Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management

What Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management does

The Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management (HCOHSEM) is a department of Harris County Government, Texas, charged with county-wide emergency planning, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. The agency is directed by Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and led operationally by Emergency Management Coordinator Mark Sloan; HCOHSEM has been in continuous operation since 2001 with a current staff of approximately 35. Its core platform is the public-facing ReadyHarris.org portal, which aggregates real-time alerts via the Everbridge mass-notification system, preparedness content, multilingual resources (English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Arabic), and links into partner systems including ArcGIS for mapping, Houston TranStar for traffic and road closures, the Harris County Flood Warning System for rainfall and bayou conditions, CenterPoint Energy for outage tracking, the National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center for weather and tropical advisories, and the Texas Division of Emergency Management's iSTAT damage-assessment survey tool. HCOHSEM also operates the STEAR-based functional-needs registry, the Harris County Citizen Corps Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteer program with more than 67,000 trained volunteers since 2003, and the Harris County Flood Resilience Plan under the broader Harris Thrives initiative. The agency runs the county Emergency Operations Center with documented activation levels and produces annual reports plus Practice Notes capturing operational lessons learned.

The business model is non-commercial: HCOHSEM is funded through Harris County's general budget and may receive federal disaster-relief and preparedness-grant allocations; all services, alerts, and content are provided at no charge to residents and partner agencies. Customer segments are the general public of Harris County (a fast-growing metro exceeding 4 million residents), Harris County executive leadership for funding and policy oversight, and first-responder and partner-agency networks for coordinated response. There is no GTM motion, pricing model, or commercial revenue mechanic.

Name

Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management

Legal name

Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management

Website

https://readyharris.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management (HCOHSEM) is a county-government department that plans for, responds to, and helps residents recover from emergencies and disasters across Harris County, Texas, via the ReadyHarris.org portal, mass-notification alerts, and partner-agency coordination.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Management Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (92216), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Management & Disaster Response (EOC, Civil Defense) (BPAIAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Emergency Communications, Alerting & Public Warning Systems (HLAJAGAF), Natural Disaster Preparedness & Recovery (Storm/Flood/Wildfire) (BPABANAI)

Keywords

• Emergency management services
• Public alert systems
• Disaster preparedness
• Emergency response coordination
• Homeland security

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management operates the ReadyHarris.org digital platform as the central hub for emergency preparedness, response, and recovery across Harris County, Texas. The agency provides real-time emergency alerts (via Everbridge), multilingual preparedness guides in five languages, hurricane and severe weather guidance, evacuation assistance coordination through STEAR, flood resilience planning, and CERT volunteer training programs for over 67,000 community participants.

Product overview

Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management (HCOHSEM) operates the ReadyHarris.org portal as its primary unified emergency management platform, providing public access to emergency preparedness resources, real-time alerts, and regional coordination tools. The ecosystem includes ReadyHarris Alerts for mass notification, the STEAR registry for vulnerable population support, multilingual content resources (Emergency Preparedness Guide, Hurricane Brochure, Emergency Essentials Checklist in 5 languages), and the Harris County Citizen Corps volunteer program. The agency connects to multiple external data platforms including Houston TranStar for traffic data, ArcGIS for mapping, CenterPoint for outage tracking, National Weather Service, and Harris County Flood Warning System. Key programs include the Flood Resilience Plan, Practice Notes documenting operational best practices, and annual reporting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ReadyHarris.org Public Portal Primary public-facing emergency preparedness portal and alert system for Harris County residents, providing real-time emergency alerts, preparedness resources, multilingual guides, and connections to state and regional emergency management tools.
• ReadyHarris Alerts (Everbridge Mass Notification) Mass notification and emergency alert system for Harris County, enabling residents to register for real-time emergency notifications via multiple channels including SMS and email.
• Emergency Preparedness Guide Comprehensive emergency preparedness guide available in five languages (English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Arabic), covering family planning, emergency kits, and disaster response procedures.
• Hurricane Brochure Hurricane-specific preparedness information brochure available in five languages, covering hurricane tracking, evacuation procedures, and safety measures.
• Emergency Essentials Checklist Emergency supply kit checklist available in 5 languages (English, Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese), guiding residents on essential supplies for emergency preparedness kits.
• Ready for Anything Video Multimedia preparedness video available in English, Spanish, and with ASL captions, walking residents through assembling emergency kits, developing family plans, and registering for alerts.
• Harris County Flood Resilience Plan Comprehensive flood mitigation and resilience planning initiative for Harris County, part of the Harris Thrives campaign to reduce flood impacts.
• Harris County Citizen Corps (CERT Volunteer Program) Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteer program training volunteers in emergency preparedness and supporting first responders during disasters, grown to over 67,000 trained volunteers since 2003.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 67,000 trained CERT volunteers since program inception in 2003, supporting first responders year-round.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/harris-county-office-of-homeland-security-and-emergency-management

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management