong, and as Redick said, “you are the help until help arrives.”
This article appears in September 11 • 2026.