Galveston in full storm preparation mode

Galveston County Emergency Operations Center is taking no chances

GALVESTON, Texas – It looks like a typical beautiful Galveston beach day, but there is the possibility of a storm in the Gulf of Mexico.

Because of that, the Galveston County Emergency Operations Center is taking no chances, using this day heading into the weekend as a perfect time for more practice... just in case.

Galveston's beaches are very busy this time of the year, but the real center of action could shift north to League City if the system north of the Yucatan Peninsula should turn into a storm in the Gulf.

The Galveston Emergency Operations Center is where key decisions will be made if a storm should threaten and the practice for such an event is a year round process.

We witnessed one kind of drill that goes on throughout much of the year -- HAM radio operators, the Coast Guard and other volunteers are keeping track of what's going on. The goal is to be ready if needed.

"It's a big team with a lot of moving pieces and we want to make sure we can get up and running efficiently quickly," said David Popoff, Galveston County Emergency Management Coordinator.

They say they have two seasons here: Hurricane season and preparing for hurricane season and that the training never stops.

That is especially important as some of the computer models want to bring something near Galveston, which would put 300,000 people on alert.

"There are several models that want to bring a storm to our area and we'll be watching what happens, but right now it's a good beach weekend in Galveston. People should plan to come down. That's why it's here," Popoff said.

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