All News Releases

GHC 911| Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network Offers Reminder Before, During and Following Storms: 9-1-1 is ONLY for Emergencies

Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network (GHC 9-1-1) reminds residents during and following a storm to ONLY contact 9-1-1 for in-progress emergencies for police, fire or medical assistance. It’s important not to overload the emergency call centers with non-emergency calls, especially during a storm. Non-emergency calls can delay citizens with REAL life-threatening emergencies getting the response they need.

Heavy call congestion on wireless, wireline phone networks and 9-1-1 centers could cause delay and/or prevent calls from being delivered. It is best to stay informed by TV, radio social media or local authorities for weather, flooding and traffic updates. DO NOT call 9-1-1 to check. Sign up with your city or county alerts for updates. To sign up for alerts in Houston: Emergency Alerts – City of Houston Emergency Operations Center . To sign up for Harris or Fort Bend Counties alerts:

https://bit.ly/3A5QXUd  - Harris County

https://bit.ly/3A5Kicp - Fort Bend County

If you have an emergency and need police, fire or medical assistance:

  • Call or text 9-1-1. Voice calls are best and fastest method.
  • Answer all questions and follow instructions
  • Stay on the line and don’t hang up.

Always make a plan for communications in case you need emergency assistance.

  • Make a list of important phone numbers for friends and relatives, city services, and utility companies.
  • If you have VoIP/internet phone service, be aware that your phone service may not be available if you lose power.
  • Keep your cellular phones fully charged as well as any extra portable chargers in case you need to use them for emergency assistance.
  • Remember your battery power will decrease the more your cellular phone is used for communications, social media and internet usage.  

GHC 9-1-1 is responsible for providing the 9-1-1 telecommunications services for 49 cities and the unincorporated areas of two counties: Harris and Fort Bend: www.911.org,

#END#