The Hockley County Commissioners Court met in an emergency meeting on June 3 to consider an extension of the disaster declaration issued by Hockley County Judge Sharla Baldridge on May 29.
The Commissioners agreed to continue the disaster declaration for 30 days and approved the same. This declaration will help the county to be able to obtain state and federal assistance in regard to damages sustained by this storm. On May 29, the county was hit with a severe weather storm including high winds and large hail.
“Although we always pray for the best, we have always planned for the worst,” said Judge Baldridge “I felt confident we were prepared when this storm hit. We stand ready and prepared for any disaster that our county may get hit with and our Hockley County Emergency Management Plan is well written.”
Hockley County is working to access state resources; to help with the recovery efforts; and to provide county assistance with debris removal and clean-up.
“We are in the recovery phase of the Hockley County Emergency Management Plan,” explained Judge Baldridge. “This community has come together in true West Texas fashion and has been resilient. The county remains steadfast in our efforts to restore our county. The Commissioners and their crews came in to assist with debris removal and their recovery efforts have made this clean-up move much faster. We are very proud of our county crews and thank them for their skills and efforts.”
Hockley County hosts a Senior Officials Emergency Management Meeting every six months.
“I believe these meetings pay off in the event of a disaster,” said Baldridge. “It is a time when we invite all city managers, mayors, first responders, hospital staff, elected officials or anyone who may play a part in the event of a disaster to attend these meetings. The meetings allow us to come together as a county; get to know each other better; and give updates on emergency management planning. Communication is paramount in the event of a disaster so I believe the better we know each other on a personal level, the better the communication will be during a disaster.”
For Baldridge, Levelland-Hockley County Emergency Management Coordinator, Cole Kirkland has been the unsung hero in this entire situation.
“Cole has gone above and beyond during this disaster to provide safety and execute the Hockley County Emergency Management Plan,” stated Baldrigde. “I couldn’t be more pleased with Cole’s commitment and expertise during this disaster.”
On behalf of the county, Baldrigde thanked each person, business and entity that has reached out to donate, volunteer, and pray for the county.
A disaster like this is hard, but we have the greatest people living in Hockley County and we will be better than before once we recover from this disaster,” said Baldridge.