Overview
- Harris County announced the hurricane-level activation on Thursday and designated the Houston Police Department as the lead agency for game-day security at NRG Stadium and the East Downtown fan festival.
- Commissioners approved a funding arrangement to help public safety agencies seek FEMA reimbursement for overtime and other World Cup security costs.
- Planned security measures include vehicle barriers around fan zones, anti-drone technology, a large uniformed law enforcement presence and private security, and officials say screening will be stricter than at typical Texans or Astros games.
- Public-health teams have set up targeted Ebola protocols at Bush Intercontinental Airport, assigned epidemiologists to recent travelers from affected areas and kept two hospitals on standby while characterizing the local risk as low.
- Officials are also preparing for major crowd and weather challenges by increasing transit service, staging heat and lightning protections at outdoor sites, and tightening cyber defenses around energy and other critical infrastructure.