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Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network (GHC 9-1-1) reminds residents during the extreme winter weather including anticipated freezing temps—only contact 9-1-1 for emergency assistance: police, fire, or medical emergency services. It is important not to overload the emergency call centers with non-emergency calls. Non-emergency calls can delay residents with REAL life-threatening emergencies getting the response they need. Be prepared and make a plan. Monitor news reports on television, radio, or social media for information about weather, road closures, power outages, and accidents due to ice—DO NOT call 9-1-1 to inquire. Write down phone numbers and website links for your local power provider or follow them on social media to get information and updates.

Instead of 9-1-1:

• If you don’t have a life or property emergency, contact your city/county non-emergency numbers. For contact infoof cities within Harris and Fort Bend Counties: https://911.org/en/about-us/who-we-serve/   

• Follow your local city or county social media pages for current updates. 

• Contact your power provider or follow their social media pages and websites for update info. For CenterPointOutages: http://tinyurl.com/mr2a4cdx. 

• For water problems, contact your city public works or a plumber depending on your circumstance. • For road closures, traffic, weather and other helpful info: https://fbcoem.org/, Ready Harris or https://www.houstontranstar.org/, Houston/Galveston, TX. 

Be prepared for power outages at home and make a plan for communications. 

• If you have power dependent phone service, be sure that you have a plan for communications—If you have VoIP/internet phone service, be aware that your phone service may not be available if you lose power. 

• Be sure to charge your cellular phones as well as any extra portable chargers. 

• Remember your battery power will decrease the more your cellular phone is used for communications, social media, and internet usage. 

• The freezing weather may affect cellular service and could impact the ability to make voice calls or send texts. 

If you have a life-threatening emergency: 

• Call 9-1-1 or text 9-1-1, answer all questions and follow instructions. 

• Don’t hang up until your call is answered and until 9-1-1 calltaker is finished with your call. 

• CALL IF YOU CAN, TEXT IF YOU CAN’T – ONLY TEXT 9-1-1 IF YOU CANNOT MAKE A VOICE CALL. Voice calls are the fastest and best way to reach 9-1-1. - END