Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network (GHC 9-1-1) reminds residents during the winter weather—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 or 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 3-1-1 or non-emergency numbers. For 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 CenterPoint Outages: http://tinyurl.com/mr2a4cdx.
- For water problems, contact 3-1-1, your city public works, or a plumber depending on your circumstance.
- For road closures and other helpful info: https://fbcoem.org/ or https://www.houstontranstar.org/
Be prepared for power outages at your 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.
- The freezing weather may affect cellular service and could impact the ability to make voice calls or send texts.
- Remember your battery power will decrease the more your cellular phone is used for communications, social media, and internet usage.
If you have an 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 the 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.