Galveston Mayor Lewis Rosen today presided over his first City of Galveston Hurricane Preparedness Meeting.  Listen

“I’m going to be here learning, more than I’m going to be here talking,” Rosen said, before calling on representatives of the various organizations that activate for hurricane emergencies.

Meteorologist In Charge of the Houston and Galveston National Weather Service Office Gene Hafele reported that the tropics are quiet now, but offered a cautionary reminder.

“A forecast of a quiet hurricane season doesn’t necessarily mean that we are not going to have any activity here,” he said.  “We are just going to have to keep an eye out on what’s going on.”

David Popoff, who recently was appointed emergency management coordinator for Galveston County, reported on the readiness of the Galveston County Emergency Operations Center in Dickinson.

“Somebody once asked me how do you guys plan for tropical storms?” Popoff said.  “I told him we don’t plan for tropical storms. We plan for hurricanes.”

Popoff, who previously worked for the State of Texas, noted that Galveston has only two seasons, “The planning season where we plan for hurricanes and then we actually have the hurricane season itself.”

City of Galveston Emergency Management Coordinator Charlie Kelly said the next meeting of the Hurricane Preparedness Team will be in August.