The Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management (HCOHSEM) is providing access to alerts, warnings, and preparedness information to persons who are Deaf, Blind, Hard-of-Hearing, Deaf-Blind, or low-vision through a new one-stop-website.
The Ready Harris Alert System (RHAS) site will house emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation information on disasters. In addition, the system has Braille reader capability and can also send emergency alerts with sign language interpreting along with voice and closed captioning in English and Spanish before, during and after an emergency. The system is compatible with video capable devices such as computers, tablets, cell phones and wireless Braille readers. HCOHSEM will also reach individuals with low literacy in English and Spanish with the resources housed on this site.
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, Harris County is home to the 5th largest population of persons with different types of disabilities, and the 2nd largest population of older adults with disabilities in the United States.
“Communication plays a central role in disaster recovery, connecting survivors with resources and enabling collective action, so we can’t leave anyone behind” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. “Messaging and alert systems should be accessible to all of our communities, and this service will provide a needed lifeline to people with disabilities.”
To sign up for this service, visit the Ready Harris Accessible Alert System.
This is the latest resource HCOHSEM has implemented to reach members of Harris County’s diverse community. Currently, most emergency preparedness information and emergency alerting is available via ReadyHarris Alerts, ReadyHarris.org and social media in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Arabic.