Blog Post

ETCOG Becomes Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador for National Weather Service

East Texas Public Safety • June 9, 2021
What is Weather-Ready Nation?
The Weather-Ready Nation (WRN) Ambassador™ is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Commerce and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to strengthen partnerships with external organizations toward building community resilience in the face of increasing vulnerability to extreme weather and water events.
As part of the WRN initiative, NOAA partners with emergency management officials, businesses, and the media to motivate individuals and communities to prepare for a potential weather disaster. 

What do Weather-Ready Nation Ambassadors Do?
WRN Ambassadors will serve as change agents and leaders in their community. They will inspire others to be better informed and prepared, thus helping to minimize, mitigate, or avoid the impacts of natural disasters. WRN Ambassadors can encourage these changes in their community in several ways, including:
  • Setting an example by becoming “weather-ready” yourself (e.g., making employee preparedness a priority and having a disaster plan).
  • Promoting Weather-Ready Nation key messages in your outreach activities.
  • Providing incentives to your constituents and stakeholders to become more resilient,
  • Sharing success stories with NOAA.

What Does a Weather-Ready Nation Look Like?
A Weather-Ready Nation takes well-informed communities, businesses and individuals that are ready, responsive and resilient to extreme events. Key actions include: 
  • Know your risk by discovering the weather risks where you live and closely following National Weather Service forecasts and warnings.
  • Act by creating a family emergency plan and kit and making sure you can receive emergency messages (e.g., NOAA Weather Radio, wireless emergency alerts). 
  • Be an example by using social media to share important hazard information.

Ultimately, a Weather-Ready Nation empowers everyone to make life-saving decisions that also prevent devastating economic losses. It is all of us working together to become a nation known for its resiliency in the face of deadly weather events. To learn more about the Weather-Ready Nation initiative or becoming a WRN Ambassador, visit the WRN website at www.noaa.gov/wrn or e-mail NOAA’s Weather-Ready Nation team at wrn.feedback@noaa.gov.

For more resource and notifications, follow our social media pages.
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Homeland Security, Criminal Justice Grant Funding Available for East Texas Public Safety Projects

By East Texas Council of Governments • December 19, 2024
State agencies, local governments, nonprofit organizations, universities or colleges, and federally recognized Native American tribes can soon apply for FY 2026 grant funds from the Office of the Governor, Public Safety Office , State Homeland Security Grant Program and Criminal Justice division. New and continuing applicants in ETCOG’s fourteen (14) county region are invited to attend FREE grant application workshops hosted by the ETCOG Public Safety division . Workshops for each grant category to be held virtually from December 18, 2024, through February 13, 2025. Grant funding will be available for the following programs: Homeland Security State Homeland Security Program – Regular Projects (SHSP-R) Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Activities (LETPA) Criminal Justice General Victim Assistance Direct Services Program (VOCA) Violence Against Women Justice and Training Program (VAWA) Juvenile Justice & Truancy Prevention Grant Program (SF-JJTP) Criminal Justice Program (DJ-JAG) “The goal is to improve public safety, support victims of crime, and assist jurisdictions by filling gaps in the region via funding that promotes innovative solutions to regional problems,” said ETCOG’s Public Safety Director, Stephanie Heffner. “We help applicants understand what needs to go into their grant applications and what they have to track once they receive funding from the state so we can successfully bring public safety projects to East Texas.” Workshops for Homeland Security will be held on the following dates: Wednesday, December 18, 2024 - 10:00 AM Wednesday, January 1, 2025 - 10:00 AM Wednesday, January 8, 2025 - 10:00 AM Wednesday, January 15, 2025 - 10:00 AM Wednesday, January 22, 2025 - 10:00 AM Wednesday, January 29, 2025 - 10:00 AM Wednesday, February 5, 2025 - 10:00 AM Workshops for Criminal Justice will be held on the following dates: Monday, January 7, 2025 - 2:00 PM Wednesday, January 15, 2025 - 10:00 AM Thursday, January 23, 2025 - 2:30 PM Wednesday, January 29, 2025 - 2:00 PM Workshops are mandatory if you plan to apply for funding. To participate in a virtual workshop for Homeland Security, visit www.pineywoods911.com/homeland-security . To participate in a virtual workshop for Criminal Justice, visit www.pineywoods911.com/criminal-justice .
A woman in a police uniform is standing in a park.

$3.4M in Public Safety Grants Approved for East Texas Region

By ETCOG Public Safety • December 17, 2024
The East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG) announces $3.4 million in grants from the Governor's Public Safety Office awarded to East Texas jurisdictions and nonprofits.
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