EOC activated to focus on efforts to protect staff, their families, and the public
Texas Border Business
Mission, TX – Mission Mayor Dr. Armando O’Caña elevated the city’s emergency readiness to Level One on March 25, its highest level due to concerns about the spread of coronavirus.
“My top priority as mayor is keeping our city, our community and our employees safe,” he said. “Part of the plan directs departments to identify staff who can be diverted from their regular duties to emergency management.”
There are now 11 confirmed cases of the virus in Hidalgo County. On March 13, the City of Mission partially activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at a Level Two in response to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. The EOC brings city departments together, working closely with guidance from the Mayor, City Council, and City Manager to set objectives along with interagency coordination, information sharing and decision making in partnership with the Hidalgo County Health Department and the Hidalgo County Judge.
The EOC will remain active throughout the COVID-19 health emergency and meet regularly both virtually and with a skeleton crew to enforce social distancing to respond to the changing situation. The EOC provides support and resources to handle emergencies and ensures business continuity for City services. The role of the City’s EOC is to coordinate a response, mitigate and assist in a comprehensive plan to address the ongoing pandemic.
“With cases of COVID-19 starting to increase locally, the city’s activation is timely,” City Manager Randy Perez said. “We will continue to respond to this rapidly evolving situation to ensure we are providing the best support possible to our community as we work together to find our way through this challenging time.”
