Office of Disaster Preparedness & Response

Office of Disaster Preparedness & Response (ODPR) is committed to providing networks of communication between houses of worship, non-profits entities, and local government agencies in order to coordinate relief and recovery efforts. ODPR is also dedicated to implementing awareness training or faith communities and non-profit organizations regarding the importance of disaster preparedness and planning.

If you would like to help with our efforts please make a contribution to Office of Disaster Preparedness and Response click here.

Become a Disaster Buddy for a Meals on Wheels Senior!

Disaster Buddies help prepare IM’s Meals on Wheels for Greater Houstonseniors for disasters and serious weather events. Disaster Buddies will:

- Visit clients prior to and after a disaster or weather event

- Help clients prepare a disaster kit for their home

- Assist clients in evacuation zones register for evacuation transportation, if needed

- Contact clients before and after an event

Want to be a Disaster Buddy? Sign up here. Questions? Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

House of Worship Disaster Preparedness Survey

We've instituted a new house of worship disaster preparedness survey to better help you and us be prepared for whatever may happen here in Houston. We are asking all congregations to pass the survey on to the appropriate committee in your congregation. This information will go into our database and will help us better serve you and greater Houston's preparedness and response agencies. Click here to take the survey.

Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI)

Office of Disaster Preparedness & Response (ODPR) Jennifer Posten was invited to take part in the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI) Compassion in Action Roundtable titled, "Partnerships in Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery: The Role of Faith-Based and Community Organizations in Building Resilient Communities." Joined by US Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff and hosted by OFBCI Director Jay Hein. After the event, Secretary Chertoff listed the top challenges for integrating Faith-Based Groups.

What Persons with Disabilities Should Know About Preparing for Hurricanes

If you or someone close to you has a disability or a special need, you may have to take additional steps to protect yourself and your family in an emergency.

If you have special needs, find out about special assistance that may be available in your community and register with 2-1-1 so needed help can be provided in the event of a disaster.

CHECK FOR HAZARDS IN YOUR HOME. more.

Meet an ODPR Training Participant

Recently, IM’s ODPR office performed a disaster training simulation with for the Texas Methodist Conference to help the members prepare for a disaster. DeWitt Cox, Disaster Response Coordinator for the Texas Methodist Conference participated in the training. “We already have a written plan, but this helped us actually go through it as if we were in an emergency,” he said. “The questions came out and we realized where the gaps were. By doing this emergency simulation you get a handle on how to organize for a disaster. From here we are going to establish concrete action items that we can take back to our individual churches so they can be prepared also.”