Harris County Judge Ed Emmett briefed the media on the County's hurricane preparedness and evacuation plans this morning. Judge Emmett unveiled the new evacuation map and stressed the importance of individual preparedness.

Make a Plan, Get a Kit, Stay Informed. (http://www.ready.gov/america/index.html).

Additionally, President George W. Bush has proclaimed May 20th to 26th as National Hurricane Preparedness Week and Judge Emmett wants the citizens of Harris County to know that Harris County's Office of Emergency Management is ready and prepared for hurricane season 2007.

The Harris County Citizen Corps offers numerous volunteer training opportunities to help you protect yourself, your family, and your property. One opportunity is to complete the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training.

CERT Team Training is being scheduled at the following locations:
City of Pearland CERT Team training (Class 4) will be held at Pearland Fire Station located at 2020 Old Alvin Road, Pearland, Texas 77588. Classes will be held on Thursday evenings from 7:00 - 10:00p.m., beginning August 9th for 10 weeks and the final exercise will be on Saturday, October 13, 2007. All citizens 18 and above are encouraged to attend, please contact Constable Buck Stevens at bstevens@ci.pearland.tx.us <mailto:bstevens@ci.pearland.tx.us> the registration DEADLINE will be July 13, 2007.

City of Pearland CERT Team training (Class 5) will be held at Pearland Fire Station located at 2020 Old Alvin Road, Pearland, Texas 77588. Classes will be held on Saturdays 9:00 - 5:00p.m., beginning September 22 and the final exercise will be on Saturday, October 13, 2007. All citizens 18 and above are encouraged to attend, please contact Constable Buck Stevens at bstevens@ci.pearland.tx.us <mailto:bstevens@ci.pearland.tx.us> the registration DEADLINE will be August 31, 2007.

Spring Branch CERT training will be held at St. Mark Lutheran Church, 1515 Hillendahl, Houston, TX 77055. Classes will be held on Monday evenings from 6:00-9:00 p.m., starting July 2 and ending August 20, 2007. The training is open to the community. To register or for further information please contact Kelly Biar at 713-468-2623 or kbiar@stmarkhouston.org <mailto:kbiar@stmarkhouston.org>.

Katy CERT Team training will be held at Holy Covenant United Methodist Church, Boy Scout Bldg., 22111 Morton Road, Katy, Texas 77493. Classes will be held on Saturday mornings from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM, starting June 2, and ending July 28, 2007. NOTE: There will be no class on Saturday, July 7th; will resume on Saturday, July 14th.) To register, please contact Clifford Cheadle at cliffordcheadle@sbcglobal.net <mailto:cliffordcheadle@sbcglobal.net>.

Tomball CERT Team training will be held at Tomball Fire Department, 1200 Rudel, Tomball, Texas 77375. Classes will be held on Saturday mornings from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM, starting July 7, 2007 and ending August 25, 2007. The training is open to the community. To register contact Lisa Griffin at lgriffiin@ci.tomball.tx.us <mailto:lgriffiin@ci.tomball.tx.us> or 281-351-7101.

Heights CERT Team training will be held at The Vineyard Church of Houston, located at 1035 E. 11th St., Houston, Texas 77009. Classes will be held on Thursday evenings from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m., beginning June 7 and ending August 2, 2007 (no class on July 5). The training is open to the community. To register contact Laura Griffin at 713-962-9075 or berylmarkham2000@yahoo.com <mailto:berylmarkham2000@yahoo.com>.

RSVP CERT Team training will be held at Merfish Center at 9000 S. Rice at the corner of N. Braeswood, Houston, Texas 77096. Classes will be held on Thursday evenings from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m., beginning July 12 and ending August 30, 2007. The training is open to the community ages 18+. To register or for more information, contact Tara Smith at birdita@yahoo.com <mailto:birdita@yahoo.com> or call 713.729.3200, ext. 3287.

G.R.A.C.E. Community Services CERT Team training will be held at 2626 South Loop West, Suite 350 Houston, Texas 77054. Classes will be held on Thursday evenings from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., beginning June 14 and ending August 9, 2007 (No class on July 5th). To register contact Justin Williams at jw@gracecommunityservices.org <mailto:jw@gracecommunityservices.org> or 713-839-9300.