Document Citation: 37 TAC § 9.2

Header:
TEXAS ADMINISTRATIVE CODE
TITLE 37. PUBLIC SAFETY AND CORRECTIONS
PART 1. TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
CHAPTER 9. PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS
SUBCHAPTER A. DISASTER COMMUNICATIONS

Date:
08/31/2009

Document:
37 TAC § 9.2 (2011)

§ 9.2. Disaster and Emergency Warnings

(a) National weather service. The Texas Department of Public Safety and the national weather service have entered into a cooperative program of tornado and severe weather warnings. National weather service forecasts for general areas where severe weather or tornadoes may develop are transmitted to department of public safety offices in the forecast area and to the emergency operations center in the department of public safety state headquarters. Department of public safety personnel, local police agencies, and local officials are notified to be on the alert should conditions become threatening. When suspicious cloud formations appear on the national weather service radar, the national weather service will request the department to make visual observations at the location indicated and report the findings of the observer to the national weather service through established communications channels. This request for visual observation will be made to the nearest department of public safety headquarters. When the visual observation corroborates the radar finding that severe weather exists, an appropriate warning is issued by the national weather service to local officials in all communities in the affected area.

(b) Department of public safety. When the national weather service requests visual observation of a suspected severe weather area, department of public safety personnel involved will comply with the request and report findings. On occasions when no severe weather forecast has been issued nor a sighting made on radar, and locally severe storms (damaging hail, high winds, flash floods, or tornado) occur in an area or community, it is the responsibility of the department of public safety personnel to report such occurrences to state headquarters as soon as practicable through proper channels and by the most expeditious means of communications. Address this information to the regional commander, highway patrol captain, and regional liaison officer in the region and district where such weather occurred. The message shall contain, as a minimum, the following:

(1) kind of storm;

(2) location;

(3) deaths and injuries, if any;

(4) extent of damage with special reference to schools, hospitals, public utilities, and public property; and

(5) action being taken.